Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

The Illinois State Genealogical Society 2017 Fall Conference is just a little more than two weeks away! Karen Stanbary, CG℠ is one of our featured speakers. She holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Chicago. Karen specializes in Midwestern, Chicago, and Mexican research as well as complex problem-solving and DNA analysis. A regular instructor in Chicago’s Newberry Library Adult Education program, Karen lectures on topics including Genetic Genealogy, Advanced Genetic Genealogy and the Genealogical Proof Standard. She is a faculty member at GRIP, IGHR, and SLIG. She published a complex evidence case study incorporating traditional documentary research and autosomal DNA analysis in the June 2016 issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. She holds the credential Certified Genealogist® from the Board for Certification of Genealogists® where she serves on the Genetic Genealogy Standards committee. Register for the fall conference today to at...

SPRINGFIELD, IL, 6 October 2017 – The Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) announces their annual Honors and Awards. ISGS President Dawn Carey Henry will present the Honors & Awards during the Society’s Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 28, 2017 at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Illinois. Volkel Hall of Fame Marjorie Vance Rice, nominated by Illinois State Genealogical Society, will be inducted into the Volkel Hall of Fame. Lowell M. Volkel was instrumental in establishing and promoting an interest in genealogy in the State of Illinois. He was a founder of the Illinois State Genealogical Society (founded 26 Oct 1968) and its first President, 1968-1970; he served again as President, 1984-1985. In 1970 he became an Archivist in the Illinois State Archives and was the Head of the Reference Unit there from 1974 until his death in 1992. He compiled, edited, and indexed more than 3 dozen volumes of historical sources, co-authored, with Marjorie Smith, “How to R...

SPRINGFIELD, IL, 6 October 2017 – The Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) announces their annual Honors and Awards. ISGS President Dawn Carey Henry will present the Honors & Awards during the Society’s Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 28, 2017 at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Illinois. Community Service Awards: Dr. Greg Langan of Dixon, IL , nominated by the Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society, will receive a Community Service Awards for his service to LCHGS and helping to keep history alive. Donald Schmidt and Floyd Ham both of Toulon, IL , nominated by Stark County Genealogical Society, will receive a Community Service Award for their work to record and preserve the genealogy and history of Henry, Stark, Bureau counties. Casey Historical Society, nominated by Linda White, will receive a Community Service Award for the restoration of 149 of the 250 headstones in the Pioneer Section of the Casey-Cumberland Cemetery and continues support ...

You don’t want to miss Dr. Daniel Hubbard’s lectures! He started researching his family history when he was just a kid, and has a wealth of information to share with ISGS Fall Conference attendees.  A former particle physicist who lived 20 years in Europe, he is a full-time genealogist, writer, and book designer; he is also president of the Lake County (IL) Genealogical Society and on the Genealogy Board of Chicago’s Swedish-American Museum. Illinois State Genealogical Society: How did you become interested in genealogy? How long have you been researching? Daniel Hubbard: When I was a kid, we had lots of family gatherings. My father had five siblings that lived nearby and it didn't take much to get us all together. I usually ended up listening to the adults because I was a lot younger than my cousins. I heard many family stories that way. It was when I was about nine that I realized that some of the stories that a pair of my aunts told weren't things that had happened to...

The Illinois State Genealogical Society is so excited to have Rachel Popma as one of our speakers at the 2017 Fall Conference! Rachel is the editor of the Indiana Genealogical Society’s quarterly journal, Indiana Genealogist , and a professional editor specializing in family and local history, biography, and memoir. She holds an MA in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a genealogical research certificate from Boston University. We asked Rachel a few questions about the conference, genealogy, and writing. Illinois State Genealogical Society: Tell us a little about the lectures you'll be presenting at the ISGS conference. Rachel Popma: Many of us aspire to write about our family history, but we sometimes don't know where to start because we're paralyzed by all the information we have, or because we feel intimidated by writing. Often, though, all we have to do is get started, and the stories will come. My session on kick-starting your writing...

The Rock Island County Illinois Genealogical Society is our wonderful local co-host for the 2017 Fall Conference! Our two societies are working together to bring genealogists and family historians the best ISGS conference yet, and in the meantime we’ve gotten the chance to connect. Linda Polich, Local Marketing Chair, wears many hats within the Rock Island County Illinois Genealogical Society. We chatted with her about the ISGS 2017 Fall Conference and the Rock Island County Illinois Genealogical Society. Illinois State Genealogical Society: Tell us about the history of the Rock Island County Illinois Genealogical Society. Linda Polich: The Rock Island County Illinois Genealogical Society is a non-profit organization, founded in 1972 by 110 charter members. We have monthly meetings with genealogical programs, which are open to the public.  Membership is open to anyone interested in genealogical research. Our Society is a member of FGS (Federation of Genealogical Societies)...