Are You Missing Most of the Available Genealogy Information? | Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter

Dick Eastman has a very interesting and important article in his newsletter this morning. It is an admonition of great importance to genealogy researchers at all levels. Be sure to check this out!



Are You Missing Most of the Available Genealogy Information? | Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter:



'via Blog this'



~ Becky

EGS July Evening Meeting

Our "Fire Up Your Genealogy" workshop series is at the half way point! So far we've looked at 

• how to get started. 
• the importance of vital records; what they are, where and how to find them.
• how to identify and cite source materials.
• census records and the important information they reveal.
• various ways to organize your work.
• why libraries are so vital to our research and how to use them; even now on-line research provides only a fraction of needed sources.

Thursday night Ginger Frere, of the Newberry Library and her genealogy company, Information Diggers, will present Winding Your Way Through the Web: Popular Sites for Genealogists. "The internet can be an overwhelming place for beginning genealogists. Which websites are reliable? Which will help you discover when great-grandpa was born or how he came to the United States? This session will introduce novice genealogists to several websites that will launch their cyberspace searches in the right direction."

Novice or not, I"m sure this presentation will provide added value to your time spent researching on the internet. Be sure to join us Thursday, July 17 at 7:00 pm at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove, Elgin, IL.

Our meetings are always open to the public and we'd love to see you there!

~ Becky

EGS Morning Meeting July 1: Mapping the Past

If you've checked the website for program information about tomorrow's meeting, the information is incorrect. Our speaker will be Daniel Hubbard and his topic is Mapping the Past: Navigating Your Famiy History with Maps.

Sorry about the confusion. I've been trying to change the website but for some reason it hasn't worked.

Hoping to see everyone in the morning as I know this will be a very informative program.

~ Becky

EGS Streamed Thomas MacEntee Live!

Forty-three EGS members and guests attended our June morning meeting and were treated to our first ever

Thomas MacEntee

live-streaming webinar featuring Thomas MacEntee. Thomas is always a welcome speaker but distance and timing can make it difficult to schedule a program. However, through the magic of the internet, EGS enjoyed an excellent presentation.

Thomas, being an old-hand at producing webinars, assisted us through some techy issues. Of course, setting up the PC, projector, and speakers are familiar tasks for our “IT” members. We were quickly linked up with Thomas and the very interesting talk began. Our only lingering problem is getting the PC’s microphone to work. Something we’ll be working on for next time.

Thomas presented “10 Ways to Jumpstart Your Genealogy” to 86 eager ears. Most of us have felt as though we’re tramping through the mire from time to time. We’re stuck on a particular ancestor or just feel overwhelmed. Thomas suggested 10 ways to overcome and get back on track. My favorite was “Goal Setting.” Too often I find myself jumping from one thing to another because I haven’t set a goal on which to focus my attention.

If you get a chance to hear this presentation, I recommend it highly!

Now that EGS has gotten our first such Live Online program under our belt, I’m sure it won’t be our last. It’s a great way to provide meaningful education from well-known speakers without the expense of travel. We’ll be thinking about the possibilities!

~ Becky Higgins

Online Research Suggestions

Caroline Pointer of Family Stories posted this on Twitter. Great Suggestions!

Caroline Pointer ‏@FamilyStories 

So, you think you've looked everywhere. Really? Have you tried all of these? http://bit.ly/1hrtvQg  #genealogy #familytree

Just click the link and you'll find research links you may never have considered.

Good Hunting!

~ Becky

No Fooling, EGS Meets April 1!

Join in the fun on April Fools Day by attending the EGS morning meeting on April 1, 2014 at 9:30 am at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N Grove, Elgin, Illinois.

After a brief business meeting, there will be treats and lively conversation. Then, we'll settle in to hear Jane Halderman present "From Land Records to Google Earth: Mapping Your Family's Place." Jane is the owner of “It’s Relative” and President of the Illinois State Genealogy Society.  Her lectures focus on technology as applied to genealogical research.  Using Google Earth, she will explain how to use legal land descriptions to locate where our ancestors lived.

So much to learn, so little time! Use your April 1st time wisely and add to your genealogy and technology knowledge.

Hope to see you there!

