Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

Details for our upcoming Fall Conference are now available on the ISGS website - we hope to see you in Bloomington/Normal on October 28th! Check out our expert speakers and the topics they will be presenting! Keynote speaker: Dr. David Joens, Director of the  Illinois State Archives David Joens is the Director of the Illinois State Archives , the state agency that is responsible for the preservation of historic Illinois state and local government records. A fifth-generation resident of Illinois, Joens received his Bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, two Master's degrees from the University of Illinois at Springfield, and a doctorate in illinois history from Southern Illinois University in Carbon-dale. He is the author of three books on Illinois history and government, including "From Slave to State Legislator: John W.E. Thomas, Illinois' First African American Lawmaker", published by SIU Press.          Rick Allen Rick lives in Metropoli

Check out these useful resources and upcoming events for your Illinois family history sleuthing! Genealogy "Lock-In" at the Midwest Genealogy Center in Missouri! Click below for details and to purchase a ticket! Check out the excellent historical documentary series, "Warning Signs: Lincoln's Response to Rising Tensions in the 1850s," developed by the Lincoln Presidential Foundation! Click below to watch now! The next FREE Jamboree Webinar will be held on Wednesday, September 20th at 8:00pm central time. Leslie Carney will present, "Landholders: Ranches to Land Grants." CLICK HERE for more info! Illinois' Underground Railroad: Check out this special historical series published in the Chicago Tribune! The series profiles the journeys of freedom-seekers through Illinois, maps of historical sites, and much more. The PGSA will hold their next meeting on Saturday, September 16th. Learn about recent updates and enhancements to FamilySearch with Camill

Registration is now open for the ISGS Fall Conference in Normal, Illinois! Click the graphic below to view the Conference page! NOTE: We are in the process of adding all of the speaker information, please check back frequently for updates! © 2023, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

More Associate Member events for your calendar! Fountaindale Library's Genealogy Club has a busy September! -On Wednesday September 13th at 7pm, Tina Beaird will present "All Politics are Local." Join in person or via Zoom- CLICK HERE for info -On Tuesday September 19th at 7pm via Zoom, Mark Walczynski will present "Jolliet and Marquette: A New History of the 1673 Expedition." CLICK HERE for info -On Wednesday September 27th at 11am via Zoom, join the Genealogy Club for a presentation on the Wisconsin Historical Society's collections and services- CLICK HERE for info The St. Clair County Genealogical Society will hold their next meeting on Thursday September 7th. Robin McDonough will present "Using Ortssippenbucher to Research Your German Ancestors." CLICK HERE for more info and to register! CAGGNI will hold their next meeting via Zoom and in person on Saturday September 16th at 10:30 am. Liz Ross will present "Wonderful OneNote: the Geneal

September is a busy month for Illinois Genealogy! Associate Member News and Events- Part 1! The Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago had a fun and relaxing (although hot!) annual picnic at Calumet Park in Chicago! Registration is now OPEN for AAGHSC's 41st annual Family History Conference, "Finding Our Ancestors: Pulling it All Together," October 14-15! Featured speakers are Melvin J. Collier, Shamele Jordon, and Tammy Gibson. CLICK HERE for more info and to register! The Lake County Genealogical Society will be holding their 2023 Conference in Grayslake, IL on Saturday, November 4th, featuring Dr. Michael D. Lacopo! CLICK HERE for more info and to register! Check out these September events from the Peoria County Genealogical Society! The South Suburban Genealogical & Historical Society will hold their next program on Saturday, September 9th at 10:00 am, at their library in Hazel Crest. Donald and Tanya Smith will present "History of C

ISGS is excited to announce our speaker lineup for the 2023 Fall Conference! This year is our first IN-PERSON conference since 2019, and will be held at Heartland Community College in Normal! This year's conference will have 2 tracks that focus on Illinois research, repositories, and history, plus DNA tips and tricks. Check our our excellent lineup of knowledgeable speakers! Keynote Lecture from Dr. David Joens , Director of the Illinois State Archives! Caron Brennan : How I Use DNA in my Genealogical Research Laura Kovarik : Illinois History and Genealogy: Speed Version! David McDonald : Illinois Settlement Patterns: From the Colonial Era to 1850 Introduction to the Illinois Research Archives Depository (IRAD), featuring Illinois State University Teri Barnett : Researching Your Ancestors at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Kelly Hickey, DNAngels ( Back by Popular Demand! ): Unraveling DNA Mysteries: Inspiring Stories of Discovery Tina Beaird : Illinois County Resource Pri