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Society Spotlight: McLean County (IL) Genealogical Society

MCGSThe McLean County Genealogical Society (MCGS) in Normal, Illinois, was organized in 1966 with the purposes of preserving ancestral records, encouraging the study of family history, teaching genealogy methodology, and promoting genealogical publication. Currently, the Society's membership is made up of over 200 members from around the country. An individual membership is $20/year ($25/year outside the US and Canada) and members receive a monthly newsletter and semi-annual journal, as well as free admission to the McLean County Museum of History.

Regular meetings of the Society are held on the third Tuesday of each month (except August and December) at 7:00 PM at the McLean County Museum of History courtroom, 200 N. Main Street, Bloomington, Illinois. Each July, in place of their regular meeting, the society meets at a local cemetery for a program on its history. Members of the public are invited to attend all meetings. A list of upcoming programs can be found on their website at http://www.mcgs.org/Calendar.htm.

MCGS's reference collection is housed at the Stevenson-Ives Library, located at the McLean County Museum of History, 200 N. Main Street, Bloomington, Illinois. Hours are 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; admission is $5 unless you are a member of the genealogical or historical society. On Tuesday, hours are 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM and admission is free. Information about the library, including holdings and archives collection, can be found at http://www.mchistory.org/mcmh_research_si_library.html. To access the card catalog, click here.

The MCGS website has a variety of resources and indexes that may be helpful in your research, and the Society does accept research requests for a fee. To learn more, visit the Resources page of their website at http://www.mcgs.org/Resources.htm. In addition, the Society has published several books including indexes for county cemeteries, marriages, and births, as well as other unique resources. These publications are part of the Society's reference collection at the Stevenson-Ives Library or they can be purchased from the Society. For a complete list of publications, refer to http://www.mcgs.org/PDF%20files/MCGS%202011%20Publications.pdf (opens a PDF).

For additional information about the Society, visit their website at http://www.mcgs.org, or contact them by email at directors@mcgs.org.

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