to the new Union County Genealogical Society website, a work in progress. Check back with us often as new information will be added by our volunteers.

The Union County Genealogical Society is dedicated to meeting the educational needs of their members through the preservation of the county's public records, cemetery records, newspapers and family histories for research by future generations.

UCGS is a 501(c)3 non-profit and contributions are tax deductible. Contributions are used to purchase genealogy materials housed at the Matilda Gibson Public Library in Creston, provide additional offerings on our website and assist in providing quality educational genealogy programs. UCGS is a member of the Iowa Genealogical Society.

Monthly Membership Meetings

UCGS meets on the 4th Monday of each month except December at 5:30 PM in the Genealogy Room at the Matilda Gibson Memorial Library located at 200 West Howard Street in Creston, Iowa and are also available via Zoom. Membership meetings are open to the public. For information on additional educational opportunities in genealogical research, check out our Events page.

To become a member or to renew your membership, click here

To make a donation, click here.

Interpreting Your DNA

The Union County Genealogy Society, UCGS, will host popular genealogist Dennis Allen of Genealogical Treasurers on Monday 19 May 2025, during the monthly meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 pm in the Genealogy Room at the at the Gibson Memorial Public Library, 200 West Howard Street, Creston. The program will be Interpreting Your DNA Results followed by Q and A. Understanding DNA test results depends on the type of test. A DNA Test Report shows the results of laboratory DNA tests that provide evidence regarding the alleged family relationship, an explanation of the meaning of the numbers, and other items that appear in the test report.

Mr. Allen is a retired firefighter for the City of Des Moines, but his passion is all things genealogy. His years of research experience has made him a popular speaker on genealogy topics throughout Iowa and the Midwest. Genealogical Treasures have spent years researching, gathering, and digitizing cemetery and funeral home records across Iowa. They have helped numerous cemeteries bring records up to date. Allen and his wife represents Region 7 on the Iowa Genealogical Society Board of Directors. They are active volunteers at the Iowa Genealogical Society Library and Mr. Allen provides leadership for the RootsMagic Interest Group which meet over Zoom on the Second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm.

Union County Genealogical Society monthly meetings and programs are open to the public. Pre-registration is requested for planning purposes for the speaker. Registration can be made at the Society’s website, https://unioncgs.org through the society’s gift shop, The Roots Cellar or by calling 515.868.1415. For information on upcoming new monthly programs for the remainder of 2025 visit the EVENTS page on the Society’s website or on the Society’s Facebook page.

New Research Links

Exploring Croatia and Your Croatian Heritage website has been added to the Research Links Page under the Ethnic tab. Thank you Ana for the great tip. Thirty-three new and updated state research resources have also been added to the States Site tab. Check them out and also check back often as more are being added in the future. If you have a good resource that you would like to share, please let us know.

5 Genealogy Activities for Summer

Throw open the windows—warm temperatures are here to stay! Breathe some fresh air into your house and your research with these projects that will keep you busy.

Check out this excellent article by Andrew Koch of Family Tree magazine on our latest blog post.

Free Resources to Assist With Your Research

Explore upcoming webinars on Legacy Family Tree Webinars at https://familytreewebinars.com/upcoming-webinars/ They are free the day of the webinar and for the next seven days so you can fit them into your schedule when convenient. They can help you learn new techniques and resources.

Check out the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) award winning website, americanancestors.org As the online repository for more than 1.4 billion searchable names from America and beyond. Although their name says New England, they provide expertise and research across American family history. This is a membership organization but they provide some in-depth learning online seminars, and lectures that are free.

Also check out our Research Links page for more FREE websites that can assist you with your research from the comfort of your home. Do you have a good site link that you would like to share? If so, please emai it to unioncgs.org for consideration. If you find a link that is no longer working, please let us know so that we can correct it.

Membership in Iowa Genealogical Society

Your membership in the IGS contributes to the preservation of genealogical and family history records. Benefits of membership are:

Access to IGS research facility
Access to FamilySearch affliage records when in the IGS Library
Access to Ancestry Library Edition when in the IGS Library
Free access to the MyHeritage website
Bimonthly newsletter
Discounts on classes and conferences and research fees
Networking opportunities
Join a Special Interest Group
Email notification of upcoming events and classes
Access to genealogy interest groups
Access to free queries in Hawkeye Heritage
There are annual spring and fall conferences with lectures, workshops, and vendors. To become a member of IGS go to IowaGenealogy.org and click on membership.

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BEHOLD the Work of the Old…..

Let your Heritage not be lost.

But bequest it as a Memory,

Treasure and Blessing…..

Gather the lost and hidden,

And preserve it for thy Children.

Christian Metz, 1846

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