Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

We are excited to announce that THREE additional speakers have been added to our Fall Conference lineup! Meghan Harmon, Rochelle Joseph, and Debra Dudek all have fun and informative lectures to educate you about unique Illinois research resources! Meghan Harmon is the Reference Librarian at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and assists researchers in the library’s Reading Room. She holds a Master of Arts in English, a Master of Library and Information Science, and a Certificate in Rare Books and Special Collections from the University of Illinois. Before coming to the Presidential Library, Meghan served as the Local History and Genealogy Reference Librarian at the Chatham Area Public Library in Chatham, Illinois. Fall Conference On-Demand Webinar with Meghan Harmon: Researching at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library   Meghan’s talk will include a history of the library, an overview of the collections, electronic resources available, and how to best prepare for your...

The September/October 2021 ISGS Newsletter is hot off the presses! Don't miss this issue, jam-packed with special features: A full-coverage Fall Conference special, with everything you need to know about the ISGS Virtual Conference- "Fire It Up! Ignite Your Prairie State Research," including speaker bios, lecture and workshop information, Spark Session information, conference schedule, and registration information! Members: Nominee information and bios for the proposed 2021 ISGS Board- voting will open soon! Upcoming webinars, conferences, and other society events- mark your calendars! Who's Who in ISGS, Local Society Spotlight- and much more! CLICK HERE to view the latest newsletter, and visit the Newsletter Tab on the ISGS website to view newsletters from the past year. © 2021, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

Celebrate your Hispanic Illinois Ancestors this year! Hispanic Heritage month runs from September 15th through October 15th. Why does it run in the middle of the month? Because many Central American countries celebrate the anniversary of gaining their independence during this time. Here is a list of resources and places to visit to learn about your Hispanic ancestors.  Places to Visit (call ahead to check on any Covid restrictions) The West Chicago City Museum has exhibits and resources celebrating West Chicago's rich Hispanic heritage. Aurora also has a long history of Mexican and Hispanic settlement, and the Aurora Historical Society   and Aurora Public Library's Genealogy Collection   can help you learn and research your ancestors from the area. CLICK HERE to listen to a BBC documentary, "Can Latinos Save America?" which focuses on the growing Latinx community in Aurora. The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago is hosting several events during Hispanic Herit...

Registration is now open for our 2021 conference, “Fire It Up! Ignite your Prairie State Research!” This year’s unique conference format will offer a mix of live events, pre-recorded webinars and informal “spark sessions” intended to help ignite your research. The conference will kick off on Sun, Oct 17th with a live presentation by Ginger Frere to commemorate the 150 th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, “The Night Chicago Burned.”  Conference attendees will then have access to pre-recorded webinars by several expert speakers, through December 31st! These lectures will be filled with tips and tricks to expand your research!  Have questions? Jot them down and bring them to the live speaker  Q & A panel session on Saturday, Oct 30 th . Additionally, David McDonald and Lauren Peightel will be leading two live workshops based on their lecture topics! The workshops will be an additional fee, and will be limited attendance, so that David and Lauren have an o...

ISGS has some great opportunities for you to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire this fall! The Fall Issue of the Quarterly is a special issue remembering the Great Chicago Fire- members, keep an eye on your mailboxes! Non-members- this issue is available for purchase in our Online Store! You'll also want to register for the 2021 ISGS Fall Virtual Conference- "Fire It Up! Ignite Your Prairie State Research-" where Chicago genealogist Ginger Frere will present two great educational opportunities- a LIVE lecture, "The Night Chicago Burned," on Sunday October 17th, and a pre-recorded lecture, "Researching Pre-Fire Chicago!" REGISTRATION FOR THE CONFERENCE WILL BE OPENING THIS WEEK- Watch the ISGS Conference Page for updates! Plus, the Chicago Architecture Center and the Chicago History Museum are offering bus tours in October,  "The Great Chicago Fire: Disaster and Recovery!" This tour follows the blaze's path of ...

Upcoming ISGS Webinars, hosted by our Member Societies! Join us on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021 at 7:00 PM Central for Brian Rhinehart's program on Navigating the Records from The War of 1812.  From bounty land to pensions, there is no shortage of genealogical records for soldiers from The War of 1812. Brian will explain how and why these records were created, how to make sense of them, and what those records can contain for your ancestors. This webinar will be hosted by the  Fox Valley Genealogical Society.  CLICK HERE  to register! And don't miss the FVGS 27th Fall Conference,  "Path to America: Immigration Records and Roadshow" featuring Rich Venezia!   CLICK HERE  for more info and to register! Join us on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021 at 7:00 PM Central for Sara Cochran's program – Missing: Reward! Locating Widows, Spinsters and Bachelors.  Have some of the folks on your family tree disappeared? Pick up some new ideas on how to find widows and unmarried...

Registration will be opening soon for the 2021 ISGS Virtual Fall Conference!   We have four wonderful speakers this year, and a new format for attendees- there's no need to choose one speaker over the other, as ALL lectures will be pre-recorded and available ON-DEMAND anytime during the conference! Here's your first SNEAK PEEK at this year's fantastic speakers! Ginger Frere The Fall Conference will begin after the ISGS Annual Membership Meeting on Sunday, October 17th. To honor the 150th Anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, Chicago historian Ginger Frere will present a LIVE keynote lecture- "The Night Chicago Burned!" What happened that fateful night? Hear the story of the Great Fire and learn about the devastation it wrought. Ginger will also present "Researching Pre-Fire Chicago!" Think there's no way to research Chicago before 1871? Find out about some of the "hot items" which survived! Ginger Frere, MLIS, is a professional researcher ...