Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

The Arlington Heights Memorial Library is excited to announce a FREE Virtual Program on Monday June 29th! ISGS' own Anita Boyd will be presenting "Illinois Servitude and Emancipation Records" at 7:00 pm.  Delve into early Illinois history with Anita Boyd. With a series of case studies, attendees will be given an overview of the database, which contains a wealth of genealogical information for anyone reaching Free People of Color. Hidden among these gems is the untold story of one remarkable Queen City family with deep ties to John Brown. Her husband’s activities in the Abolitionist Movement were legendary but Louisiana’s own tale of freedom was extraordinary. The program is open to the public and a library card isn't required to register. CLICK HERE to register! Celtic Connections has released their Live Chat Schedule and more information on their upcoming Virtual Conference: Those who’ve already registered for the Virtual Celtic Connections Conference recognize a

The Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois (GSSI) was organized in Carterville, Illinois in 1973. Their purpose is to: Encourage the science of genealogy Help others gather genealogical information Preserve, protect and publish information of importance to Southern Illinois genealogy. GSSI's geographic area includes the 28 counties of Illinois that are south of Interstate 70. This is an area of great genealogical and historical importance, as the earliest settlements in Illinois were established in the southern part of the state. GSSI members receive several benefits, including four print issues of the Society's journal, The Saga of Southern Illinois,  regular issues of their Newsletter, reduced registration to their Annual Conference, and access to the resources available on the Members Only  page of GSSI's website. GSSI recently debuted a new, updated website, which is full of helpful resources for family historians with Southern Illinois ancestors- including a descript

ISGS is happy to announce that our office in Springfield has re-opened and is getting back to our normal operations - including our  Death Certificate Lookup Service! The current price for one certificate is $6.00 for ISGS members; $10.00 for non-members (you can order as many as you would like). Compare that to the $17.00 rate at sites such as Genealogy Online for Cook County- whose site has not yet resumed operations. Additionally, other county clerks and local archives may not yet be ready to resume normal operations. ISGS' office is on site at the Illinois State Archives, and we are ready to serve your death certificate needs! Currently, only 1916-1947 certificates listed at the Illinois Death Certificates database at cyberdriveillinois.com can be obtained through the ISGS lookup service.  Revenues Support ISGS Operations!  Be sure to take advantage of this fantastic service! CLICK HERE to visit the ISGS Death Certificate Lookup page and find out how to submit your reques

                          Our friends at the  Fox Valley Genealogical Society  will be hosting a FREE Webinar on Thursday, June 11th, 7pm- "The Latest on Cook County Vital Records Online" with Daniel E. Niemiec!   The link to register for the webinar is on the  ISGS home page .   Dan Niemiec, genealogy columnist, will explain the process of getting your copies of Cook County birth, marriage and death notices   as quickly and inexpensively as possible- a great learning opportunity for those with Chicago and Cook County ancestors! The May/June 2020 Edition of the ISGS Newsletter is hot off the presses!  This issue offers many helpful online resources and research tips from our expert genealogists at ISGS- click below to read! NEW ISGS Member Benefit! - Volumes I and II of our Family Bible Records collection are now available FREE to members!  The Bible records were submitted from members and non-members, and do not pertain just to Illinois ancestors. Each volume is available a