Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog

WHAT'S YOUR STORY...? Every family's got one...a story, that is. What's yours? Was your ancestor an Illinois native or did he pass through, stay briefly and then move on? Where did they live? What kind of work did they do? What clues did your ancestors leave to mark their path in, around or across this state? Have you considered sharing your ancestor's tale in the Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly ? Our publication is dedicated to publishing a wide range of original articles with an Illinois connection and we'd love to hear yours. If you have a story you'd like to share, please contact our editor, Richard Anderson, at isgsquarterly@ilgensoc.org . We'll let you know what you need to do to bring your family's story to life! Interested in reading current and past Quarterlies?  Visit our Online Store   where you can easily purchase the current and previous issues in just a few clicks! Our summer issues features an original and intrigu...

The July/August issue   of the ISGS Newsletter is now available to both ISGS members and non-members! Visit the ISGS website at   www.ilgensoc.org  and click ISGS Newsletter to download the current issue (in PDF) and to view past issues going back to January/February 2008. © 2019, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

Dr. Michael D. Lacopo was born and raised in northern Indiana surrounded by extended family always willing to tell tall  tales. Intrigued by his maternal family’s claim to be kinfolk of Abraham  Lincoln, and his paternal family’s stories of murder and mayhem, he took to genealogical research in 1980 to substantiate these family stories. Genealogical research as a hobby was in its infancy in the  1980s. Combing libraries, archives, cemeteries and courthouses as a  teenager, Michael gained the skills needed to become a keen  researcher. His first major challenge in the world of research was tackled  by finding his adopted mother’s birth parents in 1982. You can  read about this adventure at his blog at Roots4U.blogspot.com with  some engaging story-telling, plot twists and new findings! Although a budding genealogist in the 1980s, Michael completed his  doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1991, while still spending time honing  his ...

What happens when a “tech guy” with a love for history gets laid off during The Great Recession of 2008? You get Thomas MacEntee, a genealogy professional based in the United States who is also a blogger, educator, author, social media connector, online community builder and more. Thomas has over 42 years of experience researching family history. Thomas was laid off after a 25-year career in the information technology field, so he started his own genealogy-related business called High Definition Genealogy . Currently Thomas shares many of his articles and videos for free at Abundant Genealogy and also runs the popular Genealogy Bargains and DNA Bargains websites! Thomas describes himself as a lifelong learner with a background in a multitude of topics who has finally figured out what he does best: teach, inspire, instigate, and serve as a curator and go-to-guy for concept nurturing and inspiration. Thomas is a big believer in success, and that we all succeed when we help each o...

The Illinois State Genealogical Society is thrilled to have  Paul Woodbury, M. Ed,  as one of our 2019 Fall Conference keynote speakers! At a young age, Paul fell in love with genealogy research. He studied genetics and family history at Brigham Young University and holds a Master’s degree in instructional design and educational technology from the University of Utah. Paul currently works as a DNA team lead at Legacy Tree Genealogists where he has helped to solve hundreds of genetic genealogy cases. Paul will be teaching several DNA-focused courses at our Fall Conference, and will also be leading our exclusive  Pre-Conference hands-on workshops : Evaluating shared Autosomal DNA  and Getting your ACGT Together: Organizing Autosomal DNA Test Results for Success. Paul was kind enough to take the time to talk to ISGS and tell us more about his genealogy background, interests and accomplishments!        How did you become interested in gen...

Debra Dudek, a genealogist and a librarian, will present her lecture “Aliens in the Army” at our 2018 Fall Conference on Saturday, October 27. We talked about her new book, World War I Genealogy Research Guide, genealogy, and the upcoming conference. Check out Debra’s interview below! Illinois State Genealogical Society: How did you become interested in genealogy? Debra Dudek: My grandmother and her sisters (Aunt Clara, Aunt Loretta, and Aunt Betty) were always very keen on family history.  I loved sitting at the table with them having tea and talking about their family.  They were very proud of their roots, as their mother, my great-grandmother (Grandma Rhodes) was from Scotland while most of their father's family (Grandpa Rhodes) had been America since before the revolution.  They shared so much information in a very interesting way.  Even when I was young, I recognized this was something magical.  I was my grandmother's family research assistant, licki...

It’s almost time for our 2018 Fall Conference! Join ISGS and ISGS speaker Mary Milne Jamba in Springfield, Illinois on October 26 and 27 for two days of genealogical fun! In anticipation of the conference, we asked Mary a few questions. Illinois State Genealogical Society: How did you become interested in genealogy? How long have you been researching? Mary Milne Jamba: My maternal grandmother told great stories and I especially loved to hear her talk about her own maternal grandmother. The concept that Grandma had her own Grandma fascinated me as a young child and I always wanted to learn about these family members. I first started doing real research when I was 25, so that's half my life! ISGS: Who is your favorite person (ancestor or otherwise) to research? Why? Mary: My 3G grandmother, Rebecca Harris has been fun to research. The family legend told of her living more than 100 years, but neglected to mention three of her five husbands or that she was a bigamist! Researc...