Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

The U.S. Census Bureau is looking for YOUR input on the 2030 Census! The Bureau would like public feedback on how they can improve the public's experience during the next decennial census, and how they can better count populations and overcome other challenges. You can also provide input on which technological advancements can increase census responses, or which data sources would be helpful.  This is your chance to advocate for future genealogists who will one day use the 2030 census data! Learn more on the 2030 Census press release page! © 2022, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

The ISGS 2022 Honors & Awards Winners were announced at our Annual Meeting on Sunday, October 16th. A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to this year's honorees! 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. This year's Community Service Award winners are  Jim Mitchell, Fr. Dan Hall CSV, and Maureen Henning Martin of St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights! Jim, Fr. Dan, and Maureen established a veterans’ stories project for their students, where their students connect with local veterans, learn best practices for oral history interviews and writing, and publish those veteran stories in books. Over 80 students have participated and four books have been published: -  Arlington Heights’ Greatest Generation (2009) -  Lest We Forget : Arlington Heights' Korean War Veterans (2011) -  Welcome Home : Arlington Heights' Vietnam

The September/October ISGS Newsletter is now available for all to read and enjoy! Click below to read this latest issue, or CLICK HERE to visit the ISGS Newsletter page, and view all our newsletters from the past year. This issue is packed with information about our upcoming Fall Conference, updates to our certificate programs, and other ISGS news, upcoming events, genealogy resources, and much more! © 2022, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

The ISGS Fall Conference is only a week away- Registration CLOSES Thursday October 13th! CLICK HERE to visit the Conference website! We will be presenting two special LIVE lectures during the conference, don't miss these great learning opportunities! Authors Michelangelo Sabatino and Susan Benjamin will open the Fall Conference next Sunday at 7:00 pm, with an exciting talk about their book, Modern in the Middle,  focusing on mid-century Chicago home architecture! On Saturday October 22nd at 7:00 pm, the DNAngels team will discuss their fascinating work with DNA and adoptee research- a must-attend for those wanting to learn more about researching living relatives! © 2022, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

Seats are still available for the ISGS Fall Conference Workshops! Did you know that FamilySearch has ended their volunteer-indexing project for the 1950 census- and Illinois was NOT fully indexed? The 1950 Census is not the same as the 1940, and there are special tips and tricks you need to know in order to locate every last ancestor!  Come and learn what you THOUGHT you knew about the 1950 census, with Fall Conference speaker Laura Kovarik! Laura has conducted in-depth research and reporting on the 1950 Census for the ISGS Quarterly, and during the conference you can catch both her on-demand webinar, "Everything Old is New Again- Introducing the 1950 U.S. Census" -  and her special 2-hour, in-depth workshop on October 22nd, "Getting Down to Business- Working with the 1950 U.S. Census!" Don't delay- Registration closes Thursday, October 13th! CLICK HERE for the ISGS Conference page! © 2022, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

ISGS is excited for the return of our popular "Spark Sessions" at this year's Fall conference! These live Zoom Q&A sessions were introduced at last year's conference and were a big hit with attendees. We have even more sessions this year, featuring research experts on a variety of topics and repositories! These Sessions give you an opportunity to ask questions and get expert advice for your brick walls, as well as plan and prepare for upcoming research trips! For the full Fall Conference schedule, including Spark Sessions, CLICK HERE to visit the Conference page - and check out our featured Spark Session speakers and topics below! FALL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 13TH!  © 2022, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

LAST DAY TO REGISTER! AAGHSC 40th Annual Family History Conference- October 9th Don't miss the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago's 40th Annual Conference, "Treasure Chest of Genealogical Jewels!" Current AAGHSC members get a one-time FREE registration- non-members can CLICK HERE for more info and to register! Featured speakers include Debora A. Abbott, Ph.D.; Ahmed Johnson, James R. Morgan III, and Robyn Smith- all experts in African American research and methods. ISGS Congratulates AAGHSC on 40 YEARS of spectacular and educational conferences! The North Suburban Genealogical Society will hold their next conference this Saturday, October 8th, at the Glenview Public Library or on Zoom. Jason Kruski, author of A Guide to Chicago and Midwestern Polish American Genealogy,  will present "Advanced Polish Genealogy Research." CLICK HERE for more info! Got Wisconsin ancestors or interested in Wisconsin history? Check out the Wisconsin Hi