We Preserve the Past to Enrich the Future
Celebrating 50 Years of Service
Founded in1973, the St. Cloud Area Genealogists is a non-profit organization based in central Minnesota. Our mission is to preserve the past and enrich the future of family history research. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced family historian, our premier organization welcomes everyone. Our members research their ancestors from diverse locations within Minnesota, across the United States, and from foreign countries. The heart of our genealogical society lies in the kindness of our volunteers, who generously contribute their time and talents to achieve our goals.
Connect
Share your genealogy passion with others and join a supportive community.
Be Inspired
Enjoy educational presentations from professional genealogists.
Discover
Explore resources to bring your family history to life.
Member Meetings
The Silent Language of the Stones: Reading Gravestone Symbols
Online and In-Person in St. Cloud, MN
Have you ever seen a symbol on a tombstone and wondered if it had significant meaning? For centuries, designs appeared on tombstones, but during the Victorian era, these symbols flourished and often contributed to narratives about relationships, military service, occupations, economic status and social standing. Join the St. Cloud Area Genealogists to learn about this cryptic language.
Joy Neighbors will present “The Silent Language of the Stones: Reading Gravestone Symbols” for the St. Cloud Area Genealogists online on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 at 7 p.m. at Stearns History Museum (235 33rd Ave S., St. Cloud). The presentation will be available remotely and will be recorded for members of SCAG and registered guests. Joy Neighbors is a tombstone tourist with an avid interest in cemeteries, history and genealogy. She’s the author of The Family Tree Cemetery Field Guide (published by Penguin-Random House) and is now working on two more books: one about Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis and the other on Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati. Neighbors has written the cemetery culture blog A Grave Interest for 13 years and speaks nationally about cemetery research. She edits the Indiana Genealogist, the quarterly journal of the Indiana Genealogical Society and works as the communication director with Cream of Kentucky Distilling. She resides in Louisville with her family.
Free for St. Cloud Area Genealogists Members - become a member at https://scagmn.org/join
Back to School: Making the Most of School Records
Online and In-Person in St. Cloud, MN
Join the St. Cloud Area Genealogists for a class you won’t want to ditch! Come learn about the many ways you can access important details about your ancestors using school records like yearbooks, school schedules, teacher’s registers, school newspapers and alumni directories.
Tina Beaird will present “Back to School: Making the Most of School Records” for the St. Cloud Area Genealogists online on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 7 p.m. at Stearns History Museum (235 33rd Ave S., St. Cloud). The presentation will be available remotely and will be recorded for members of SCAG and registered guests.
Tina Beaird is owner of Tamarack Genealogy and is also the genealogy librarian at the Plainfield Public Library in Plainfield, Ill. She lectures extensively on topics including genealogical methodology, military research and archival preservation. Beaird is a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild, serves as an officer of the Illinois State Genealogical Society, and is Board Secretary/Director for the Oswegoland Heritage Association. She has provided research assistance for more than 20 years and has been researching her family’s history for more than 30 years. Beaird is a serious baseball fan and her family has visited 26 out of 30 Major League Ballparks across the U.S.
Free for St. Cloud Area Genealogists Members - become a member at https://scagmn.org/join
Speaker: Tina Beaird (Online)
Researching Your Union Civil War Ancestor
Online and In-Person in St. Cloud, MN
Free for St. Cloud Area Genealogists Members - become a member at https://scagmn.org/join
Speaker: Scott Norwick (Online)
Community Events
RootsTech 2025—The Largest Genealogy Conference in the World
Online and in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Price: Virtual is free. In-person pricing will be available on RootsTech.org when announced.
Although the next RootsTech event is happening in March of 2025, it is never too early to put it on your calendar! This annual genealogy conference is a hybrid event, meaning you can participate online or in person. RootsTech in person usually includes exclusive classes and personal interaction with exhibitors in the Expo Hall. Online attendees can enjoy hundreds of virtual sessions in many languages, and the online conference experience is free! Whichever way you attend RootsTech, keynote speakers will electrify and motivate you in all things genealogy and family history. This conference covers a large variety of topics and is appropriate for all levels of genealogy researchers.
North Star Genealogy Conference
Eagan Community Center, Eagan, Minnesota
The conference aims to teach participants how to access more collections and how to be more inclusive in their own genealogy endeavors.
