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