RGS History
Realizing that Romanian genealogy can be challenging and that few organizations existed to promote the collection and preservation of Romanian genealogy, Romanian Genealogy Society was formed in 2011 with the encouragement of Heritage Organization of Romanian Americans in Minnesota (HORA), the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Genealogical Society
History of RGS
2011 Founders Vicki Young Albu and Dorrene Dragos Hern gathered with other 
like-minded family historians in South St. Paul, Minnesota on November 19th to establish the Romanian Genealogy Society. Officers were elected: Vicki Albu, President; Dorrene Hern, Secretary; and Peggy Corniea, Treasurer.
like-minded family historians in South St. Paul, Minnesota on November 19th to establish the Romanian Genealogy Society. Officers were elected: Vicki Albu, President; Dorrene Hern, Secretary; and Peggy Corniea, Treasurer.2012 The Board of Directors met on January 21 to finalize the Constitution & Bylaws and formed as a branch group of the Minnesota Genealogical Society. RGS presented programs at the statewide Central & Eastern European Family History Conference at Inver Hills Community College.
2013-2014 We partnered with HORA and Town Square Television using Minnesota
Legacy Grant funds to record oral history interviews with elders in the Romanian communities of the Twin Cities, Minnesota. The result was the 2014 premiere of the award-winning documentary, A Thousand Dollars and Back: Recollections of Early Romanian Immigration to Minnesota, narrated by Don Shelby, award winning journalist and recipient of two Peabody Awards and three National Emmy Awards. The event was attended by over 200 people.
Legacy Grant funds to record oral history interviews with elders in the Romanian communities of the Twin Cities, Minnesota. The result was the 2014 premiere of the award-winning documentary, A Thousand Dollars and Back: Recollections of Early Romanian Immigration to Minnesota, narrated by Don Shelby, award winning journalist and recipient of two Peabody Awards and three National Emmy Awards. The event was attended by over 200 people.2016 RGS officers traveled to Romania to visit each of our ancestral villages, fulfilling lifelong dreams. 
Not only did we reconnect with our roots, we made new friends, conducted research at the National Archives of Romania and spent time traveling all across the beautiful countryside.
Not only did we reconnect with our roots, we made new friends, conducted research at the National Archives of Romania and spent time traveling all across the beautiful countryside.2017 We were invited to present the documentary and a beginning genealogy program to a large audience in Canton, Ohio, where we were treated like dignitaries. Also in 2017, we held our first international seminar in Minnesota with visiting genealogist, Staša Čvetkovic of Serbia.
2018 RGS Facebook presence expanded to include a closed group called Romanian Genealogy Society Research Group. The group now has over 2,300 followers.
2019 A Thousand Dollars and Back had its first international showing in Timişoara, Romania, and it will be shown again in Sȃnnicolau Mare in 2020. Connections are being made between the old country and the new.
2021 RGS hosted Alexandra Irimia, genealogist and tour guide from Timişoara, Romania. This was our second international seminar and travelogue which was an online presentation. In the summer, we hosted yet another international seminar featuring Dr. Andrei Popescu from Bucharest.
We are engaging with members from all across the world,
and we can’t wait to see what the future holds!