GeneaPress: Illinois State Genealogical Society Announces Webinar Series

GeneaPress: Illinois State Genealogical Society Announces Webinar Series:

Just think you can go to class in your 'jammies and no one will know:)
'via Blog this'

Happy New Year

EGS wishes all its members and followers a very Happy New Year. We hope no matter how you celebrate the event you will have fun and be safe!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012 will be our first meeting in the New Year. We'll review our 2011 genealogy resolutions to see how we've done and will look towards our new year with an original take on goal setting. You'll not want to miss this meeting, so start out the new year right and join your genealogy friends at 9:30 am at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove, Elgin, IL.

Here's hoping we'll see you there!

EGS Writers' Group December

Last night, Dec. 8, was the last meeting for the EGS Writers' Group in 2011. The meeting was well attended and extremely interesting. A special thanks to Nancy for the Christmas cookies!!

As genealogists we're finding our greatest challenge at the moment is to spend more time considering the writing techniques and less making suggestions for further research. :-) We'll be working on that next year.

If you're getting ready to write up your research or your own story for that matter, why not join us in 2012?

2011 EGS Holiday Celebration

EGS members celebrate the end of another year learning
and sharing about genealogy

Yesterday, December 6, EGS members came together for the last time in the year 2011. Some have made great strides in their family research, some have learned new skills to further their work, some have found new friends who share this passion (obsession) of ours. 

The annual business meeting included the election of officers for 2012 - to be discussed in another post - and a remembrance of the five members who passed away this year. We will sorely miss each one. 

Once business was out of the way, refreshments were provided by the 2011 board members. After all, it would be at least another hour and a half before the luncheon and we wouldn't want any one to starve.

Pennies were distributed among all the attendees in preparation for the program, A Penny for Your Thoughts. Based on the year imprinted on our penny, each of us were to share something from our personal or family history. Fortunately, member Ann Brasch had a magnifying strip with her or many of us would have been making up our own dates! We heard some great stories and some very interesting historical notes. 

Then, it was off to Villa Olivia in Bartlett, Illinois for our Holiday Luncheon. The setting and room were lovely, the food was delicious and the service excellent; but mostly the companionship and conversation made the day. The door prizes were simply icing on the cake. Okay, we didn't have cake, we had ice cream but you get the idea!

We're looking forward to great things in 2012. Here's hoping you can join us in our efforts in the coming year.

Genea-Musings: Santa Claus videos at Ancestry.com's YouTube Channel

Randy Seaver has posted links for some really cute Santa Clause videos from Ancestry. Check out the link and have a good chuckle.

Genea-Musings: Santa Claus videos at Ancestry.com's YouTube Channel:

'via Blog this'

Visitation for Ann Mueller

Here is the information regarding the visitation and funeral service for Ann Mueller:

Visitation will be on Wednesday November 30, 2011 from 4-9:00 P.M. at the Laird Funeral Home, Elgin, with a funeral service at 7:00 P.M. with Rev. Lois Bucher officiating. Burial will be on Thursday in Campton, IA.

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of EGS member Ann Ruck Mueller. Details of her service are not known at this time and will be posted as soon as possible. Please check back for more information.

Young Winston: Unseen photographs of Churchill as a teenager revealed | Mail Online

Young Winston: Unseen photographs of Churchill as a teenager revealed | Mail Online:

These are great pics of a great leader as a young man! Interesting story too.
'via Blog this'

Pick Your Relatives at EGS!

Don't miss tomorrow night's EGS monthly evening meeting. It sounds like great fun!

You Can Pick Your Relatives

Mike Karsen puts a novel twist on genealogy by placing a major emphasis on connecting or re-connecting with living relatives around the world. By expanding the number of your known relatives, you can make new friends and thus "you can pick you relatives:"!

Come join us tomorrow, November 17, 2011 at 7:00 pm at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove, Elgin, IL. Have research to do? Why not come early and take advantage of GBPL's tremendous genealogy section?

Visit with Ann Mueller

I visited Ann Mueller this morning and she is much improved since my visit last week. She thanks everyone for the card that was sent from the society. It was so nice to see her with a smile on her face.

Bridgett Schneider of Random Acts Of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK), R.I.P. - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Bridgett Schneider of Random Acts Of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK), R.I.P. - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter:

Dick Eastman reports the passing of the founder of RAOGK. She will be greatly missed.
'via Blog this'

1940 U.S. Census Video Available Online - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

1940 U.S. Census Video Available Online - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter:

This article links to a very interesting video created for enumerators of the 1940 census. Great fun to listen to and very informative.

You can thank Dick Eastman for the information:)
'via Blog this'

New Iowa newspaper archive

Genealogy In Time Magazine reported, this weekend, the following new online archive for an Iowa newspaper. It sounds like a great resource for Iowa researchers.

