The Otter Tail County Historical Society's annual Township Historian Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 12, at the Ottertail Community Center in Ottertail. A potluck will be served at 6 p.m. followed by a program featuring Ruth Rondeau.
Rondeau worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in various states for more than 35 years. After retiring, she began work on her genealogy, which included taking photographs of gravestones for her family history. Her research eventually led her to the Otter Tail County Historical Society, where she was amazed at the amount of information available. She was so impressed she volunteered to visit county cemeteries to do what she liked best - take photographs of gravestones.
The museum staff instructed Rondeau on how to develop a database. By the end of 2011, she had completed photographs and databases for 13 complete cemeteries, a total of more than 5,000 gravestone images for the historical society's collection.
Rondeau will speak on her volunteer work and discuss techniques she has learned to get clear photographs of the writing on headstones.
The Township Historian Meeting and potluck is free and open to the public. Bring a dish to share.
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For more information, call 218-736-6038 or visit www.otchs.org .
