EGS Celebrates 35 Years and Counting!

The Elgin Genealogical Society (EGS) is celebrating its 35^th year as an “official” organization this month. Members at the January morning meeting enjoyed a surprise cake at the treats table in honor of the event.

However, EGS really began in December of 1972 when a very special lady gathered some like-minded friends together to discuss genealogy. Pat Robbins Lose was the guiding example and “fearless leader” of the group until her untimely death in 1981. (Pat Robbins Lose 22 Mar 1937 – 03 Jun 1981)

I’ll share some of the achievements of EGS in future posts, but this time I’ll let you hear from Pat herself.  This is an article written by Pat for the July 1976 Elgin Genealogical Society newsletter (Vol. I, No. 1.)

Our Past and Future

If wanting to know your ancestors is lying dormant within you, it can surface and become an exciting interest.

From Donna Elbert I found there was such a thing as Genealogy. I soon discovered others were wondering about their ancestors, so I invited Donna Elbert, Martha McGinty, Donna Buckler and Dorothy Powers to my home to ‘cultivate our family trees’. This was in December 1972. The following month Elizabeth Weigle, Editor of ‘The Brethren Genealogist’ spoke to us. We met regularly in various homes until March 1974.

Needing more space, we were fortunate to be able to move to spacious Meeting Room A in the Gail Borden Library where we have since held monthly morning and evening meetings.

We realized the need for organization and became the Elgin Genealogical Society in January 1976, our Bicentennial Year.

These past four years we have collected more than ancestors and descendants. Our friendships have multiplied along with the projects, activities and family records. May the future see many more members sharing with us to preserve family heritages.

Pat Lose, President

I can say this, 35 years later EGS still meets twice a month at the Gail Borden Public Library where members and guests gather to learn about the research process and share their personal adventures and accomplishments in the field of genealogy and family history. And as Pat said our friendships continue to multiply.