Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

The Illinois State Genealogical Society is pleased to announce a brand new service for its members as well as the genealogical community: WEBINARS ! You can attend these webinars online over the Internet using your computer - that's right! Education delivered to you at your convenience. ISGS now features a series of monthly webinars on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. We'll not only be featuring topics relevant to Illinois and Midwest genealogy but also other related topics including vital records, research strategies and more. And the ISGS Webinar Series will also feature some of the best-known speakers in the field of genelaogy today. 10 Ways To Jump Start Your Genealogy In 2012 The first offering in the ISGS webinar series is entitled 10 Ways To Jump Start Your Genealogy In 2012 presented by nationally-known genealogist, educator and author Thomas MacEntee on Tuesday evening, January 10, 2012 at 8:00 pm Central time. Whether stuck in a rut with genealogy research for

Please remember the Illinois State Genealogical Society in your end of 2011 donations - we have a variety of ways in which you can support the many programs at ISGS: Angel Project : Through the Angel Project, ISGS purchases microfilmed county records for the Illinois State Archives and for the Illinois Regional Archive Depositories (IRAD) throughout the represented regions in Illinois. These records are available for your use in researching your families when you visit the Illinois State Archives or one of the IRAD facilities. Use the button below to donate to the Angel Project : Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Book Project : The ALPL Book Project helps increase the ALPL collection of genealogy and family history materials to include each publication produced by one of the state's many genealogical and historical societies. ISGS also encourages its members who publish genealogical works to donate a copy to ALPL. Use the button below to donate to the  ALPL Book Pr

Don't forget that while you are scrambling to finish up your Christmas shopping or making sure everyone on your list gets a holiday gift, you can always give the gift of ISGS this season! Click here for more information on the various types of membership at ISGS. You can use this printable form  (opens in PDF) and send it in with your payment or join online ! Your gift recipient will have access to the following benefits by becoming a member of ISGS: access to the Members Section with numerous Illinois-related genealogy databases and indices and the new Member Forums; 4 issues of the 64-page Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly which is mailed in March, June, September and December; 6 issues of the Illinois State Genealogical Society Newsletter; 20% discount on publications; ability to submit your surname information to the Surname Research database; reduced death certificate lookup and conference fees; and a genealogist to help with problems. © 2011, copyri

The VermillionCounty.Info site is: ". . . dedicated to cemeteries in Vermilion County Illinois & surrounding counties. It will hopefully help people in their genealogy research, along with a site to help protect cemetery & cemetery headstones in digital pictures. Since many older stones will crumble to a point that they can't be read, having digital copies now will hopefully allow people to know what is on these stone long after they are unreadable (either by time, weather, vandals, etc...)." Visit  http://www.vermilioncounty.info/  for more information. © 2011, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

From our friends at FamilySearch : Have an ancestor from the Midwest or just want to learn more about using census and vital records? The U.S. Midwest Beginning Research Series is a new online learning series available at the FamilySearch.org Learning Center . The series can help people start their family history research in the Midwest states. Check out all three lessons in the series today . © 2011, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

“Show-N-Share with Genealogy Experts” will be the theme of the Saturday, January 21, 2012 meeting of the British Interest Group of Wisconsin & Illinois (BIGWILL) from 10:00 am until 12:00 noon at the Community Church, 5714 Broadway, Richmond, IL. In informal roundtable discussion groups, members and guests may ask the genealogy experts questions regarding British Isles genealogical research. Attendees may move between the various groups to address questions to the other experts. Beginners in genealogy may want to attend the “Beginners” group. The topics and experts are: England - Ann Wells Ireland - Dan Kane Scotland - Karen Morrison Beginners - Margaret Zook Publications/Publishing - Judy Knoblock/Roger Higgs Members are encouraged to bring items they have published for the “Publications” table. BIGWILL, a genealogical special interest group for those who wish to research family history and ancestry in the British Isles, meets at 10:00 am on the third Saturday of Jan

The Education Committee has been hard at work these last few months looking for ways to provide educational opportunities to ISGS members and the genealogical community as a whole.  Here are a few things we are working on implementing in the very near future: Webinars Each month ISGS will offer an educational webinar with topics focusing on Illinois research, methodology, and beginning research.  The webinars will be open to the public when they are presented live.  After that, an archived copy of the webinar will be available to ISGS members at any time through our members-only website.  More information will be available soon, as we hope to kick-off our first webinar in January.  If you have ideas for topics or are a speaker who would like to discuss opportunities, please email the Education Committee Chair, Julie Tarr, at isgseducation@ilgensoc.org . Blog Content Starting very soon, we will begin to post more articles to this blog that are educational in nature, such as how to

The Illinois State Historical Society will hold its 32nd annual Illinois History Symposium at the Embassy Suites Hotel in East Peoria April 26-28, 2012. The theme for the symposium is "Contested Lands: 1763-1840." The Symposium will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, with a focus on the years leading up to and immediately after the War of 1812 as played out in the old Northwest Territory. Interested vendors, exhibitors, presenters, and potential sponsors should call the Society office at 217-525-2781, for more information Scholarly papers, panels, PowerPoint presentations, educational workshops for teachers, and multi-media programs will be presented, as well as non-traditional presentations will be given. Check back often for more details regarding the program, lodging, and registration information. http://www.historyillinois.org/files/Meetings_Events/meetings_symposium_2012.htm © 2011, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society