US – The Daily Iowan newspaper has launched an online archive of the newspaper. The archive goes back as far as 1868 and is complete with the exception of two brief periods (fall of 1918 and summer of 1984). Included in the archive are the Daily Iowan’s predecessor newspapers, such as the University Reporter (1868 to 1881), the Vidette (1879 to 1881), the Vidette Reporter (1881 to 1901) and the University Mirror (1881). The archive is housed under the University of Iowa library system. In total, the collection consists of some 750,000 scanned images. The collection is full text searchable. Access is free. [Historic Iowa Newspaper Archive]

November 2011 Morning Meeting

It's hard to believe but November is nearly here. Hopefully, your Halloween festivities will leave you rested enough to join EGS for our November morning meeting on November 1, 2011 at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N Grove, Elgin, IL at 9:30 am.

We'll be discussing the How and Why of Genealogy Blogs. There is so much information, research tips, and interesting stories to be found in these blogs. If you've never visited one, be sure to come to find out how easy it is to find a favorite and follow. If you have some favorites, be sure to let us know the title so we can take a look. If you're interested in starting a blog of your own, we'll look at getting started.

Here's hoping I'll see you there!

Halloween Treat Coming Soon

Get ready for a fun Halloween event! 

For our October evening meeting - 20 Oct 2011, Gail Borden Public Library, 7:00 pm - Karen Myers will lead a sharing program, Things That Go Bump In the Night. There will be tales of ghosts, spooky cemetery happenings, and witches. Who could ask for more?

EGS Writers' Group October

Calling all EGS writers! Have you been working towards your goal? Are you ready for the next sharing session? If not, it's time to get back to the keyboard because October 13, 2011 it coming soon.

We hope to see you at Gail Borden Public Library on 13 Oct 2011 at 6:30 pm in meeting room B. Whether it's a rewrite or new original words, we're all anxious to hear your latest work.

Come one. Come all.

Fold3 Tutorials

Need some clarification on how to use Fold3? I received the following in an email this morning. Check out the links for some video training:

Three new video tutorials and a variety of help topics are now available in the Fold3 Training Center.

The first of several planned video tutorials include:

• An Introduction to Fold3
• How to Search on Fold3
• Browse for Records on Fold3

Each video is 4-5 minutes long and designed to provide tips and strategies to help you make the most of your Fold3 membership.

Report to the Fold3 Training Center to find one-page explanations of the most common how-to topics. Look for Uncle Sam on the lower right of the home page, or start directly fromhttp://www.fold3.com/tour. Keep checking back as we add more video tutorials and help topics.

October Morning Meeting 2011

A happy group of 42 members and guests were treated to a great program, Holy Cow! Where are My Chicago Catholics Now? presented by Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, CG yesterday morning.

Teresa presented a concise, clear, informative talk about finding Catholic ancestors in Chicago. After a brief history of Catholic Churches in the City and the various records created by the church, she provided excellent suggestions on how to find the person's address or Ward which is essential to locating the church where the records sought would most likely have been created. Also mentioned was where those records may be found today.

She discussed the dreaded 1909 street numbering change and where and how to identify those changes in reference to your ancestor.

Teresa, also, shared two case studies to show how the methodology was used and the stunning results.

Teresa suggests the following "book is a must-have for researching Chicago Catholics" -  Jack Bochar, Locations of Chicago Roman Catholic Churches, 1850-1990. Second edition. Sugar Grove, Illinois: The Czech & Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois, 1997. Gail Borden Public Library has this book in its collection.

Thanks Teresa for an interesting and enlightening program.

October 2011 Morning Meeting

You'll not want to miss our next morning meeting at 9:30 am on October 4 at the Gail Borden Public Library at 270 N. Grove in Elgin, IL. Teresa McMillan will be presenting Holy Cow, Where Are My Chicago Catholics Now? Whether or not you are doing Chicago research, I'm sure this will be an interesting, informative, and fun program.

As always, we will have snacks and conversation time between the business meeting and the program. During this time you can catch up on each other's goings-on, perhaps help a newbie with a question, share a new find, encourage a discouraged researcher, or just chow down on the tasty treats.

I know we can interact face-to-face now on the web but there's nothing quite like the interactions we have in the actual - not virtual - presence of another genealogist.

Hope to see you there,

Becky

Barbara Fritz

A memorial service was held today for EGS member Barbara Fritz, the daughter of EGS members Bud and Meriam Frohardt. Her obit can be found on the funeral home website, www.mossfuneral.com.

