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As you can see we are in need of a member who has the time to keep the blog active. Until we find such a person, please follow us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elgin-IL-Genealogical-Society/202553643108518

Thank you for your interest in our group.

Our meeting schedule for the rest of the year: (All meetings are held at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove, Elgin IL)
Tuesday meetings begin at 9:30 am
Thursday meetings begin at 7:00 pm

February 3       Steve Szabados          Researching Your Chicago Ancestor
February 19     Larry Olson                Riding the (Genealogical) Rails in Chicago

March 3           Cheryl Winter            Preserving Your Family Memories (Scrapbooking)
March 19         Thomas MacEntee     Webinar: Evernote for Genealogy

April 7             Mike Karsen               Preserving Your Ancestors' Legacy: Writing Their Story
April 16           Sandra Trapp              Family Search

May 5              Debra Dudek              Victorian Mourning Customs
May 21            Sandra Trapp              Using Family Trees

June 2              Bob Allen                   Using Secret Society Information for Genealogy
June 18            Debra Mieszala           Clues from the Midwest

July 7               EGS Writers' Group   Telling our Stories
July 16             Daniel Hubbard          Researching at the Appomattox Court House

August 4          Tina Beaird                 Courthouse Finds
August 20        Caron Primas Brennan   Using Fold3

September 1     Daniel Hubbard          When a Life Becomes Myth: History, Myth, and Family
September 17   Debra Dudek               Internet Archive

October 6         Teresa McMillan         German Farm Names
October 15       Bob Allen                    Using Find-A-Grave

November 3     ISGS Panel                  Sharing What We Learned at the ISGS Conference
November 19   Member Participation  Recapping this Year's Research

December 1     Annual Meeting
December 17   No Meeting

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