Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

Here is a video clip of ISGS board member Larry Pepper presenting the ISGS Awards (this is a long clip): From a recent press release: On Saturday, October 23, 2010, five individuals will be honored by the Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) with awards for their outstanding achievements in the field of genealogy. ISGS will present the awards at the upcoming ISGS Fall Conference – “You Have Family – You Have History” – held at the historic Hotel Père Marquette in Peoria, Illinois. The recipients include: ·          Cheri Hunter , of Decatur, Illinois will receive the ISGS Community Service Award for her extensive work with the Decatur Genealogical Society (DGS) as well as her service as a board member with ISGS. ·          Fred Katko , of Peoria, Illinois, will receive the ISGS Special Recognition Award for his work as a generous volunteer with the Peoria County Genealogical Society as well...

Here is a video of the exhibit hall at today's Fall Conference from Peoria, Illinois - hot of the press! © 2010, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

If you plan to attend the ISGS Fall Conference in Peoria, Illinois on Saturday, October 23, 2010, you might want to check out the genealogy collection at the Peoria Public Library. Contrary to information you may have read or heard, the collection is accessible  during the construction of the Main Library and is housed in the WTVP building at: 101 State Street Peoria, Illinois 61602 View Larger Map Directions from the Père Marquette Hotel : East on Main Street to Washington St. Right on Washington St. to State St. Left on State Street. WTVP building in on the right. U.S. Post Office is next to WTVP. Rizzi's Restaurant is directly across the street from the library. Plenty of free parking in area. Hours for the library: Closed on Sunday and Wednesday Monday, Tuesday, Friday 9am to 6pm Thursday 9am to 9pm Saturday 9am to 4pm (From Labor Day until June) Phone +1 (309) 497-2155 for more information. © 2010, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

Have you registered yet for the ISGS Fall Conference to be held in Peoria on Saturday, October 23, 2010? The early bird registration deadline ends on October 15th! ISGS members can register for $35.00 and the non-member price is $45.00 per registration. All registrations postmarked after October 15th will be charged the late / walk-in fee of $55.00 per person. In addition, lunch cannot be guaranteed for registrations made after October 15th or at the door. © 2010, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

The historic Père Marquette Hotel , Peoria, location of the ISGS Fall 2010 Conference on Saturday, October 23, 2010. Photo: Père Marquette Hotel, Peoria, 2006 by Robert Lawton used under Creative Commons License. © 2010, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

On Saturday, October 23, 2010, five individuals will be honored by the Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) with awards for their outstanding achievements in the field of genealogy. ISGS will present the awards at the upcoming ISGS Fall Conference – “ You Have Family – You Have History ” – held at the historic Hotel Père Marquette in Peoria, Illinois. The recipients include: Curt Witcher , Senior Manager for Special Collections at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, will receive the ISGS Distinguished Service Award for his numerous contributions to the field of genealogy. Cheri Hunter , of Decatur, Illinois will receive the ISGS Community Service Award for her extensive work with the Decatur Genealogical Society (DGS) as well as her service as a board member with ISGS. Fred Katko , of Peoria, Illinois, will receive the ISGS Special Recognition Award for his work as a generous volunteer with the Peoria County Genealogical Society as well as other societies. ...

As part of its upcoming Fall 2010 conference - You Have Family; You Have History - on Saturday, October 23, 2010 in Peoria, IL, the Illinois State Genealogical Society is holding an Essay Contest open to all Illinois students ages 12-15. The essay format: narrative; 2-page maximum; no cover page or back matter send the entry form (in the attached link) with the essay; do not put entrant's name on the essay word-processed final draft on standard, white print paper 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double-spaced entries must be postmarked no later than September 20, 2010 no e-mail entries accepted choose one of the following topics: The Story of My Family Connection to (Historical Event) Why My Family Settled in (Geographic Area) The Immigration Story of My (Ancestor) Prizes: First prize, $50 Honorable mentions (two), $25 each The deadline for entries is September 20, 2010. Access the entry form here (opens in PDF). If you teach in an Illinois school or are otherwise ...

Wondering how you can lend ISGS in publicizing upcoming events such as our Fall 2010 Conference - You Have Family, You Have History - in Peoria? If you frequently send emails, did you realize you can utilize valuable space at the bottom of your email messages to help get the word out? In the image above, I've added a brief note about the conference at the bottom of my email messages, just above my signature.  Here is the text with the link: Join us! Peoria, IL October 23, 2010 for the Annual Fall Conference "You Have Family - You Have History" co-hosted by the Peoria Genealogical Society! http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilsgs/fallconf/2010regfinal.pdf To learn how you can automatically have a message appear at the bottom of each email you send, see this free  cheat sheet entitled Guide To Email Signatures (opens in PDF format) which explains the method for each of the popular email applications including Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and more. © 2010, copyri...