Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

ISGS Conference Registration NOW OPEN through October 13th- CLICK HERE for more info and to register! Are you interested in learning more about the history of your house, or the house of an ancestor? You don't want to miss Julia Johnas' pre-recorded webinar, "Your House Has a Story." Julia has extensive experience in historical research and preservation, and in her webinar, she'll help you get started on learning more about your historic house! Julia will also present a LIVE Spark Session on the topic of House Histories, on Saturday October 22nd at 10:00am- don't miss this chance to ask questions and collaborate with other conference attendees! Have you heard of the Illinois Digital Archives  website? Have you visited, but are not sure how to find what you need for your family history research? Don't miss Andrew Bullen's pre-recorded lecture, "The Collections and Resources in the Illinois Digital Archives," to learn about the countless treas...

Mark your calendar for these upcoming events! The Winnebago & Boone Counties Genealogical Society will hold their next hybrid meeting on Saturday October 1st. Matt Rutherford will present "Researching Genealogy at the Newberry Library." Learn more on the WBCGS website (and hear more from Matt Rutherford at the upcoming ISGS Fall Conference! ) ISGS' own Laura Kovarik will be presenting a special lecture about Illinois research resources at the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society's Heritage from the Heartland Series on October 1st! This lecture series will feature lectures on research gems from several midwestern states, beginning with Kentucky, Missouri, and Illinois this Saturday. Visit the EWGSI website for more info! Don't miss the 24th annual Conference on Illinois History, October 6-7 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield! This conference features two days of panel discussions that highlight research on aspects of Illinois histor...

ISGS is excited to announce that we have a new editor for the ISGS Quarterly- Sandra Roberts! Sandra Roberts, M.S., Computer Information Systems and M.A., English, is a writer, editor, database administrator and webmaster, and she works in the areas of genealogy, history and education. A 35-year resident of Colorado and active member of several Colorado-based genealogical societies, Sandra enjoys digitization projects, databases, family stories, historical accounts and DNA research. Her Illinois ancestors include the Shaw and Keifer/Keefer families. We are excited to have Sandra join the ISGS Board! Her first issue will be the upcoming Winter 2022 issue. The Board sincerely thanks Richard Anderson for his 4 years of dedication to the Quarterly and his top-notch work as Editor, including in our latest Fall 2022 issue (now available in our online store and in the mail for members!). Do you have stories about your Illinois ancestors...? An interesting family heirloom? Discoveries from th...

ISGS is excited to welcome LaDonna Garner as a featured speaker for our 2022 Fall Virtual Conference! LaDonna will present two on-demand webinars for conference attendees. Check out the details below! Registration is OPEN for the Fall Conference- CLICK HERE to visit the ISGS Conference page! © 2022, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

ISGS is excited to announce that registration is NOW OPEN for our 2022 Fall Conference! This year's theme is "Mid Century to Modern." In celebration of the 1950 U.S. Census release, we have planned a jam-packed, educational event focusing on genealogy research into the later half of the 20th century. Topics include 1950 census research, the Great Migration, institutional records, newspaper research, house histories, and more! Attendees will have full access to several on-demand webinars, plus two LIVE keynote lectures- including our opening lecture on Sunday, October 16th from Michelangelo Sabatino and Susan Benjamin, authors of Modern in the Middle: Chicago Houses 1929-1975! In addition, our "Spark Sessions" are making a return for a second year- these are special, LIVE Zoom meetings with research experts representating various repositories and reserach centers in Illinois. This year will feature experts from the Black Metropolis Research Consortium, the Chica...

Get a SNEAK PEEK at the ISGS Fall Conference workshops below! These are exclusive, never-before-seen workshops from Laura Kovarik and Catherine Andrew! Attendance will be limited to 25 attendees, so be sure to register early! Watch for the Fall Conference registration to open this week - CLICK HERE for the ISGS Fall Conference website! Conference Registration: Members: $35 Non-Members: $45 Workshops: $25 each   © 2022, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

The July/August 2022 ISGS Newsletter is hot off the press! This issue is full of great information, including:  Volunteer opportunities ISGS members "around town" Tips from the Genealogist Local Society news and info Upcoming conferences Visit the ISGS website Newsletter tab to read current and past ISGS Newsletter issues! © 2022, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

LAST CALL TO REGISTER! Have you registered for the Fox Valley Genealogical Society's Fall Conference, or the CAGGNI GeneaQuest Conference? Associate Member Updates The St. Clair County Genealogical Society has a NEW finding aid on their Member website- The Belleville Newspaper Abstracts 1840-1940 Finding Aid! The Belleville Newspaper Abstract File (1840-1940) was added to the site this past spring, but the 99,000 items in this collection were not fully cross-referenced. The Finding Aid is a machine-generated search resource created from the WPA Finding Aid, which contains 500,000 references! Congratulations to the SCCGS Project Team for putting this finding tool together for members! Upcoming Webinar & National Conferences The North Suburban Genealogical Society will hold their next meeting Saturday, September 10th via Zoom. Carla Cegielski will present, "Mining for Genealogical Treasures in the Internet Archive." CLICK HERE for more information, and visit the North...

ISGS is excited to announce our newest logos for our Prairie Pioneer and Prairie Patriot (formerly Military Certificate) programs! Prairie Pioneer/Prairie Patriot Certificate Chair Kim Nagy is working on a NEW pin program for those who are applying for, or have already received their certificates- stay tuned for more information comin soon! Prairie Patriot Certificates are available to honor Illinois military ancestors from all wars, from the Revolutionary War through World War II. CLICK HERE to learn more and view the ISGS database of current Prairie Patriots! Prairie Pioneer Certificates honor early Illinois settlers in 3 categories: Prior to statehood (pre-1818) 1819-1850 1851-1880 This includes early ancestors from all areas of Illinois, even Chicago ancestors! CLICK HERE to learn more and view the ISGS database of certified Prairie Pioneers- perhaps your ancestor is already listed! ISGS celebrates our latest certified Prairie Pioneers and Prairie Patriots! Your ancestor's nam...