The meeting days are the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. January-May and September-December. We meet at the Old Courthouse Museum at 200 W. 6th Street in the 2nd floor old law library. Meetings are held in person unless we have indicated that it is a virtual meeting. If you have an idea for a speaker or topic, or are willing to speak, please email: vicepresident@siouxvalleygenealogicalsociety.org
Ancestral Road Trips: Finding Your Ancestors East of the Mississippi
Thursday, Feb 5th at 7:00 p.m. CST via Zoom
Have you ever wondered how-and why-your ancestors ended up in a particular place when they began hundreds of miles away? How did females travel from York, PA to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, or from upstate New York to central Illinois? Did they follow rivers and canals, travel overland by foot or wagon, or move as part of a larger family migration?
Join us as Madeline Yanov explores the motivations and routes behind early American migration. This presentation will examine what “pushed” families to leave one place and what “pulled” them towards another. Madeline will discuss some of the most popular migration trails, why they were used, and how they connect to modern cities. Maps will highlight major routes and point out where genealogical records may be found along the way.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Madeline Yanov is the owner of Time Travel Genealogy and has more than 35 years of experience specializing in American research. She is well-versed in European genealogy-particularly Irish, British, Slovak, and Russian research-and has also helped reunite adoptees with their birth families.
Before becoming a full-time genealogist, Madeline worked as a paralegal, where her experience with legal discovery strengthened her analytical research skills. She holds a degree in history and political science and believes genealogy is about telling the stories behind our ancestors’ lives-not just recording names and dates.
Madeline has served in numerous leadership roles with the Contra Costa County Genealogical Society (serving California’s San Francisco Bay Area), including President, and currently holds the title of President Emeritus. She is an active member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and enjoys traveling, meeting people, and sharing her love of history and genealogy.
Thursday, March 5, 2026 – 6:30 p.m. social/7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.
Old Courthouse Museum – 2nd floor law library
US Civil War Reflections of an Irish Immigrant Soldier by Ron and Kay Christensen.
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Thursday, April 2, 2026 – 6:00 p.m. social with desserts and beverages/7:00 to 8:15 p.m.
Old Courthouse Museum – 2nd floor law library
A Baker’s Dozen: Easy Ways to Begin Writing Your Family History by Paula Stuart-Warren, Certified Genealogist, FMGS, FUGA.
