Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

Are you looking for opportunities to share your time and talents? Consider volunteering with ISGS! We currently have open positions within the ISGS Governing Board and on several Committees. Individual committees are always looking for more members! The ISGS Nominations Committee is also seeking Director candidates. A list of volunteer opportunities can be found on the ISGS website under About Us > Volunteer Opportunities. Governing Board and Committee Chair vacancies are listed on the About Us main page. If you are interested in any of the opportunities listed, or would like more information about a particular position, please contact Candace Marx, ISGS 2nd Vice President, at isgs2ndvp@ilgensoc.org. She is happy to answer any questions or provide more details. If you are already an ISGS volunteer, THANK YOU for sharing your time and talents! Your hard work is much appreciated by the ISGS board and membership! © 2020, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

See below for more upcoming learning opportunities! The Champaign County Genealogical Society's next meeting will be held on Tuesday January 12th at 7pm, via Zoom. Bethany Genn Anderson will be providing an overview of oral history methods and resources. See the CCGS website for registration details! The North Suburban Genealogical Society's next meeting will be held THIS Saturday January 9th at 1pm, via Zoom. Melanie Mc Comb from AmericanAncestors will present: "Follow the Money: Go-To Records for Tracing Ancestors on the Move." Visit the NSGS site for more info and to register! The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is presenting a fun and unique presentation on Thursday January 14th at 5pm, via Zoom. Dr. Karl Luthin will present "History Meets Hollywood"- Dr. Luthin, DVM, will discuss his work on major motion pictures (including Lincoln, Glory and The Last Samurai ) and the research that goes into ensuring historical accuracy. CLICK HERE

The latest edition of the ISGS Newsletter is hot off the presses! Click HERE or below to read! This issue is jam-packed with information, including: Volunteer opportunities and ISGS open Board positions Meet the ISGS Board, featuring ISGS Treasurer, Cemetery Records Committee, and Marketing A full calendar of upcoming genealogy events Local Society Highlights Tips from the Genealogist And much more! © 2021, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

ISGS wishes everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year! Here's to finding new family discoveries about your Illinois Ancestors in 2021! Mark your calendars for these upcoming genealogy events in Jauuary! Join the Fox Valley Genealogical Society on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 at 7:00 PM for Adam Pratt's webinar, "Best Practices for Organizing Photos."   Gathering and scanning family photos is an important step in building a Family Photo Archive, but what’s next? Learn best practices from a professional photo organizer for organizing your photos, following industry standards, to ensure your photos are safe and searchable for generations to come. This talk will also include the use of metadata for organizing photos. Adam Pratt loves people, photography, and a good story! He has experience as a photographer, book author, software trainer, and photo organizer. He’s also the founder of Chaos to Memories where he helps people enjoy their photos again by turning their photo chaos in

Looking for the perfect gift for that cousin, aunt, or brother-in-law who's interested in researching their Illinois ancestors? Look no further than the ISGS Online Store! ISGS publishes numerous indexes and publications for the family historian, including: Soldiers of the American Revolution in Illinois,  expanded to include NEW entries, children of Soldiers, history, pension records, locations of graves, and more! Children of Orphan Trains from NY to IL and Beyond Familiy Bible Records- records include those received from members and non-members- and do not pertain just to Illinois! Remembering Illinois Veterans ISGS Surname Index Member Ancestor Charts the ISGS Quarterly  Index and past issues Prairie Pioneer Indexes Don't forget to take advantage of our discounted Death Certificate Lookup Service as well- fill your family's stockings with those missing death certificates and make someone's holidays by helping break down their brick walls! CLICK HERE for instruction

   2nd Lt. Walter E. Truemper, born in Aurora, Illinois, was killed in action on 20 Feb 1944, during a flight combat mission to Leipzig, Germany. Truemper and the flight engineer, S.Sgt. Archie Mathias, refused to abandon the plane and its wounded pilot. The two attempted to land the plane, but sadly, all three men were killed in a crash landing. Truemper and Mathias were posthumosly awarded the Medal of Honor for their bravery and refusal to leave their wounded comrade. Truemper is the only Aurora soldier to have received this highest military honor; a monument was erected in his honor at Philips Park in Aurora, and a street was named for Truemper in 2014. (kanecountyconnects.com)   Tomorrow marks the 79th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and America's entry into WWII. Are you researching an Illinois ancestor who served during the war? Be sure to bookmark these resources!  ISGS would LOVE to hear your ancestor's story and share it with others- consider subm