Speaker: Nancy Loe

European Immigrant Ancestors: Their Experiences and the Records

Many factors pushed or pulled Europeans to emigrate to the United States between 1820 and 1920. In this presentation, Nancy explores questions like: What did our European ancestors experience when they decided to leave their homes and sail to America? What was the voyage like? How did they make their way in the new world?

Speaker: Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD presentation.

Could new advances in DNA research solve a genealogical mystery in your family? Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D., will share a case study on this topic, titled the “Helen Marley Story,” for SCAG on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m.

In this presentation, you’ll hear how Blaine identified the mother of his great-grandmother, Helen Marley Johnson, who was adopted at birth. Although not one record exists that identifies Helen’s biological mother, indirect evidence and DNA testing make the case.

Blaine is a professional genealogist specializing in DNA evidence and the use of artificial intelligence for genealogical research. He is the author of the long-running blog The Genetic Genealogist, author of “The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genealogy” and co-author of the award-winning “Genetic Genealogy in Practice.”

Many businesses keep historical information including photos, documents, publications and news articles. Have you ever considered that those archives may have resources that could be valuable for your genealogical research?

Brendon Duffy will present “What Genealogists Can Gain from Business Archives” for the St. Cloud Area Genealogists (SCAG) on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. Duffy will discuss what materials business archivists typically keep, how they can be accessed by the public and some ideas for ways they can be used by genealogists. 

Duffy has been the archivist for CentraCare, the largest healthcare system in Central Minnesota, since 2016. He is a lifelong genealogist and member of the Twin Cities Archives Round Table and the Association for Professional Genealogists. He is also a Board member of SCAG. Duffy earned a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University in 2018.

The presentation takes place in person at the Stearns History Museum, 235 33rd Ave. S., St. Cloud, and will be broadcast live for members of SCAG and registered guests who need to watch remotely on Zoom. The program is free to SCAG members; $7 for nonmembers. Please share this topic with nonmembers who you think might like to attend. Nonmembers can pay at the door or pay for remote access through the SCAG online store: https://scagmn.org/store. The individual annual membership rate for SCAG is $25.

Thousands of Germans from Russia immigrated to the United States in the 17th and 18th centuries, many to the Upper Midwest. What did they bring with them? A prayer book. A gold gross. A pair of socks. A sewing basket. A scrap of paper. Sandy Schilling Payne will explore storytelling through the “eyes” of these treasured objects our Germans from Russia ancestors brought with them and left behind for their descendants.

Sandy Schilling Payne will present “What They Carried: Storytelling Through Objects” for the St. Cloud Area Genealogists online on Tuesday, October 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.

Sandy Schilling Payne is a descendant of Black Sea Germans on both sides of her family - Lutherans from the Glückstal colonies and Catholics from the Kutschurgan colonies. Her interest in genealogy began in 1994, and she has since researched her German ancestors into the modern-day countries of Germany, France, Switzerland, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Canada, and the United States. She is a part of the Black Sea German Research group, the webmaster for the Glückstal Colonies Research Association, and the author of the Germans from Russia Settlement Locations project.

Stearns History Museum (235 33rd Ave. S., St. Cloud) and synchronously online. The event will be recorded to watch for two weeks after event.

Free for members of St. Cloud Area Genealogists, $7 for Guests - register at scagmn.org/store at least 2 days prior to event.

Dr. Maruta Lietiņš Ray will present on her memoir Refugee Girl. Have you ever thought that your memories may be worthy of recording for future generations, but you don’t know where to begin? Maruta Ray will share her process and some of her story she wanted to preserve with historical accuracy for her grandchildren.

Maruta Ray will present on her childhood memoir, Refugee Girl, for the St. Cloud Area Genealogists in-person on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 at 7 p.m. at Stearns History Museum (235 33rd Ave. S., St. Cloud). The presentation will be available synchronously online and will be recorded for members of SCAG and registered guests. Refugee Girl (published in 2021 and available from Amazon and at the Great River Regional Library) follows a world in turmoil as seen through the eyes of a child born during World War II in Latvia, part of the "bloodlands" of Europe. The author lived under Hitler and Stalin, spent a short time in a Nazi internment camp and five years in a UN Displaced Persons camp. At age 10, she came to America on a troop transport ship and grew up in New York. Come hear Ray’s story of how, at a time of mental and physical anguish and scarcity, people displayed a miraculous resiliency and the courage to alter their life’s path.

Dr. Maruta Lietiņš Ray is a professor emerita at the University of Virginia and now lives in Central Minnesota.

Stearns History Museum (235 33rd Ave. S., St. Cloud) and synchronously online. The event will be recorded to watch for two weeks after event.

Free for members of St. Cloud Area Genealogists, $7 for Guests - register at scagmn.org/store at least 2 days prior to event.