The Executive Council, comprised of FRGS officers, is charged with managing the business of the society and developing its policies. Here are the 2018 FRGS officers:
Roberta Landeck is FRGS President.
My interest in genealogy started when I was a teen. My mother knew that I had ancestors on my father’s side who were in the American Revolution. To do the paper work for the DAR, she and I spent time in the Newbury Library in Chicago and found the needed information. I’ve been a member of the DAR, Daughters of the American Revolution, since 1959 and the CAR, Children of the American Revolution, before that. Many of my older family members didn’t know their family history. When I asked for information, they made up stories. Getting to the true stories, I’ve found, is often better than the fiction.
Bob Epp is FRGS’s First Vice President. In this role, Bob has the important job of Program Chair, being responsible for securing speakers for both the monthly meetings and the Annual Fall Conference. The First Vice President also performs the duties of the President in the absence of or at the request of the President.
I was always curious about his surname. Upon further investigation I found it is a pet name for the Germanic surname of Eberhardt. I had the opportunity to professionally relocate to Heidelberg in 1976. Once there, I researched all three of my German family lines, as well as my Norwegian family. Subsequently, I continued my research in cooperation with my cousin Barbe. Our immediate Epp family was based in West Y Central Wisconsin. We have also located several other Epp lines in the U.S. and Canada, also directly descended from the Epp line present in North Baden since the 17 th Century. I also research family lines in Northwest Spotsylvania and Eastern Orange Counties of Virginia.
Polly Seifert is Second Vice President for FRGS. This position is the Society’s official Registrar, whose duties include maintaining the membership directory of the Society. She also serves as Membership Chair.
Since the age of 16, I have worn a cameo ring passed down by my Great Grandmother Emily Woodman and given to me by my mother with a story of Emily having been married to an English sea captain in Singapore. All I had was the ring that I have never taken off, her picture, and the sea captain story; I wanted to know more. My research showed the story was partially true. Emily did get married in Singapore in 1866. Her husband was not a sea captain, just a mariner and her guardian, appointed by her father just six weeks earlier. They sailed to America in 1867 and settled in Cleveland, Ohio. I now have the original certificate of marriage and his picture, found in a strong box my parents had forgotten. I continue to uncover more stories about this remarkable woman as well as the stories of my Price, Wagner, and Dunbar ancestors who all settled in Ohio.
Sandy Clothier is the FRGS Executive Council Secretary. Sandy is responsible for keeping the minutes of the FRGS regular monthly meetings, special meetings and Executive Council meetings.
I hail from upstate New York, growing up near Saratoga Springs with my parents, four siblings, eight maternal aunts and uncles, their spouses and numerous cousins who gathered at Grandma LaFountain’s small home. First cousins number 45 and I can no longer count the 2nds, 3rds or Xs removed. My Dad’s family, was small in comparison: one aunt, two cousins, Pa and Grandma Geier, and a few others. I am not sure when or how I caught the genealogy bug, but I have it! I am very grateful for FRGS, their encouragement, knowledge and willingness to help. I am looking forward to working with all the existing and soon to be members, of the Society.
Deb Kozel is the FRGS Executive Council Treasurer. Deb is responsible for FRGS finances including developing and manging the annual budget, and tracking and reporting on the society’s financial position.
I grew up in Middle Village, Queens, NY, where my maternal great-great grandparents settled to farm after arriving in the United States in 1846. Surrounded by family members I have always ‘heard the stories’ and knew many of the heroes, or in some cases victims. My scraps of paper never progressed to genealogy until I joined the German Genealogy Group about 20 years ago. Over time I have both proved and disproved some of our family history and have found the grave number of an older baby sister buried on Hart’s Island. Moving to Virginia has been an adventure, bringing me closer to my Kozel family genealogy in Washington, D.C. We’ve visited the site where the Kozel Beer Garden had been located, taken photos of home locations, and roamed cemeteries taking photos of family grave sites.