EGS to be featured on FGS Talk Radio

You don't want to miss this. Our society will be featured on the weekly FGS Talk Radio show - My Society. Tune in to hear us go national!!
Sent from Thomas MacEntee host of the show. My Society airs from 1pm-2pm:

Just a quick heads up that this Saturday, September 24, 2011 during our weekly radio show – FGS Radio – My Society (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety), we’ll be featuring EGS in our Society Spotlight about 1:45pm.

http://voice.fgs.org/2011/09/fgs-radio-your-societys-facebook.html

Memorial Services for Barbara Fritz

In an earlier post, we reported the passing of Barbara Fritz, the daughter of our members and dear friends, Bud and Miriam Frohardt. 
The memorial service for Barbara will be held Saturday, Sept 24th at the Moss Funeral Home, 143 First Street, Batavia.  Phone number there is             630-879-7900      .  Visitation is from 1 o'clock until 3 o'clock, when the service will take place.

Genealogy on Facebook? You betcha

Check out this blog post to learn just how useful Facebook can be to genealogy & research. Technology truly is changing the the face/pace of our passion!!

DearMYRTLE's Genealogy Blog: Genealogy on Facebook? You betcha:

'via Blog this'

Czech Genealogy for Beginners

I know some of our members have been struggling with Czech research. Here's hoping this blog will help.

Czech Genealogy for Beginners:

'via Blog this'

September Evening Meeting 2011

Come join us tomorrow September 15 at 7:00 at the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin, IL. Linda Eder and Susan Lye will be presenting Genealogy Organization - Comparison. We genealogists all seem to struggle with the how to keep our research finds and our "ancestors" in order. Linda and Susan will compare their styles and share guidance and tips on how to set up a research organizational system.

Hope to see you there.

Condolences

It is with great sadness that we send our condolences to EGS members Bud and Miriam Frohardt on the passing this past week of their daughter Barbara Fritz. Barbara was also an EGS member. A memorial service is planned for later in the month.

September 2011 Morning Meeting

You'll not want to miss the morning meeting tomorrow, September 6, 2011 at Gail Borden Public Library at 9:30 am. Sara Taylor will be facilitating "Researching with Ancestry".

Thank you Sara for filling in for me. I'll be on my way to Springfield for the FGS Conference. I'll try to keep you appraised of what's going on here or on my personal blog or you can follow my on twitter @famsearcher.

Have a great meeting. I'll be thinking of you.

Becky

Vital Records

I want to share an odd tool from the Centers for Disease Control of all places—Where to Write for Vital Records! http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm
This might be one place to find out where to get vital records for every state.

EGS Writers' Group Meeting

On September 1, 2011 a group of EGS members interested in moving from the research to the writing phase of Family History met for their 2nd gathering. The first meeting had been held to discuss the purpose and details of this Special Interest Group (SIG) had been held on the evening of August 18th. At that meeting two main thought were determined. A prevailing idea among everyone was the need for motivation and that meeting in a group such as this might provide that stimulus. A secondary idea in the group was the desire to use proper source citations for their writings.

The SIG will be held monthly on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 6:30-8:00 pm at the Gail Borden Public Library. For details such as room location, contact Larry Pepper at llpepper@sbcglobal.net.

The September meeting was a great success. Each of the eight attendees shared as much of his/her recent work as the "timer" would allow, leaving time for discussion, questions, suggestions. What a thrill to see the excitement of all for having finally set something to pen and paper or keyboard to file! As hoped, the deadline provided a much needed "kick in the pants" (soon to be known as KP) for all.

The next meeting is set for October 13, 2011 at GBPL in Community Room B at 6:30. All EGS members are welcome to join us. If we get too large, we'll split off. :-)

Ancestry.com Offers Free Access to Immigration and Naturalization Records - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Ancestry.com Offers Free Access to Immigration and Naturalization Records - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter:

This is the week to take advantage of these great databases!!

'via Blog this'

Ancestry

While starting to prepare for facilitating my discussion about Ancestry I noticed there is free access to Ancestry's worldwide collection of immigration and travel records...through September 5, 2011.

How Does Google Improve Search?

How Does Google Improve Search?: reposted from GenealogyInTime

'via Blog this' Interesting article and video about how Google tries to improve their search engine.

EGS Grant Presentation

As reported in our August 3rd post, the Elgin Area Historical Society (EAHS) is our 2011 recipient of the Chester Bowser Grant. Presentation of the award was made at our evening meeting on August 18th.

Judy Van Dusen, Liz Marston, Lea Ellsworth

As our president looks on, our Scholarship/Grant Committee Chair, Lea Ellsworth, explains to the membership and to EAHS Director, Liz Marson how pleased we are to be able to support this indexing project which will benefit many genealogists research in the Elgin area.

Judy Van Dusen, Liz Marston, Lea Ellsworth

After the presentation, there are big smiles from both the representatives of EGS and EAHS.

Now is a good time to thank Lea and her committee for their devotion to making certain the Chester Bowser scholarship and grant funds go to deserving candidates. In today's economic environment, it is more important then ever for societies to support projects beneficial to the genealogical community.

