Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

Title :   Preserving Old Family Letters: Tips From An Archivist Date : Tuesday, June 13, 2017, 8:00 pm Central Description : Old Family Letters. If you are fortunate enough to have some, they are a true family treasure. Writing letters is also a thing of the past, something that is not done anymore, all the more reason why we should collect, save and most importantly preserve the letters that we do have in our family records collections. In this presentation I will talk about the ways you can preserve your family letters so that they are protected for generations to come. Presenter : Melissa Barker Melissa Barker is a Professional Genealogist and Certified Archivist/Records Manager. She has been conducting her personal genealogy research for the past 25 years. In 2004 she started her own professional genealogy firm “Once Upon A Time Genealogy” and took research clients for 6 years. In 2010 she received her certification in archives and records management. She was instr...

Did you know that the National Archives - Regional Archives in Chicago is open the 2nd Saturday of each month? The hours are 8:00 am to 4:15 pm for the following dates in 2010: Saturday, August 14, 2010 Saturday, September 11, 2010 Saturday, October 9, 2010 Saturday, November 13, 2010 Saturday, December 11, 2010 This is in addition to the Archives' regular hours of 8:00 am to 4:15 pm, Monday through Friday.  The archives are located at 7358 South Pulaski Road in Chicago. Click  here  for detailed directions when making your trip. If you are  interested in working original records or microfilm held by the Regional Archives, you are encouraged to contact a reference archivist ahead of time by phone at +1 (773) 948-9001 or email at chicago.archives@nara.gov . Also, if you are a Facebook user, make sure you visit the National Archives Chicago page and click the Like button at the top to add their announcements to your News Feed. * * * Thanks to the Glenvie...

In honor of Memorial Day, here is a listing of Illinois Veterans Databases from the Illinois State Archives: Database for the Illinois Veterans' History Project Database of Illinois War of 1812 Veterans Database of Illinois Winnebago War Veterans Database of Illinois Black Hawk War Veteran s Database of Illinois Mexican War Veterans Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls Database Database of Illinois Civil War Veterans Serving in the U.S. Navy Database of Illinois Civil War Veterans of Missouri Units Database of Illinois Spanish–American War Veterans Database of the 1929 Illinois Roll of Honor Database of Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Home Residents © 2010, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

[ 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy is a series of genealogy challenges developed by Amy Coffin of the We Tree blog and hosted by GeneaBloggers ] The Illinois State Archives maintains a variety of records and resources to help the genealogy researcher with roots in the Prairie State.  Managed as part of the Secretary of State's office, the Archives has a strong web-presence with not only online databases but links to helpful information for family history researchers. Online Databases While it isn't possible to list each and every database available online , here are some highlights: Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763–1900 Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre–1916 Illinois Statewide Death Index (1916–1950) Database of Illinois Servitude and Emancipation Records Illinois Regional Archives Depositories (IRAD) In addition to those  records held by the Archives, several regional universities across the state act as depositories for specific collections.  With ...