Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

Don't miss Genealogy Day 2019 at the Peoria Public Library Main Branch- THIS Saturday, September 28th!  The Peoria County Genealogical Society and the Peoria Public Library will be hosting a fantastic day of learning! They will have workshops on using some of the latest genealogical tools and websites, tours of the Local History section of the Main Library, information from local and national heritage societies, and much more!  Learn what Peoria County birth, marriage, death and land records are available online! The Illinois State Genealogical Society will provide information and details about Illinois resources for tracing your family tree! Tour the Peoria Public Library's local history archives and genealogical resources! The Main Library is located at 107 NE Monroe in Peoria. Call (309) 407-2000, or learn more on the Peoria Public Library's website! © 2019, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

2019 Fall Conference – Volunteers Needed! The ISGS 2019 Fall Conference is quickly approaching – October 25 & 26 at the Chicago Marriott Naperville. Get Involved! Benefits of volunteering at the conference include  meeting fellow genealogists, networking, and giving back to the genealogical community.   A variety of volunteer opportunities are available: Room Monitors  (must be a  registered attendee  to volunteer for this position) Audio-Visual Support  (registration  not required  to volunteer for this position) Bag Stuffing / Pre-Registration  (registration  not required  to volunteer for this position) What a great way to get your spouse/partner involved! You may choose to volunteer for one or multiple days and times. Click  HERE   to volunteer. If you have any questions about volunteering, please contact Suzanne Hoffman, Volunteer Coordinator at:   isgsvolunteers@ilgensoc.org REMINDER:   Early Bird Conference Registration ends  October 4th!

The Fox Valley Genealogical Society's 26th Conference, "Tracing Treasures Past," featuring well-known genealogist Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG, FOGS, will be held on Saturday September 21st at the Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville, Illinois.  Registration is still available through Wednesday September 18th! Visit  https://ilfvgs.org/education/conference/  to register online via PayPal. The one-hour interactive lecture topics include white servitude in America, migration trails, tips for working with pre-1850 census records, and WPA Records! The conference will also feature vendors and door prizes- plus lunch is included! This year's Fox Valley conference is sure to be a great learning experience for everyone! © 2019, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

ISGS is excited to announce that the Fulton County pre-1916 Death Index has been added to the Members-only section of the ISGS website!  The death index was compiled by the Illinois State Genealogical Society Advocacy Committee during 2018-2019.  During a period of 10 months, the committee studied the early death ledger books and the original paper certificates located in the Fulton County Courthouse. The committee met with the County Clerk and received permission to index all the early death records with the understanding that the Clerk’s office would receive a copy of the index in spreadsheet form, which was given to them in May 2019. The Advocacy Committee was given permission to index all information with the exception of “Cause of Death,” which may be obtained when requesting a copy of the official certificate from the Fulton County Clerk. Items that were indexed in section 1 include:  Name of deceased  Date of death Place of death  Age Sex/race  Bo