Footnote.com Announces New Focus on Historical U.S. Military Records and Changes Name to Fold3 - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Footnote.com Announces New Focus on Historical U.S. Military Records and Changes Name to Fold3 - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Footnote name change to Fold3.

2011 Grant Goes to Elgin Area Historical Society

The Elgin Genealogical Society is pleased to announce the 2011 Chester A. Bowser Grant recipient is the Elgin Area Historical Society (EAHS). 


This grant of $1000 will be used to index corporate and employee newsletters from Sherman Hospital, The Illinois Watch Case Company, Chicago Rawhide and The Elgin National Watch Company. 


Once indexed, the information will be posted on the EGS or EAHS website.


We are proud to assist the EAHS in this effort which will provide genealogists researching the Elgin area more information on their ancestors without leaving their homes. Once found on the index, copies of the actual articles will be able to be requested through either EGS or EAHS. 

Free Blacksmith Wallpaper

Free Blacksmith Wallpaper

Free computer wallpaper from GenealogyInTime. These are interesting pictures even if you're not looking for wallpaper:)

FGS Conference News Blog: Research Opportunities: Elgin Area Repositories

FGS Conference News Blog: Research Opportunities: Elgin Area Repositories

Elgin highlighted in FGS blog. GBPL,EGS, and EAHS spotlighted.

GenBlog: FGS 2011 Conference – Let the Countdown Begin

GenBlog: FGS 2011 Conference – Let the Countdown Begin

Here's hoping lots of EGS members will be attending!!

July Evening Meeting 2011

Be sure to join us this Thursday, July 21, at 7:00 pm at the Gail Borden Public Library at 270 N. Grove in Elgin, Illinois. The evening's program will be presented by Corey Short from Laird Funeral Home. The topic is "Funeral Home Laws & Records". Since funeral home records can be very helpful in genealogical research, you'll not want to miss this presentation.

Hope to see you there!!

Swedish American Genealogist Online - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Swedish American Genealogist Online - Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Dick Eastman explains the online journal and gives a link to the collection. If you're doing Swedish American genealogy, it's certainly worth a look and it's free!!

Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog: ISGS Ancestor Photo Contest Winners

Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog: ISGS Ancestor Photo Contest Winners

Read the blog and check out the website to wee the winners!!

Thank you

Thank you Becky and Judy for your informative talk on using web sites and trying to make the most of new ( to us older folks ) sites. I will try to join our face book page.

Happy Fourth of July

I hope everyone is having a great 4th. Just don't get so tired you can't join us tomorrow for EGS. We'll be talking about using Google for our research and we may even set up a Facebook about, just for grins.

Set you calendar for 9:30 am at Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL. We'll be looking for you:)

FREE Sons of American Revolution Records for July 4

Ancestor Search Blog: FREE Sons of American Revolution Records for July 4

It's a great time to check out those Revolutionary War ancestors!

June Evening Meeting Review

Joyce Nigbor provided us with a very informative and fun program last evening. Her talk was really a case study involving finding four sisters who emmigrated (not together) from Norway to Minnesota in the 1800s and finding living relatives, if possible.

About a year ago, Joyce finally agreed to take on this project at the pleadings of the family still in Norway. She shared with us the little bit of information the family shared to get her started and how she proceeded from there. With the use of the internet and some old-fashioned legwork, Joyce fulfilled this family's request.

They now know what became of the sisters and have been in contact with "new" relatives in the States. In fact, one of those relatives is our new EGS member, Violet Danks, who is planning a trip this summer to Minnesota to meet some of the Stateside kin new to her.

Our thanks to Joyce for showing us her methodology in tracking down these women and for sharing her enthusiasm for the hunt. Thanks also to Violet for sharing how much the results of Joyce's work has meant to her.

June Evening Meeting Announcement

Our evening meeting is fast approaching because the third Thursday comes early this monthJ Be sure to mark your calendars so you don’t miss out!

Join us on Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 7:00 pm at the Gail Borden Public Library. Joyce Nigbor will be presenting The Power of Yes - Tracking down a Norwegian family in Minnesota. Joyce will speak on the problems in tracking down a Norwegian family living in Minnesota 130 years ago and finally finding living relatives.

A friend in Oslo, Norway had requested Nigbor's assistance. The search includes a variety of documents, people, and websites as Nigbor pursued four sisters, their spouses and children from Norway to Territorial Minnesota to today. You may not have Norwegian ancestors, but come hear the research methods she used. They may help you. See our website for other info at www.elginroots.com.

Happy Memorial Weekend

While you're hopefully enjoying good food, good friends and family this weekend, be sure to take the time to remember and honor all those military men and women who have giving everything so we can be free.



From the American Revolution through our current wars, our young men and women have protected our Country. Though they deserve more than just one day a year, at least, we can use this day to thank them and their families.