~ Becky

Illinois Digital Newspapers

From the Illinois Genealogical Society March 2014 Newsletter:

Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections
The University of Illinois has introduced the Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections, a free online archive of digitized newspapers and trade journals. The Collections are available at http://idnc.library.illinois.edu.

The Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections site contains more than 900,000 pages of digitized historic newspapers and trade journals. These items are organized in four distinct collections. Using Veridian Digital Library software, the IDNC offers a modern and user-friendly way to access unique research tools and engage with the past.

The site includes interactive features allowing users to tag articles, correct OCR text, and share on social media. We welcome help with correcting headlines and article text. Email idnc@library.illinois.edu with questions, and follow us on Twitter @IDNCNews.

~ Becky

Historic Pathways - Elizabeth Shown Mills - Articles

Check out sample genealogical reports from the best at:



Historic Pathways - Elizabeth Shown Mills - Articles:



'via Blog this'



~Becky

Firing Up Your Genealogy Part 3

I know we've had some horrible weather this winter but according to the forecast Thursday should be dry and warm, comparatively speaking. Come on out to Part 3 of our Firing Up Your Genealogy workshops and bring your friends.

Seriously, do you have a friend who has asked you about starting their genealogy? Has someone shown an interest but doesn't know where to start? Bring them along. Our EGS members will be happy to "catch them up" on the past 2 sessions, give them some advice about where and how to start, and get them ready to hear our featured speaker for the evening.

Ginger Frere of the Newberry Library and her genealogy business, Information diggers, will be presenting "Turning Fiction to Fact: Using, Identifying and Citing Sources." Ginger is well-known to us at EGS and we're looking forward to hearing what she has to share about this important issue in genealogy research. Learning the importance of citing sources early in one's research can save countless hours later on.

The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N Grove, Elgin, IL. The presentation will follow a short business meeting and a quick break for treats.

Hope to see you there

~ Becky

Thinking of Going to NGS Conference This Year?

Don't miss out on the Early Bird Registration!

Have you registered for the NGS Family History Conference in Richmond? The deadline for the early bird discount and ordering a print syllabus is 24 March 2014. After that date, the NGS member price will increase from $195 to $230 for all four days, the non-NGS member price will increase from $230 to $265, and only the flash drive syllabus will be available. You really don’t want to miss this year’s exciting conference program from 7–10 May at the Greater Richmond Convention Center and Richmond Marriott. For conference information and to register, go tohttp://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/attend/.

Breakfast, Luncheons, and the NGS Banquet

Participating organizations sponsor several luncheons during the conference, and the NGS Banquet is an event not to be missed!  Registration for all meals and social events closes on 24 April 2014. Tickets for social events will not be sold on-site. Make your reservations now at http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/attend/. The NGS First-Timers Breakfast is $24; luncheons are $32; and the banquet is $51. Menus are in the registration brochure at http://goo.gl/MUoVEp.

Society Night

On Wednesday evening 7 May 2014, many Virginia genealogical and historical societies will be available in the Richmond Marriott from 5:15 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. to answer questions about local repositories and resources, discuss their group’s activities, and sell their publications.

Richmond Area Tours

There’s still time to sign up for several exciting tours through Richmond Discoveries on Monday, 5 May, and Tuesday, 6 May 2014, prior to the NGS Family History Conference. For more information, please see http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/program/local-tours/. Registration for the tours closes on 1 April 2014.

Add Items to an Existing Registration

To add meals to your current registration, log on at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org, click on My Account, select My Events, and then click to Add Sessions. To add pre-conference events, click on My Account and then select Upcoming Events.

We hope to see you in Richmond in May. Frommer’s recently placed Richmond on its list of Top Destinations for 2014, and the city is just one of three US destinations listed.

This email was sent to me but I thought I'd pass it on in case any of our members and/or friends are planning on attending this year.

~ Becky

EGS March Morning Meeting

The Elgin Genealogical Society will meet Tuesday, March 4^th at 9:30 AM in the first floor meeting room of the Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, Illinois.  After a short business meeting, the speaker will be Jennifer Holik, who will present  “Stories of the Lost.”   Her program will be a continuation of “Finishing the Story”, exploring the records available to tell the stories of those who died in service.  Ms. Holik will discuss the reasons it took so long to have our soldiers repatriated and what happened to the personal effects during the course of  recovery and repatriation.   Jennifer Holik is a professional genealogist, historical researcher, lecturer, and author.  She has over 20 years of research, writing experience and specializes in Chicago genealogy and youth education.   The public is invited to attend all Elgin Genealogical meetings.  For more about the Elgin Genealogical Society, visit our website, www.elginroots.com.

