Let's Get Started with our New Year 2013

Hi all,

It feels like forever since I've touched base with you and it has been way too long!! But, now the holidays are over and it's time to get back to work on our genealogy and Society business.

Our meetings on January 17 and February 5 will be Q&A sessions focusing on "Using Your Computer." We'll have our own computer gurus on-hand, Bill and Bob Brandes - or as I call them "The Brandes Brothers." It would be helpful to them and me to have some questions before the meetings so, please, feel free to send them to me at bhiggins9@gmail.com and we'll do our best to have answers for you.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again. Let's roll up our sleeves and get down to business:)

~ Becky Higgins

EGS November Evening Meeting

Join us for the EGS evening meeting this Thursday, November 15 at 7:00 pm at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove, Elgin, Illinois. Our problem -oops, I meant program:-) -  topic will be Using Google Docs (now Google Drive) for storage and collaboration.

Hope to see you there!

~Becky~

PS: take a look at the 2012 Genealogical Challenge to how you've done so far this year. There's still time to make progress before the end of the year!!

EGS Meeting Tuesday, November 6

Our morning meeting on November 6 will be held upstairs at the GBPL because it is election day and voting will be taking place downstairs.

On that note, be sure to vote and then join us at 9:30 as our speaker, Teresa McMilland, presents effective ways to us city directories. What a nice reminder about an often underused resource and I'm sure we'll learn some interesting.

Hoping to see you there!

~ Becky ~ 

Sharing the Excitement of a Find!!

For those unable to attend the meeting last Thursday evening, I'm sorry to say you missed a great one. Our  Chester Bowser Scholarship recipient, Jesse Nasta, received his check from our Scholarship chair, Lea Ellsworth and our president, Judy VanDusen.

Judy VanDusen, Jesse Nasta, Lea Ellsworth

Jesse is a very personable young man and has promised to keep in touch as he works on completing his graduate work and his project of finding and recording African Americans in the court records in southern Illinois and the St. Louis area.

After the presentation and, of course, wonderful treats, the program consisted of attendees sharing their "most exciting genealogy find." What a thrill to hear so many fascinating stories from "ordinary" genealogists! Jesse got caught up in the process and volunteered to share his greatest personal family history find. Programs like this truly highlight the great work done by those who research their families. It is nice to hear talks by professionals but my favorite meetings have always been those shared snippets from with our local group.

If you've never attended a sharing meeting, give it a try sometime. You'll be surprised what you can learn from the person sitting next to you!!

~ Becky

EGS Writers' Group

What an interesting evening we had last night. We have some wonderful writers working on diverse and fascinating projects. I feel privileged to be part of such a supportive and talented group.

Are you planning to write about your family's history? your own memoir? Are you in the midst of a project but seem stuck in neutral? Knowing once a month you'll be accountable for sharing something you've written just may be the jump start you need.

The Writers' Interest Group meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove in Elgin, IL from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. The room sometimes changes but is usually the conference room on the second floor.

Why not stop by and give it a try?

 ~ Becky Higgins

Illinois State Genealogy Society Volunteering Opportunities

If you looking for volunteer opportunities, there are some interesting ones below. Not only can you help out the genealogy community but you'll meet some wonderful people along the way. You'll be joining a vibrant group of passionate family historians.

ISGS Volunteer Alert Dear Members and Friends of ISGS, As we approach 2013, ISGS’s open positions list has grown due to various life changes we all experience, including a death in our “family,” and the creation of new positions.  ISGS fully supports its board members serving in capacities that interest them, which can necessitate moves to new committees, leaving vacancies. Please consider helping ISGS achieve its mission to preserve and disseminate Illinois historical and genealogical materials, and to educate and aid those researching their ancestry. ISGS 2012 Fall Conference Volunteers: The ISGS Fall Conference will be held October 19th & 20th at the Clock Tower Inn and Conference Center, Rockford, IL. Volunteers will help with monitoring sessions, the Youth Workshop, and other essential tasks. Save these dates, and please let us know if you can lend a hand and be a part of our great conference team! Contact Tammy Spearie,isgsvolunteers2012@gmail.com. Church Records Committee Chair: The Church Records project identifies Illinois church repositories by denomination and assembles files containing church history and record access information.  Contact Susie Pope, isgs2ndvp@ilgensoc.org. Newsletter Editor: The Editor of the ISGS Newsletter receives articles and information for publication via email, and produces a newsletter six times a year (bimonthly). Experience with page layout design and writing/editing is desirable. Contact Susie Pope, isgs2ndvp@ilgensoc.org. ISGS Quarterly Design and Technical Editor: The Design and Technical Editor works with the Quarterly Editor to produce a polished publication. A working knowledge of design and layout principles and the use of Adobe InDesign is desirable. Contact Judy Milde, Editor, isgsquarterly@ilgensoc.org. Membership Promotion Committee Chair:  This committee promotes membership with renewal notices and other communications and maintains the membership list. Contact Janice Fritsch, isgspresident@ilgensoc.org. Youth Creative Contest Coordinator: The Education Committee would like to implement an annual youth creative contest in 2013. The contest will have three categories (writing, artwork, and photography) and three age group divisions. The Coordinator will fill in the details, and help to implement it. Contact Julie Tarr, isgseducation@ilgensoc.org. Writers: Part of the ISGS mission is to educate its members and the public. The Education Committee needs volunteers interested in sharing their knowledge by writing educational articles and guides. We have a lot of ideas on the table, but we need your help to make them a reality. Contact Julie Tarr,isgseducation@ilgensoc.org. Website Committee Chair:  (This is not a webmaster position)  This position monitors the ISGS website for errors, ease of use, etc. and notifies the Webmaster of any needs.  Contact Susie Pope, isgs2ndvp@ilgensoc.org. Website Indexing Committee: Indexing projects are based on member submissions, ISGS holdings or other resources. Volunteers will scan images, and upload images and/or data to be indexed. Let us know if you would like to be involved! Contact Susie Pope, isgs2ndvp@ilgensoc.org. Honors & Awards Committee Chair:  The chair solicites nominations from individuals and societies for each of the ISGS annual awards.  The nominations are discussed in committee and finalists are presented with awards in the fall.  Contact Susie Pope, isgs2ndvp@ilgensoc.org. Illinois Society Liaison Chair:  The chair communicates with associate societies, and coordinates the annual Roundtable Events which are hosted by local societies.  Contact Janice Fritsch, isgspresident@ilgensoc.org. Long-Range Planning Committee Chair:  This committee considers plans for the improvement of the Society. They solicit suggestions from the membership, make regular reports to the Board, and present projects for action.  Contact Janice Fritsch,isgspresident@ilgensoc.org.

A Date Guide to English Genealogy (Part 1)

A Date Guide to English Genealogy (Part 1):
'via Blog this'

Looking for help research English ancestors? Maybe this guide can help.

~ Becky