Also, be sure to mark your calendar for our morning meeting on June 7, 2011. We'll be meeting at the Gail Borden Public Library at 270 N Grove, Elgin, Illinois at 9:30 am. Ted Bartlett will be presenting Before You Croak: Saving Your Genealogical Collection for Posterity. This is a topic of great interest to the new as well as the seasoned family historian. You've given so much time and effort to your research, now learn how to protect it in the future.

May 2011 Evening Meeting

Join us for an evening of hospitality and sharing - Thursday, May 19, 2011, 7:00 pm at Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove, Elgin, Illinois.


Our evening program chair, Tom Cheetam, will guide us in using the EGS web page "Surname" information sheet to fill in our parental ancestor's surnames. 


Then we will use the information learned about "writing" in the last meeting to write a paragraph about one of the surnames on the sheet.  Don't worry, even if you weren't at the last meeting, you still benefit from this program:)


Any member who has not submitted the form for EGS to publish on our web site may do so at the end of the meeting.

Yale University Opens Online Images to Public

As posted by the Genealogy In Time Newsletter of May 14, 2011:


US – Yale University has decided to convert its vast collection of online images to “open access”. This means that Yale University has moved its cultural heritage collection of images (those that would be of interest to genealogists) into the public domain. These images are now openly and freely available to all. According to the university, “Yale is the first Ivy League university to make its collection accessible in this fashion”. Already, the open access collection numbers over 250,000 images and the collection is expected to grow into the millions. In addition to many images of historic Americans, the collection also has images of less famous Americans, historic maps, street scenes, etc. The site has a full search function. Access is free. [Historic Images from Yale University]

Nine Powerful Search Features in the FamilySearch Search Engine | FamilySearch.org

Nine Powerful Search Features in the FamilySearch Search Engine | FamilySearch.org

As promised in the meeting this morning. Here is the link to the blog post giving special search options available on the new family search website. Click the first link at the top to go directly to the blog post.

Bringing Genealogy Societies into the 21st Century 04/23 by mysociety | Blog Talk Radio

Bringing Genealogy Societies into the 21st Century 04/23 by mysociety | Blog Talk Radio

Turn up your speakers and/or put on your headphones. The link above will take you to a great radio interview (the first of the FGS radio weekly radio spots) with Curt Witcher. The topic addresses important issues for genealogical societies to ponder.

The program is an hour long so be sure you have the time to spare:)

genealogy research in Illinois

I am thinking of a summer research trip probably lasting 3 or 4 days to Henderson and Clay Counties in Illinois. Is there anyone interested in going or with a genealogical task to accomplish. ??? Those counties have limited resoueces. I think I will be walking Iola cemetery and visiting court houses. Clay county has a genealogy assistant available by appointment. Henderson County resouces are more scattered.

FGS Announces New Webinar Series

Press Release - Austin, TX - April 16, 2011

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announces its new series of genealogy society management education delivered online in webinar format. As part of its new online education initiative, FGS will offer webinars both free to the public and to its member societies via the popular GoToWebinar® platform which can accommodate up to 1,000 participants. FGS members will also have access to recorded webinars and syllabus materials at the members-only section of the FGS website at http://www.fgs.org.

Social Networking for Genealogy Societies

The first webinar, Social Networking for Genealogy Societies, will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2011 and is free to the public. FGS Board member Thomas MacEntee will demonstrate how genealogy societies are currently leveraging the power of Facebook, Twitter and blogs to expand their online presence and recruit new members. Register at https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/401693254.

Future Webinar Topics

FGS plans to offer a wide variety of webinars focusing on society management topics over the next few months. Some of the most recognized names in genealogy education including D. Joshua Taylor, George G. Morgan and Drew Smith will develop and deliver these presentations in a convenient online setting. Topics will include:

• Administration and Member Services: Joining a Genealogical Society; How to Promote Volunteerism in Your Society; How to Create a Member Handbook; Developing an Excellent and Cost-Effective Educational Programs for Your Society; and Using Bylaws to Focus and Motivate Your Society.

• Marketing: Developing a Publicity and Marketing Plan; Methods for Promoting Your Society's Meetings; Developing a Social Media Plan; Creating a Facebook Page; Creating and Using a Twitter Account; Your Society's Next Generation: Reaching Out to New Communities; and Creating an Effective Press Release.

• Technology: How to Attend a Webinar; How to Host a Webinar; Google Docs for Societies; Google Forms for Societies; Backing Up Your Society Data; Creating a Free Website for Your Society; and Creating a Blog for Your Society.

• Finances and Fundraising: Complying with IRS Filing and Reporting Requirements for Your Non-Profit Society; Society Fundraising Through Affiliate Marketing; and How to Set Up and Use a PayPal Account.

We are extremely excited about this series and are committed to helping genealogy and historical societies improve their operations and expand their membership reach.

