If any of you are doing research in Wisconsin then you will be interested in the following email I received today. --------------------------------------------------------------- Subect: Holiday Greetings from Wisconsin Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 15:57:36 -0600 From: "Michael Edmonds" <miedmonds@whs.wisc.edu> This is just a note to say, "Thanks!" Earlier this year you placed an order with the Wisconsin Historical Society's fledgling Online Genealogical Research Service (http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/genealogy/ogrs/index.html). I hope we were able to meet your needs. At the end of next month we'll roll out an improved site which will provide Wisconsin Civil War soldiers' records as well as birth, marriage and death certificates. Meanwhile, I want to call your attention to a large - - and entirely free - - genealogy and local history resource that we're just finishing. "Wisconsin Local History & Biography Articles" contains almost 50,000 pages of Wisconsin newspaper stories published between 1860 and 1940. You can search for people, topics such as "German immigrants," or you can simply browse articles from the town your ancestors lived in. Give it a try at http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/wlhba/index.asp (and have fun). In 2002 we expect to gradually unveil an enormous, free database of Wisconsin personal names for you to use. This index will point to selected obituaries, biographical sketches in county histories, listings in professional directories, and articles about people in local papers, and you'll be able to order copies of most of them online. Again, thank you for your support in 2001 as we got our new Web service up and running. Please tell your friends and family with Wisconsin ancestors to give it a try, too. Finally, best wishes for happy holidays and a safe and prosperous new year. Sincerely yours, Michael Edmonds Deputy Director, Library & Archives Division Wisconsin Historical Society