Rousing Meeting Held February 4th

If you missed our February morning meeting yesterday, and not many locals did, you missed out on some great fun and new information! I guess everyone had had enough of being cooped up by bad weather, not to mention anticipating an interesting program "Beyond Ancestry" by Debra Dudek. The mild and clear weather (and Debra) brought out 49 attendees!

Those attending were not disappointed either! Debra demonstrated some excellent, and mostly free, online resources for genealogy research. Along the way, she managed to keep us laughing as well; a much needed activity after what has been a long and arduous winter.

For those few locals who couldn't come and for our out-of-area members, here are a few of Debra's favorites. Check them out for yourselves, if you haven't already. I'm sure you'll be pleased.
Mocavo - this is a genealogy specific search engine, Census Finder - be sure to go down to the state and county levels for some unexpected links, Chronicling America and American Memory.

Great program! Thanks to Debra. Pleasant weather! Thanks mother nature. Great attendance! Thanks to all who came.

~ Becky

Educational Opportunities from NGS

If you're interested in increasing your knowledge of the how-to of genealogy, you might want to consider this new course for NGS or one of the other options available. I  did the American Genealogy - A Basic Course back in 2003 and found it invaluable.

News Release from National Genealogical Society:

NGS proudly announces the release of its newest American Genealogical Studies course, Guide to Documentation and Source Citation. This course joins The Basics in the series of online courses developed by NGS to help those interested infinding their family.

In this three-module self-paced course, Michael Grant Hait Jr., cg^SM, helps genealogists with one of the most confusing areas of genealogy research, “how do I cite my family information?” Knowing where we located our family information and keeping accurate notes, or citations, is the backbone of reliable genealogy. The course modules consist of lessons, examples, citations, and graded quizzes and cover topics on “Introduction to Documentation,” “Basic Citation Principles,” and “Applying Citation Principles.”

This NGS American Genealogical Studies course, Guide to Documentation and Source Citation, is available for $30.00 for members and $45.00 for non-members. For further information, to view the syllabus, or to purchase the course, visit the NGS website at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/guide_documentation_sourcecitation.

Guide to Documentation and Source Citation joins The Basics in the NGS’s online cloud-based learning management system. To take advantage of this system, you will need either a computer or tablet with an Internet connection.

NGS also offers several courses available in downloadable PDF files compatible for a PC or MAC. The courses are designed for both the beginner and the established genealogist to help busy individuals learn about a specific topic and to put the ensuing knowledge to work quickly. These courses include:

·         Using Federal Population Census Schedules in Genealogical Research

·         Introduction to Civil War Research

·         Genetic Genealogy, The Basics

·         Introduction to Religious Records

·         Working with Deeds

~ Becky Higgins

February 2014 Morning Meeting

Tired of Sitting at home wishing this horrid weather would go away? Well, take the plunge and make your way to the EGS meeting this February 4th at 9:30 am at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove, Elgin, IL.

This promises to be a wonderfully helpful and informative program. Debra Dudek will present "Beyond Ancestry". Have you researched on Ancestry? Maybe even followed those little shaking leaves? Ever wonder if there might be more and different information to be found elsewhere? Now is your chance to learn about some free and budget friendly online resources for your research.

Debra is Head of Adult and Teen Services at the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook.  She has a Master of Sciences degree in Information and Library Studies from the University of Stratheclyde, Glasgow, UK.

She's sure direct you to some sites to fill many research hours the next time you're snowed in! 

EGS Jan. 7 Meeting Is On

Hi All,

Just a little note to say tomorrows morning meeting is still scheduled. We know the weather may be a factor for some and ask that you use your best judgement regarding your attendance. Safety first! However we have confirmed with our speaker and plan to go ahead with the program.

You may want to check with the library in the morning to be sure it is open because, of couse, if it closes we can't hold the meeting. However, I checked the morning which is suppose to be the coldest of the two days and the library is open today.

I don't know about you, but I've had about enough of the winter already!!

Becky