FGS announces Internet radio show

Press Release - Austin, TX - April 20, 2011

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announces the debut of My Society, the first Internet radio show dedicated solely to genealogy societies. Broadcast weekly each Saturday at 1:00 pm Central, My Society will host discussions of genealogy society topics with a variety of guests including well-known genealogists and genealogy community leaders. This unique media outlet can be accessed athttp://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety.

Debut Episode of My Society with Special Guest Curt Witcher

On Saturday, April 23, 2011 at 1:00 pm Central, Curt Witcher, Senior Manager for Special Collections at the Allen County Public Library, will be the special guest on My Society hosted by FGS board member Thomas MacEntee. Witcher, who is also a former president of both FGS and the National Genealogical Society as well as the founding president of the Indiana Genealogical Society, will discuss moving genealogy societies into the 21^st century.

Internet Radio and FGS

Each week, My Society will focus on a selected topic relevant to genealogy society management and the role societies play within the genealogy community. Future topics will discuss increasing membership, developing a social media and Internet presence, member services, and more. In addition, each episode of My Society will spotlight a member society of FGS and discuss their various programs and offerings. Using the Blog Talk Radio platform, listeners will not only be able to hear a live broadcast, but they will also be able to call in and speak with the show's host and guests to discuss their own genealogy societies.

George G. Morgan, FGS Vice President of Membership and veteran genealogy podcaster notes: "FGS strives to provide information and value to its members and to the entire genealogical community. We recently announced the FGS series of webinars, beginning on April 30th. However, we are also significantly expanding our offerings in 2011 to include the launch of regularly scheduled, live FGS Radio broadcasts over the Internet. These program will feature leaders in the genealogical field, and genealogical and historical societies sharing their success stories and best practices. Listeners can call in with their questions and comments. The programs will be recorded and made available for free download at the FGS website. We are very excited and proud about this new offering and look forward to expanding communication in the genealogy community."

No More Clues From Social Security Numbers

No More Clues From Social Security Numbers

I wasn't aware of the coming change to SSNs. Interesting blog post by Kerry Scott of Clue Wagon.

Sad News

We have lost another of our loyal members.

As reported in the Daily Herald today, "Funeral services for Raymond C. Mueller, 69, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 31, in the Laird Funeral Home, Elgin, with visitation from 9:30 a.m. until the time of services. Burial will be private in Campton Cemetery, Lamont, Iowa."

Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend but I know many EGS members will be there.

Ray will be greatly missed and our condolences go out to Ann and family.

GenBlog: Kane County, Illinois Deaths, Pre-1916 Index Now Available Online

GenBlog: Kane County, Illinois Deaths, Pre-1916 Index Now Available Online

Updates for Kane county deaths, pre-1916, at Illnois Archives. Check out the above blog post.

March 2011 Evening Meeting

Please join us March 17, 2011 at 7:00 pm at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove, Elgin, Illinois. We'll be discussing how and why to use the wonderful free site USGENWEB.

If you're a frequent user of this site, be sure to come and share with others. Your input is invaluable!

If you've never been to the site or aren't feeling sure about its use, come along with all your questions. We'll do our best set you on the right track.

We'll also briefly hear about some newer sites Becky's been playing with this week, :-)

Hope to see you there!

Irish Research - New Resources

For all you Irish researchers, here are some new sites, originally posted at Genealogy In Time for March 2011, for Irish resource.

Ireland – The Heritage Council of Ireland has just funded and launched a major new web portal called the Irish Archives Resource. It enables researchers to locate archival collections in Ireland that are relevant to their research. The intent of the site is to essentially act like a giant card catalogue for anyone doing ancestral work on Ireland. A search function allows users to pull up the relevant collections. A detailed listing is provided for each collection along with instructions on how to access the collection either online (if available) or physically at a public location in Ireland. Many of the major city and county archives in Ireland have already contributed to the website and much of it would be of interest to anyone with ancestors from Ireland. For example, try searching using terms such as ‘deeds’ ‘wills’, etc. This site looks like it will quickly become a must-stop for genealogists. Access is free. [Irish Archives Portal]

Northern Ireland – Belfast City Council has put online 360,000 burial records from three city cemeteries. The records are from Belfast City Cemetery (from 1869 onwards), Roselawn Cemetery (from 1954 onwards) and Dundonald Cemetery (from 1905 onwards). Each record contains the following information: full name, age, sex, last place of residence, date of death, date of burial, grave section and number and type of burial (in ground or cremation). Access is free. [Historic Belfast Cemetery Records] 

Ireland – The Guinness Brewery at St. James Gate in Dublin has put online historical employee records from the brewery spanning the period from 1759 to the present. Some 20,000 individual employee files have gone online, which represents about 80% of all employees who worked at the historic brewery. A typical file lists the employee’s name, date of birth, date of death, employee ID number, date joined the brewery, date left, occupation and department that the employee worked. Access is free. [Historic Guinness Brewery Employee Records]

Have fun! 

