Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

The ISGS Office will be closed on Monday, September 2, 2013 in honor of Labor Day. Regular hours will resume on Thursday, September 5, 2013. © 2013, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

ISGS has a Prairie Pioneers Certificates database online that lists the certificates issued as part of the Prairie Pioneers Certificate project that honors Illinois pioneers.  The database lists the pioneer’s name, along with the county, the year they came to Illinois, and the ISGS Prairie Pioneers Certificate number.  This searchable database is available to anyone under the Free Databases section of the ISGS Website . Pioneers Added Since February 2013 Aaron Lewman, Vermilion County Elizabeth S. Fifield Bean, Kane County George H. Arend, Coles County Theodore Sleight, Will County John Hubbard Sr., Green County David Barnhill Glass, Pope County Alonzo Harry Rollins, Green County Tandy H. Trice, Warren County Mary Gates Trice, Warren County Gibralter Guthrie Trice, Warren County Esther Ellen Ladd, Knox County Felix E. Reynolds, Macoupin County Christian Woelfel, Cook County

Note: This membership special is available online as well as in-person at FGS 2013! We're offering a Conference Special on ISGS Membership during the Federation of Genealogical Societies 2013 Conference , Thursday, August 22 through Saturday, August 24, 2013. The details are listed below. This special only applies to Individual and Joint memberships. New Memberships: Individual $25 (normally $30); Joint $30 (normally $35) Renewals: Individual $40; Joint $45 for 18 month renewal instead of 12 months Visit us at Booth 217 in the Expo Hall at FGS 2013 in Fort Wayne, Indiana or join online ! This is a limited time offer!

Join us on Tuesday, September 10 , at 8:00 PM Central, when Judy G. Russell, CG, will present, “To the Honorable, the General Assembly” – The Treasure Trove in Legislative . To attend this webinar, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3615763026611679744 . This webinar is sponsored by David A. Joens, author of From Slave to State Legislator: John W. E. Thomas, Illinois' First African American Lawmaker , available at SIU Press ( http://www.suipress.com ). Last week's webinar, Getting to Here from There: Following your Ancestor’s Migration Trail , presented by J. H. "Jay" Fonkert, is now available to ISGS members in the Members Section of the ISGS website ( http://ilgensoc.org/members.php ). Upcoming Webinars September 10 – “To the Honorable, the General Assembly” – The Treasure Trove in Legislative Petitions Presenter: Judy G. Russell Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3615763026611679744 October 8 - Up In

The Henry County Genealogical Society (HCGS) in Kewanee, Illinois, was organized in 1983 with the purpose collecting and distributing information to its members. An individual membership is $20/year and members receive Genie , the Society's quarterly publication. Regular meetings of the Society are held the fourth Monday of each month at 1:30 PM in the Kewanee Public Library upper level. Members of the public are invited to attend all meetings. Upcoming programs can be found on their website . HCGS's reference collection is housed at the Kewanee Public Library, lower level, located at 102 S. Tremont Street, Kewanee. Their collection includes local history books, genealogies, cemetery records, and marriage records. One of the most popular references is an index created by Chris Ratliff that contains many facts of one large funeral home in Kewanee. The funeral home records contain much information about persons that might have died elsewhere and an obituary may not be found in t

Major Update of Classic 1976 Publication for Illinois Genealogy August 12, 2013 – Springfield, IL . The Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) announces the publication of an expanded and revised version of Soldiers of the American Revolution in Illinois . In its first venture in the world of self-publishing and “print on demand,” ISGS has published Soldiers of the American Revolution in Illinois in hardcover or e-book version through its store at Lulu.com. Visit http://bit.ly/ilamrevsoldiers to order! The alphabetical listing of “ The Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in Illinois ” published in 1976 by Illinois State Genealogical Society has been expanded to include new entries, children of the entry, (other family members), history found in and referencing to pension records relating people, places and events, location of graves and references to searching for the Revolutionary War Soldier connected to Illinois. The expanded version includes the very early S

Migration was a popular topic request in 2012 so we are excited to bring you J. H. "Jay" Fonkert's presentation Getting to Here from There: Following your Ancestor’s Migration Trail .  Join us on August 13 to learn about how to research your migrating ancestors. Date : Tuesday, August 13, 2013, 8:00 pm Central Description : Every migration story is different, but learning about common migration routes helps us understand the migration possibilities for our individual ancestors. Learn about major 19th Century American migration routes, as well as how to look for clues for the routes taken by your particular ancestor. Presenter : J. H. "Jay" Fonkert, CG sm J. H. (“Jay”) Fonkert, CG sm , is a Minnesota-based genealogy professional whose articles have appeared in Minnesota Genealogist, The Septs, Family Chronicle, APG Quarterly , National Genealogical Society Quarterly , and NGS Magazine . He is a director of the Association of Professional Genealogists, m