About RCGS & How this web site works

​This web site was launched in 2016 with a two main objectives:

• For Society Members, we now provide the full content of many unique RCGS publications within password-protected "members-only" web pages. By providing a new password in each quarterly Society newsletter, members can see indexes, atlases, plat maps and directories that were previously available only by purchasing bound "dead tree" versions of RCGS publications. ​
• For the General Public, we now have a range of economical ways to access records of their Rock County ancestors found in our extensive Library and copyrighted publications. Previously, researchers needed to buy RCGS  publications, sight unseen, with no assurance whether it contained their ancestors. By posting limited "surname-only" versions of many Rock County published indexes, researchers can now make an informed decision about whether to:​
  

               Buy the full RCGS published index with greater confidence , or
              Buy a copy of just the index page containing their ancestor's surnames for a small fee, or  
              Hire the RCGS staff to obtain copies of original records (e.g., vital records, obituaries, probate
               documents, newspaper articles, diaries, land abstracts and more).

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Who we serve

The Rock County Genealogical Society (RCGS) is a nonprofit organization governed and staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers. Rock County, Wisconsin was a stopping-off point for many westward bound pioneers, so our larger community extends far beyond Rock County, Wisconsin to family history hobbyists across nearly all 50 states. We have also assisted Rock County researchers from England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Norway and Sweden.

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We are a Wisconsin based 
nonprofit society whose volunteers focus on member services, record preservation, publication & education.

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The Charles Tallman Archives & Research Center, located in Janesville.

Volunteer opportunities exist in a number of areas - and, you need no experience - we'll provide training. You can assist visitors at the Charles Tallman Library & Archives, or you can indexing names from an old book, atlas or plat map, or you can proofread other volunteers transcriptions.

Volunteer Opportunities​

Contact the RCGS ​
​Volunteer Coordinator

OUR MISSION

• To safeguard and preserve historic records and operate a research library for family historians,
• To educate & entertain through newsletters, monthly speakers’ programs, field trips and workshops,
• To index unique historical works that are otherwise unavailable to researchers & publish these indexes, and
• To provide value to our community through our library research volunteers, our publications, and our educational offerings, with special emphasis and additional services to our Society membership through their member benefits.

OUR STRUCTURE
​The Rock County Genealogical Society is a membership-based, nonprofit tax-exempt organization devoted to assisting family researchers whose ancestors were born, married, worked, lived and died in Rock County, Wisconsin. There are no paid positions; everyone from the elected community board members, to our newsletter editor, our librarian and staff researchers are volunteers. For all of us, our mission is a labor of love - genealogy is a bit addictive, and we've all caught the bug.

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How do we make ends meet?

RCGS owns or is caretaker of hundreds of historical books and over 50 copyrighted birth, marriage and death indexes, as well as obituary collections, probate records, cemetery and burial record listings, newspaper indexes and indexed plat maps and atlases. Our volunteers also staff the Rock County Genealogical Society Library, located in the Charles Tallman Archives and Research Center, where we oversee public access to the holdings. As a non-profit organization, we are sometimes asked why we don't provide all our publications for free. The answer is fairly simple: even a non-profit organization has expenses. Without modest revenue, the RCGS could not exist, because we would be unable to pay our seminar speakers, maintain (or replace our photocopier), add titles to our library or assist our Historical Society partner meet their obligations.  Rest assured, no one benefits personally from RCGS revenue; we work for the love of genealogy.

So how does RCGS generate income? The Society has three main sources of income:

• RCGS Membership Dues help keep the lights on and replace photocopiers and aging PCs.
  
• Fee-Based Family Research provided by RCGS Library volunteer researchers for a fee, and
• Sale of RCGS Publications including unique, exclusive indexes, atlases, plat maps and more.
  

For over 35 years, this approach has helped sustain the Society, pay speakers' fees, acquire additional Library holdings and cover our office overhead - and we hope to continue serving our members and the community for another 35 years.