Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

Elgin Genealogical Society (EGS) announced its 2014 Beginners’ Workshop Series today - each one will cover a different topic important to helping you further your research. The workshops will be held on the third Thursday of each month in the Community Room, Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Avenue, Elgin, Illinois 60120 at 7:00 pm. All EGS meetings are open to the public. Mark your calendar for these important dates in 2014: Jan 16, 2014 - Getting Started with your Research Feb 20, 2014 - Getting the Vitals Down—Birth, Marriage, and Death Records Mar 20, 2014 - Turning Fiction to Fact: Using, Identifying and Citing Sources Apr 17, 2014 - Making Sense of the Census May 15, 2014 - Organizing your Research Jun 19, 2014 - Using Libraries to Continue your Research Jul 17, 2014 - Analyzing and Tracking your Research Aug 21, 2014 - Using Websites to Help your Research Sep 18, 2014 - Digging into Land Records: The Neglected Resource Oct 16, 2014 - Dusting Off...

The Elgin Genealogical Society (EGS), in Elgin, Illinois, began in 1973 around the kitchen table of founder Pat Lose. Before long the group outgrew the table and required a much larger room. The meeting rooms at the Gail Borden Public Library (GBPL) in Elgin were the perfect option because not only was its location convenient to most members, the Library had a wonderful collection of research materials. The group officially organized in 1976 with its stated goals of bringing together persons who are researching family history; informing people of the value of and need for preserving family and local history; providing information, methods, and practices of family research; fostering idea sharing; seeking, preserving and making available material concerning past and present families; and encouraging officials to preserve public records and genealogical collections and make them accessible to interested persons. EGS members are spread throughout the US with ancestral interests all over...

Two $1000 scholarships provided this year August 15, 2012 – Elgin, IL. From the many excellent scholarship applications received this year, EGS proudly awards 2012 Chester A. Bower scholarships to Madonna Davis Marks and Jesse Nasta. Madonna is currently seeking a Master’s Degree in Library Science with an emphasis on Special and Historical Collections at the University of Illinois. She believes “this career demands someone with not just desire but a passion for saving and preserving the pieces that make up a life.” Jesse is a PhD candidate at Northtwestern University in the Department of History. His fields of specialization are United States, Early Republic to Reconstruction; African American and legal history; comparative slavery and emancipation. This scholarship will assist in the completion of his dissertation research in which he “analyzes hundreds of previously unexamined court cases, initiated by African Americans in local courts in St. Louis and throughout Illinois”. ...