RootsTech - Video

RootsTech - Video

I've been watching some great presentations from the Roots Tech Conference that was held in February. Take some to and enjoy some yourself.

Don't miss the one by Curt Witcher; it's great! (It takes about 5 minutes to get to Curt but it's worth the wait.)

Many lessons for our genealogy societies to take to heart.

Girl Scouts Earn Heritage Badge

Friday afternoon, Judy Van Dusen and Becky Higgins represented EGS by helping the members of girl scout troop 4192 of South Elgin achieve their Heritage Badge.
The girls showed their aptitude towards genealogy from the very beginning. They began their meeting by sampling ethnic treats and we all know if there is a genealogy meeting there will most likely be treats. :-) These delectables came from Scandinavia, Greece, and India.

 Kara, the troops capable leader, got things started by discussing the home assignments the girls had worked on. Just one more display of how technology has changed the way things are done: the completed assignments had been previously emailed to Kara so she had time to combine everyone's work into a nice document. Family quotations and traditions were just a couple of the items the girls collected.

Then, the genealogists got down to business. We explained two of our most significant forms - the Family Group Sheet and the Pedigree or Generations Report. With information the girls had gleaned during the past week, they began to fill in the blanks.

There were some great questions and we soon learned, even at this young age, they like to talk about their families as much as the rest of us. We encouraged them to take the time to listen to stories and gather information now while they have the opportunity.

It was wonderful to see the interest in their faces and great fun to help out.

Newest Genealogy Records on the Internet

Newest Genealogy Records on the Internet

Too many and interesting new records for me to list reported by Genealogy In Time this week. Click on the link at the top of the post to see for yourself.

New Print Friendly Button

It took me longer than it should have but we now have a print friendly button. Now, if there is a post you'd like to keep, you can print it without all the sidebars and such or create a pdf file or even email it to yourself or someone else.
Note on the print friendly screen you can choose to include images or not.

Blogging Webinar

I spent a good part of yesterday afternoon attending (virtually) the webinar More Blogging for Beginners with DearMYRTLE (Pat Richley). I had previously attending her original Blogging for Beginners session and found it very helpful. This one though was particularly useful for me.


I hadn't given much thought to backing up my/our blogs before. Pat made some excellent points in her talk and I realized the importance of periodically making a backup. It was the first thing I did this afternoon when I finally had the opportunity to log-on! (It's been a busy day!)


Another tip she gave was to add a print-friendly button to the blog. It allows the reader to print only the post without all the additional columns and things on the page. I'm still working on that one because I'm not quite getting the result I want. Hopefully, the support team at http://printfriendly.com will be able to tell me what I'm doing wrong. Then, we'll have the button on this blog.


All in all, it was 1 1/2 hours well spent. You might want to check out the webinars from the archives of Legacy Family Tree yourself. There are several excellent session free for the listening!

DuPage County Conference

There were several attendees from EGS at the DCGS's conference yesterday. It was a fun-filled day.
I've posted some comments and pictures here: http://mygenealogypondering.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-day-at-dcgs-conference.html for anyone interested in knowing what my day was like!

RootsTech - Genealogy Bloggers Come of Age | GeneaBloggers

RootsTech - Genealogy Bloggers Come of Age | GeneaBloggers

If you're interested in what genealogy blogs, twitter and technology means to genealogy, check out this post. Well said, Thomas.

Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog: Memorial Service for Sandra Hargreaves Luebking

Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog: Memorial Service for Sandra Hargreaves Luebking

Services set for Sandra Luebking.

Genealogy Tip of the Day: If One Thing Were Not True

Genealogy Tip of the Day: If One Thing Were Not True

Here's an interesting tip from Michael John Neill. Thought provoking, I think.

ISGS Business

In case you're wondering what goes on prior to a quarterly ISGS board meeting, just click here: http://t.co/CcyH8Bt.

in-memoriam-sandra-hargreaves-luebking.html from fgs.org - StumbleUpon

in-memoriam-sandra-hargreaves-luebking.html from fgs.org - StumbleUpon

We'll all miss Sandra Luebking. RIP.

The Ancestry Insider: RootsTech and the Changing Face of Genealogy

The Ancestry Insider: RootsTech and the Changing Face of Genealogy

Lots of good thoughts from Curt Witcher.

Florence-Lauderdale Public Library

Florence-Lauderdale Public Library : Browse

Lauderdale County Alabama Circuit Court Records: 1843-1850 on-line. These are digitized original records, not an index.

So Cool!!

Interview - Elizabeth Shown Mills | GeneaBloggers

Interview - Elizabeth Shown Mills | GeneaBloggers

I think this interview by Thomas MacEntee brought out some really important points and is entertainingly done. Don't miss the "newspaper" story, it's great!

