A Little History of the Broomfield Genealogy Society
By Paul and Jane Williams, BGS Lifetime Honorary Members
Posted December 2021 with minor editorial edits by Kirk Hayer, Webmaster
Introduction
Paul Williams had a mother that was in to genealogy and often told Paul of his ancestors. This sparked his interest in genealogy. His mother passed on to him, her hand written trees and written stories of her ancestors. She also spoke of her early years growing up in Nebraska and gave him many boxes of pictures.
Paul’s great-grandfather, Mads Anderson, came from Denmark and invented many farming implements, starting in 1874. Some of them were the land roller, hay stacker, grain grinder and later the deep well pump. The plant Mads Anderson built in Hastings, Nebraska, still produces many of his original inventions to this day. With this familial story, Paul seriously began his genealogical research.
Small Beginnings
In the fall of 1999, Paul advertised in the Broomfield Enterprise inviting anyone interested in genealogy to come to the Broomfield Senior Center. We met one evening and twelve persons came to the first meeting. The group grew by one to two members each month. It was decided that since everyone had a great interest in genealogy, that a club should be started for us to meet each month. A day and time were scheduled for the meeting. Paul found speakers for the meetings, and he showed the genealogy software “Family Tree Maker” that he used.
At a subsequent meeting, the leadership was elected. Paul became the charter president, which he held for 3 years until he started spending the winter in Arizona. At that time, he resigned as President and Mabel Masey was elected as President. Paul has continued to play an active role in the club over the years.
Through his connections with Family Tree Maker, he was able to convince the company to offer their software at half price to our members. Several members took advantage of the offer to save several hundred dollars.
For Paul…
The research he has done over the years has been quite interesting. He has found among his ancestors, on both sides of his tree, a king of England and a king of Denmark plus other royalties. Paul and his wife visited England and Denmark on a number of occasions.
Paul and his wife Jane have been members for 21 years when this article was written.
Thanks Paul, for the GREAT START!