Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

The Peoria County Genealogical Society (PCGS) in Peoria, Illinois, was organized in April 1973 with the purpose of preserving, perpetuating, and replicating the records of our ancestors, with Peoria County, Illinois being the primary area of concern. Charter membership was closed on the first day of June 1973 with a total of 70 members. In June 2013, the Society celebrated its 40 th anniversary. Currently there are about 200 members. A regular membership is $19/year ($17/year for seniors) and entitles you to their magazine Prairie Roots , the PCGS newsletter, and discounts on society publications. For more information, visit the Join Us! page on their website. Society meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month (except July, August, and December) at 6:30 PM at the North Branch of the Peoria Public Library located at 3001 W. Grand Parkway in Peoria. Meetings are open to the public. Meeting information can be found on their website. The Society's reference collection is...

The Henry County Genealogical Society (HCGS) in Kewanee, Illinois, was organized in 1983 with the purpose collecting and distributing information to its members. An individual membership is $20/year and members receive Genie , the Society's quarterly publication. Regular meetings of the Society are held the fourth Monday of each month at 1:30 PM in the Kewanee Public Library upper level. Members of the public are invited to attend all meetings. Upcoming programs can be found on their website . HCGS's reference collection is housed at the Kewanee Public Library, lower level, located at 102 S. Tremont Street, Kewanee. Their collection includes local history books, genealogies, cemetery records, and marriage records. One of the most popular references is an index created by Chris Ratliff that contains many facts of one large funeral home in Kewanee. The funeral home records contain much information about persons that might have died elsewhere and an obituary may not be found in t...

St. Clair County is located in Southwestern Illinois, across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. It is Illinois’ oldest county, established in 1790. Its heritage lies in the French, French-Canadian, and English settlements existing in the 1600s and 1700s; and in the German, Irish, and English immigrants who came to the county in the 1800s. The St. Clair County Genealogical Society (SCCGS) was founded in 1977 and incorporated in 1978. Its goals are to preserve and perpetuate ancestral records for educational and historical purposes; encourage the study of family history and teach the methods of genealogy research; promote genealogical publications; promote the preservation and safeguarding of genealogical data; and to publish and circulate literature relative to the purposes and acquisitions of the Society. Current membership stands at 377. For $25.00 (individual) or $27.00 (family), members receive four issues of the Quarterly , ten issues of the newsletter, and access to the Membe...

The Computer Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois (CAGGNI) is a not-for-profit organization incorporated in the State of Illinois. The objectives of the Group are as follows: Assisting its members in their genealogical research and using computers in this endeavor. Keeping its members informed on new technologies and techniques to support their research. Providing genealogical and computer mentoring for its membership. Undertaking projects which support the genealogical community in the region. CAGGNI was originally the Northern Illinois PAF Users Group (NIPAFUG), formed through the local Schaumburg LDS Family History Center and consisted of users of the LDS Personal Ancestral File genealogy program. Over time, as the interests of its members diversified, the membership decided to expand its focus to all uses of computers for researching genealogy, and any and all software programs. In 1998, the current name and new goals were adopted. CAGGNI currently has over 200 memb...

The Champaign County Genealogical Society (CCGS) was established in 1969. On Friday, April 25, 1969, eleven genealogists met to form an organization dedicated to encouraging each other in their desire to discover ancestors. Some had roots in Champaign County, while others had no ties at all to the county. They not only worked on their own family histories, but contributed to making records easily available to all. The purpose of the CCGS is to: Promote genealogical and historical research. Aid in the publication and preservation of genealogical and historical records and manuscripts. Provide programs designed to assist both the beginning and the advanced genealogist. CCGS serves all of Champaign County and currently has around 150 members from around the country. New members are always welcome, whether you are researching Champaign County ancestors or not. The Society enjoys encouraging and assisting others in their genealogy quest. An individual annual membership currently co...