February 2011 morning meeting

You'll not want to miss the opportunity to hear Scott Gribish talking about "Preserving Your Family Memories." As our families' historians, we often find ourselves the collectors of memories in many forms from artifacts to photos to the oral histories to digital files. It is important that we learn the best ways to maintain these collections for years to come.


Join us next Tuesday, February 1, at 9:30 am at the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin. Our meetings are always open to the public.


Hope to see you there.

Put Your Thinking Caps On!

In an effort to help EGS and the Gail Borden Public Library determine what areas to concentrate on for the purchase of books and materials for the genealogy department, we're asking you to provide us with some information. To make it easy, we're going to go about this is steps.

At the February meetings, morning and evening, paper will be provided for you to write your counties of interest within the State of Illinois. Don't worry about Cook, Will,  DuPage, Kane, McHenry, Lake, or De Kalb as these always keenly watched. We're looking for other counties, farther from us, for which you'd like to have more research material at GBPL.

So take a close look at your files so you can be ready for February!

Can't make the meetings? That's okay. You can always post a comment here to let us know:)

EGS 2011 Executive Board

Becky Higgins, Suzanne Kovak, Judy Van Dusen, Karen Myers, Anna Moy, Larry Pepper

This happy group makes up the new executive board for the Elgin Genealogical Society. We are looking forward to another year of learning, researching, serving the Society, and building friendships.

If you live in the area, stop by. We'd love to meet you! 

For meeting dates, times, and programs, go to our website and click on Events. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilegs/v3/

More than Two Million Northern NY Historical Newspapers Online

The Northern New York Historical Newspapers web site has been available online for six years. The site continues to add new material and recently added its two millionth page. More than 50 newspaper titles are now available online.

The Northern New York Library Network is provided at http://news.nnyln.net/ by the Northern New York Library Network based in Potsdam. There are currently 18 newspapers from St. Lawrence County available on the NNY Historical Newspapers website. from the Eastman Online Genealogical Newsletter, January 17, 2011 issue.

Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog: Announcing the New ISGS Website

Illinois State Genealogical Society Blog: Announcing the New ISGS Website

Ohio Cemetery Records

If you're doing Cleveland, Ohio research, you'll want to check out this site posted via the Genealogy In Times newsletter of January 15, 2011:

US – Cemetery records for Cleveland Ohio have now gone online thanks to the diligent work of the East Cuyahoga County Genealogical Society. About 350,000 records from ten Cleveland cemeteries can be searched by cemetery and last name. Information includes date of internment, age, sex and sometimes name of parent. Access is free. [Cleveland Cemetery Records]

EGS Celebrates 35 Years and Counting!

The Elgin Genealogical Society (EGS) is celebrating its 35^th year as an “official” organization this month. Members at the January morning meeting enjoyed a surprise cake at the treats table in honor of the event.

However, EGS really began in December of 1972 when a very special lady gathered some like-minded friends together to discuss genealogy. Pat Robbins Lose was the guiding example and “fearless leader” of the group until her untimely death in 1981. (Pat Robbins Lose 22 Mar 1937 – 03 Jun 1981)

I’ll share some of the achievements of EGS in future posts, but this time I’ll let you hear from Pat herself.  This is an article written by Pat for the July 1976 Elgin Genealogical Society newsletter (Vol. I, No. 1.)

Our Past and Future

If wanting to know your ancestors is lying dormant within you, it can surface and become an exciting interest.

From Donna Elbert I found there was such a thing as Genealogy. I soon discovered others were wondering about their ancestors, so I invited Donna Elbert, Martha McGinty, Donna Buckler and Dorothy Powers to my home to ‘cultivate our family trees’. This was in December 1972. The following month Elizabeth Weigle, Editor of ‘The Brethren Genealogist’ spoke to us. We met regularly in various homes until March 1974.

Needing more space, we were fortunate to be able to move to spacious Meeting Room A in the Gail Borden Library where we have since held monthly morning and evening meetings.

We realized the need for organization and became the Elgin Genealogical Society in January 1976, our Bicentennial Year.

These past four years we have collected more than ancestors and descendants. Our friendships have multiplied along with the projects, activities and family records. May the future see many more members sharing with us to preserve family heritages.

Pat Lose, President

I can say this, 35 years later EGS still meets twice a month at the Gail Borden Public Library where members and guests gather to learn about the research process and share their personal adventures and accomplishments in the field of genealogy and family history. And as Pat said our friendships continue to multiply.

Family Tree Maker Tutorials

Family Tree Maker by Ancestry.com - The #1 Selling Family Tree Program

If you're in need of some help with Family Tree Maker, check out the tutorials online. They may have your answer:)

Genea-Musings: Tuesday's Tip - find Online Historical Newspapers

Genea-Musings: Tuesday's Tip - find Online Historical Newspapers

We all know how important newspapers are to our family history. Randy Seaver has a list of guides to online historical newspapers.

Check it out!