Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events from our Associate Members! The Winnebago & Boone Counties Genealogical Society will hold their next Zoom meeting on Thursday June 2nd at 6:30pm. ISGS' own Tina Beaird will present, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Overturning Every Stone to Break Through Your Brick Wall." For more info and how to register, CLICK HERE! The St. Clair County Genealogical Society will present their next Zoom meeting on Thursday June 2nd at 7:00pm. Daniel Lillenkamp will present, "Pioneers of Greater Appalachia: Research in the Draper Manuscripts." CLICK HERE for more info and to register! The Northwest Suburban Genealogy Society will present their Zoom next meeting on Saturday June 4th at 9:00 am. Craig R. Scott will present, "Researching Your Revolutionary War Ancestor." CLICK HERE for more info and to register! The Chicago Genealogical Society will hold their next webinar on Monday June 6th at 7:00pm. Diane L. Richard ...

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CHECK OUT these upcoming events from our ISGS Associate & Subscription members! The Kane County Genealogical Society holds its next meeting on Thursday 5/26 at 7:00pm, via Zoom. This will be a crowd-sourced, collaborative meeting about- "What Do You Use as Research Helps? Tools For Data Analysis." Contact  kcgsprogramsmarketing@gmail.com for meeting info! The Fountaindale Library Genealogy Club will meet Wednesday 5/25 at 11:00am via Zoom. This month's topic is "Chronicling America: A Newspaper Site for Everyone," presented by Dana Ann Palmer. CLICK HERE for more info and to register! © 2022, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

If you have ancestors hailing from the Springfield area, be sure to check out the Sangamon Valley Collection at the Lincoln Library in Springfield! If you don't live nearby, the library offers several digital collections of photographs, maps and other documents on their website, including: Photos of historic buildings Histories of Springfield businesses past and present Images of parks and landscapes Depictions of local residents, schools, and social life Oak Ridge Cemetery Interment Records Springfield Aviation Company collection There is also an online index of several Springfield area newspapers, including The Illinois Times, The State Journal-Register,  and the Springfield Business Journal,  along with a listing of of the entire microfilm collection held at the library!  Additionally, check out the listing of their manuscript collections, and their video series provides some Springfield history, along with resources for African American research in the city. Plus, don...

ISGS extends a hearty congratulations to the St. Clair County Genealogical Society on celebrating their 45th Anniversary this month! Founded in 1977, SCCGS preserves the genealogical history of Illinois' oldest county- St. Clair County was established in 1790. SCCGS hosts a number of collections on their website, with even more records access for SCCGS members!   Recent additions include the Belleville Newspaper Abstracts collection, 1840-1940.  Be sure to visit the SCCGS website, and "like" them on Facebook. SCCGS is an ISGS Associate Member! © 2022, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

Upcoming Events The DuPage County Genealogical Society will present their next virtual meeting on Wednesday May 18th at 7:00pm. ISGS' own Kimberly Nagy will present, "Clues in the Cemetery: Digging Deeper for Buried Treasure." CLICK HERE for more info and to register! CAGGNI will hold their next hybrid meeting on Saturday May 21st- attend virtually or in-person at the Schaumburg Library! Michael Lacopo will present, "Deconstructing Your Family Tree: Re-Evaluating the 'Evidence.'" CLICK HERE for more info and to register! The Wisconsin Historical Society will present a research workshop on Saturday May 21st, led by Patricia Glover Howard- "African American Genealogy: You Can Find Your Family!" CLICK HERE for more info and to register! The Lincoln Presidential Foundation will present a virtual tour on Thursday May 26th! "Virtual Voyage: President Lincoln's Cottage" will take you on a 45-minute field trip behind the scenes of the ...

This week, ISGS invites you to visit our Honors & Awards home page , where you can view past winners and nominate an individual or group for the 2022 Honors & Awards! Nominations will be reviewed by the Honors and Awards Committee. Awards will be presented at the annual membership meeting during the ISGS Fall Conference in October. Award categories are: ● Community Service Award: This award may be given to an individual, company, or institution for service or contributions to genealogy. Nominations may be made by local genealogical or historical societies. ● Special Recognition Award: This award may be given to an individual for the promotion of genealogy in general or for having been a major influence toward the success of the nominating organization. Nominations may be made by local societies. ● Youth Award: Students are eligible for this award for a genealogical project. Nominations may be made on the suggestion of a teacher, advisor, or local society. ● Distinguished Se...

Family historians with midwestern ancestors who worked on the Chicago & North Western railroad are in luck! the Chicago & North Western Historical Society maintains an archive full of photos, maps, journals, diagrams, timetables, and much more. They also have a genealogy archive  - while this collection is limited, it does include C&NW employee data such as: Social Security applications Pension records Work ledgers Personnel records System-wide legers for telegraphers, brakemen, and conductors Employment applications The Historical Society has an information request form on their website. Perhaps your ancestor's information can be found here! © 2022, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

Many early Illinois ancestors settled in the southern part of the state, including the Belleville and St. Clair County area. If you have family from this area, be sure to check out the Belleville Public Library's Archives & Genealogy collections! Online resources include the Belleville News-Democrat  newspaper collection, Walnut Hill Cemetery records, city directories from the mid 19th thru early 20th centuries, an historical atlas, and local histories! The library will also take search requests online, by phone or mail/email, or in person! Upcoming Conferences- Mark Your Calendars! ISGS Fall Virtual Conference SAVE THE DATE! October 16th-29th, 2022 More Info Coming Soon! MCIGS 2022 Virtual Summer Conference- Saturday July 9th! Featuring Maureen Brady, Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, Michael John Neill, and Paula Stuart-Warren- 4 tracks to choose from! The Indiana Historical Society presents Midwestern Roots, July 14th-16th in Indianapolis! Featuring an exciting new format of expert ...