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.