Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

Using a Digital Camera and Scanner in Genealogical Research March 19, 2011 10:00 am to 12:00 pm - 5714 Broadway, Richmond, IL Presented by Jane Haldeman - Web: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wiilbig/ Jane Haldeman will present “Using a Digital Camera and Scanner in Genealogical Research” at the Saturday, March 19, 2011 meeting of British Isles Group of Wisconsin & Illinois (BIGWILL) from 10:00 am until 12:00 noon at the Community Church, 5714 Broadway, Richmond, IL. Ms. Haldeman will explain how genealogists can improve research efficiency and accuracy using digital cameras and scanners. She has 20 years of research experience and is the co-owner of “It’s Relative” - a genealogical service business. She is president of the Fox Valley Genealogical Society and the design /technical editor for the Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly Journal. She is a DAR historian, lecturer and consultant. BIGWILL, a genealogical special interest group for those who wi...

ISGS 2011 Spring Tour Springfield, IL - Saturday, April 2, 2011 The annual ISGS Spring Tour takes place on Saturday, April 2, 2011 in downtown Springfield, IL. This year besides the tour of the Illinois State Archives and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, we've added a tour of the Lincoln Public Library of Springfield! The tours take place at various designated times starting at 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. In addition, you can sign up to get assistance with locating Illinois death certificates while at the Illinois State Archives. Register now since space is very limited! The deadline is March 26, 2011 and you'll want to ensure that you reserve your preferred time slot for each tour. ISGS 2011 Spring Tour Brochure and Registration Form  (downloads in PDF) Online ISGS 2011 Spring Tour Registration Form © 2011, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

We've received email from several ISGS members using AOL about not being able to log into the ISGS Website. There is a known issue with the AOL browser: it has a caching scheme that does not allow the login page to submit to itself and hit the member database to check the login credentials. Our webpage design company, Easy Net Sites, is working on a solution, but the instant solution is to use a web browser that does not feed through AOL’s caching scheme. It is recommended that you close your web browser if you've used AOL, and then open Internet Explorer (or your preferred web browser), access the ISGS Website and try logging in again. © 2011, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

The January/February 2011 issue of the ISGS Newsletter is now available to both ISGS members and non-members. Visit the ISGS website at http://www.ilgensoc.org and click ISGS Newsletter to download the current issue (in PDF) and to view past issues going back to January/February 2008. © 2010, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

One of the most common questions about the new ISGS website seems to be: Who are those people in the photos? Honestly, we don't know - they were provided by Easy Net Sites during the design process of the ISGS website. But as more questions came in, we thought: wouldn't it be great to see our own ancestors' photos up there? In response, ISGS is holding an Ancestor Photo Contest . Between now and March 31, 2011, ISGS is asking members to submit photos of their own ancestors for use on the ISGS website. If your photo is selected, it will be displayed on a rotating-basis in the top banner of the ISGS website along with other member-submitted photos. Not only will you be credited with the photo submission, but you'll also be able to provide a brief biography of the person or persons in the photo. So click here to print out the photo release and application form and submit your ancestor photos today! © 2011, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

The ISGS Office will be closed on Monday, January 17, 2011 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The office will reopen on Wednesday, January 19, 2011. © 2010, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

The Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) announces the debut of its newly redesigned website available to the public on Saturday, January 15, 2011. Located at http://www.ilgensoc.org , the new ISGS website features links to ISGS projects as well as links to other records and resources throughout Illinois including those individual genealogical home pages with an Illinois connection! Visitors are invited to explore the new ISGS website and enjoy these features: The current issue of the ISGS Newsletter and archived copies back to 2008 Listings of ISGS events and events for Illinois genealogical societies Highlights of various ISGS projects and initiatives Free databases filled with information on Illinois ancestors A list of Illinois research resources New Members Section One of the new features of the ISGS website is a members-only section which will be populated with access to Illinois-related databases for those researchers with Prairie State ancestors. Over the cou...

As mentioned today in The Weekly Genealogist (the e-newsletter of the New England Historic Genealogical Society ) and at the FGS Voice blog, recent changes to the charitable giving rules for IRAs can help benefit any charity including the Illinois State Genealogical Society. Certain qualifications rules apply, but if you act before January 31, 2011, you can not only make a gift to ISGS from your IRA account and help meet your minimum distribution requirements for 2011, but also meet the 2010 year end deadline as well. Contact the ISGS office for more information at isgs.secy@sbcglobal.net . © 2011, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society