Looking to find your German ancestors in Europe? The Friends of the Max Kade Institute are co-sponsoring a German genealogy workshop held by the Max Kade Institute and the Wisconsin Historical Society. Join us on February 23, 2019, in Madison! For more details, including registration information, click HERE.

Just in time for spring, here comes the MKI Newsletter Winter 2017-2018 issue. Read about

• “German Immigrants, Silver Fox, and Ginseng: The Colorful History of Hamburg and Berlin, Wisconsin” (this is were the Friends of MKI annual meeting will be held on May 5! Register Here);
• “Restoring The Speaker’s House, Home of the first Speaker of the U.S.House of Representatives, Frederick Muhlenberg;
• “A Thank You to all Donors of the MKI Library Project Campaign; Book review:
• “A Crowded Hour: Milwaukee During the Great War, 1917-1918”

Join the Friends and receive your own copy: https://mkifriends.org/membership/

Join us on Saturday, May 5, for a fun and educational day in Marathon County, WI! — REGISTRATION CLOSED

This year the Friends of the Max Kade Institute will step back to the early days of the twentieth century by visiting the historic Fromm Brothers Fur and Ginseng Farm in the Town of Hamburg, Marathon County. We will learn how four brothers, whose family immigrated to Wisconsin from Germany in the 1800s, built a multi-million dollar business empire by raising silver fox for the fashion industry and ginseng for the Asian market.

Our hosts will be the Fromm Brothers Historical Preservation Society and the Pommerscher Verein Central Wisconsin. The day will conclude with a dinner at the Town of Berlin Center (catered by 2510 Restaurant of Wausau) and a lecture by William Thiel (Eau Claire) on “Why They Left: Transitions from Rural Germany to the Midwest in the 19th Century.”

In this issue read about:
— “The Germans from Russia Settlement Locations Project”
— MKI Upcoming Events
— “Where in Europe Is My Ancestor’s Hometown? Finding Aids for Genealogists”
— “Two Total Solar Eclipses”
— “Mapping the Germans” (book review)

Become a member of the Friends of MKI and receive your own copy three times a year: https://mkifriends.org/membership/

Join us for a fun evening with great food, beer, and entertainment!  Once again, Bull Falls Brewery (Wausau),  Clasen’s European Bakery (Middleton), and the Freiburg Gastropub (Madison) sponsor our Fest by providing their delicious beer and food. Enjoy accordion music with Bill Niederberger, German songs with members of the Madison Maennerchor, a lecture on “Humor in the Stacks: Curiosities from the MKI Archives,” and a silent auction and raffle. Proceeds benefit the Max Kade Institute

For more details and to  purchase your tickets, click HERE.