Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

The Elgin Genealogical Society (EGS), in Elgin, Illinois, began in 1973 around the kitchen table of founder Pat Lose. Before long the group outgrew the table and required a much larger room. The meeting rooms at the Gail Borden Public Library (GBPL) in Elgin were the perfect option because not only was its location convenient to most members, the Library had a wonderful collection of research materials. The group officially organized in 1976 with its stated goals of bringing together persons who are researching family history; informing people of the value of and need for preserving family and local history; providing information, methods, and practices of family research; fostering idea sharing; seeking, preserving and making available material concerning past and present families; and encouraging officials to preserve public records and genealogical collections and make them accessible to interested persons. EGS members are spread throughout the US with ancestral interests all over...

Join us on Tuesday, May 14 , at 8:00 PM Central, when Laura Prescott will present Timelines: Placing Your Heritage in Historical Perspective . To attend this webinar, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6182542135328835840 . Last week's webinar, Digging Through Documents Word by Word , presented by Debbie Mieszala, is now available to ISGS members in the Members Section of the ISGS website ( http://ilgensoc.org/members.php ). Upcoming Webinars May 14 – Timelines: Placing Your Heritage in Historical Perspective Presenter: Laura Prescott Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6182542135328835840 June 11 – The Research Calendar: A Resource You Cannot Live Without Presenter: Luana Darby Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1792803534084357632 July 9 – Common Surnames: Ways to Identify Your Ancestors in a Crowd Presenter: Juliana Smith Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/53871257369818344...

One of the most common questions about the ISGS website seems to be: Who are those people in the photos? The photo above and all the photos you see in the header of the ISGS Website were winners in the 2012 ISGS Ancestor Photo Contest. ISGS is happy to announce the 2013 ISGS Ancestor Photo Contest and asks this question: wouldn't it be great to see our own ancestors' photos up there? Between April 1 and May 31, 2013, 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. You can view all the pervious years' winners at http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=156 . 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. Click here for more information and instructions on submitting your ance...

The March/April 2013 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. © 2013, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

The Marissa Historical & Genealogical Society (MHGS) in Marissa, Illinois, was organized in 1969 with the goal of nurturing in others an interest in history and genealogy. MHGS serves three Illinois counties: southern St. Clair, Randolph, and Washington. Currently, an individual membership is $25/year. Members receive the society's quarterly publication and can use the library at their convenience. Regular meetings of the Society are held on the fourth Thursday of the month (except July, November, and December) at 7 PM in the Academy Building in the Village Park on South Main Street in Marissa. MHGS meetings are open to the public. The Society Library/Museum is located at 608 South Main Street in Marissa. It is open on Wednesday afternoons from 12 to 3 PM. However anyone wanting to do research at other times may call for an appointment (618-295-2562 or 618-295-2559). Library holdings include: Newspapers for Sparta, Marissa, and Nashville on microfilm Censuses on microfilm...

Some great news! The Illinois State Genealogical Society has been voted as the  Best State/Provincial Genealogical Society  in the About.com 2013 Genealogy Readers' Choice Awards! According to the About.com article which you can read here : Readers have nominated their favorites for the 2013 About Genealogy Readers' Choice Awards and then voted from among the finalists in eleven categories, ranging from genealogy software and apps, to websites and blogs. Voting for the 2013 About Genealogy Readers' Choice Awards was open from February 19 through March 19, 2013, with winners announced on March 27, 2013. The polls were audited and validated by our tech team to produce the final results. It is a great honor for ISGS to win this award and we thank not only all those who voted for us, but also all the hard-working volunteers who bring their passion and skills to ISGS. We could not do what we do without our members and our volunteers. And a special shout out to the oth...

Join us on April 9 , for an opportunity to learn how to effectively analyze the documents you use in your genealogy research. Debbie Mieszala will present Digging Through Documents Word by Word and show us how. Date: Tuesday, April 9, 2013, 8:00 pm Central Description: Proper scrutiny of each piece of information in a document is essential to understanding that item’s evidentiary value. Studying every word’s meaning and context ensures that evidence has been properly analyzed and comprehended. Presenter: Debbie Mieszala, CG SM Debbie Mieszala, Certified Genealogist SM , specializes in forensic genealogy, 20th century research, and the Midwest. She does genealogical research for the military to locate relatives of service members missing in past wars, and formerly did adoption-related research as a Confidential Intermediary in Illinois. A national-level lecturer and author, she has taught at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the Institute of Genealogy and Histo...