Since 1986, the Winnebago and Boone Counties Genealogical Society (WBCGS) has served family history researchers interested in the greater Rockford area. Members of WBCGS gain the opportunity to: Exchange information with others of similar research interests. Stay abreast of all the latest news in the genealogical community, including upcoming conferences and events. Have access to materials the Society has transcribed, purchased, or preserved. Their mission statement is as follows: The purposes of the Society are to bring together people of all ages interested in genealogy and family history; to discover, collect and preserve material from Winnebago and Boone Counties, Illinois which may be helpful for genealogical research in the area; to stimulate interest in the genealogy of our ancestors; to encourage the publication of family histories for future generations; to promote and publish genealogical material covering Winnebago and Boone counties, adjacent counties, neighboring stat...

The Decatur Genealogical Society (DGS) is the oldest and one of the largest genealogical societies in Illinois. Membership of 600 includes many persons from out of state. Organized in 1964, DGS is a non-profit, non-sectarian, educational society with the following purposes: to encourage the science of genealogy, to help others gather genealogical information, to preserve and publish material of historical and genealogical nature, all for educational purposes. They operate entirely on membership dues, volunteer labor, publication sales, and private donations. An individual membership currently is $15/year and offers the following benefits: Receive the Central Illinois Genealogical Quarterly . Place free queries in the Quarterly . Submit material on the Central Illinois area for publication in the Quarterly . Receive the bi-monthly newsletter Central Illinois News , which contains information on coming events, new acquisitions, and research tips. Full use of the DGS Library during ...

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...

The Marissa Historical & Genealogical Society (MHGS) in Marissa, Illinois, was organized in 1969 with the goal of nurturing in others an interest in history and genealogy. MHGS serves three Illinois counties: southern St. Clair, Randolph, and Washington. Currently, an individual membership is $25/year. Members receive the society's quarterly publication and can use the library at their convenience. Regular meetings of the Society are held on the fourth Thursday of the month (except July, November, and December) at 7 PM in the Academy Building in the Village Park on South Main Street in Marissa. MHGS meetings are open to the public. The Society Library/Museum is located at 608 South Main Street in Marissa. It is open on Wednesday afternoons from 12 to 3 PM. However anyone wanting to do research at other times may call for an appointment (618-295-2562 or 618-295-2559). Library holdings include: Newspapers for Sparta, Marissa, and Nashville on microfilm Censuses on microfilm...

The McLean County Genealogical Society (MCGS) in Normal, Illinois, was organized in 1966 with the purposes of preserving ancestral records, encouraging the study of family history, teaching genealogy methodology, and promoting genealogical publication. Currently, the Society's membership is made up of over 200 members from around the country. An individual membership is $20/year ($25/year outside the US and Canada) and members receive a monthly newsletter and semi-annual journal, as well as free admission to the McLean County Museum of History. Regular meetings of the Society are held on the third Tuesday of each month (except August and December) at 7:00 PM at the McLean County Museum of History courtroom, 200 N. Main Street, Bloomington, Illinois. Each July, in place of their regular meeting, the society meets at a local cemetery for a program on its history. Members of the public are invited to attend all meetings. A list of upcoming programs can be found on their website at htt...

The founding members of the Czech & Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois (CSAGSI) for the most part, had been members of the Czech and Slovak Interest Group of the Chicago Genealogical Society. In October 1995, after co-hosting a genealogical/cultural conference in Countryside, Illinois, which drew over 500 attendees, several Interest Group members realized the need for an independent Czech and Slovak genealogy society in the Chicago area. The initial meeting of the society’s founders took place March 9, 1996 at the home of founding president, Joe Hartzel. At this time, the society name was chosen, the logo designed, and an Articles of Incorporation suitable for submission to the State of Illinois and for approval by the Internal Revenue Service was approved and signed. Finally, it was decided the quarterly journal would be titled Koreny which means “Roots.” Today, CSAGSI boasts a membership of approximately 1,000 with all fifty states and a number of foreign countries re...