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

Rousing Meeting Held February 4th

If you missed our February morning meeting yesterday, and not many locals did, you missed out on some great fun and new information! I guess everyone had had enough of being cooped up by bad weather, not to mention anticipating an interesting program "Beyond Ancestry" by Debra Dudek. The mild and clear weather (and Debra) brought out 49 attendees!

Those attending were not disappointed either! Debra demonstrated some excellent, and mostly free, online resources for genealogy research. Along the way, she managed to keep us laughing as well; a much needed activity after what has been a long and arduous winter.

For those few locals who couldn't come and for our out-of-area members, here are a few of Debra's favorites. Check them out for yourselves, if you haven't already. I'm sure you'll be pleased.
Mocavo - this is a genealogy specific search engine, Census Finder - be sure to go down to the state and county levels for some unexpected links, Chronicling America and American Memory.

Great program! Thanks to Debra. Pleasant weather! Thanks mother nature. Great attendance! Thanks to all who came.

~ Becky

Last Night's Cemetery Program

We had a great turnout last night for our October evening meeting but not all of our members were able to attend. For those not in attendance, all I can say is "you missed a good one!"

Gail Hershenzon is a volunteer at the Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan. Gail has spent years creating and maintaining the website http://woodmerecemeteryresearch.com/ which contains searchable records from Woodmere. She presented the program, "Dos and Don'ts of Cemetery Research."

The program was informative and entertaining. Rather than simply telling us what we should and shouldn't do when writing, emailing, or visiting cemeteries, Gail shared with us actual letters, emails, and personal experiences dealing with sometimes rude genealogists. Though many of the examples elicited laughter, the moral of the talk came through clearly - "we must be especially nice to make up for the person who may have come before us."

When writing - letter or email:

• be concise (the researcher doesn't need to know everything about your ancestors or your research)
• use proper grammar and spelling
• provide as much detail about the individual request as possible (full name, date of birth, date of death)
• ask for no more than five (preferably three) look-ups at a time
• be polite (use please and thank you)
• included a SASE with all letters and use reasonable stationery - the back of a napkin or envelope is not acceptable.

When visiting:

• call ahead to ascertain office hours and the cemetery's procedure for in-person requests
• be cognizant of the fact that cemeteries are businesses and current work must come first for employees
• be especially polite, nice, and patient

Thank you, Gail, for a fun evening and I know we'll all try to take you advice!

~ Becky

April Evening Meeting Wrap-up

Last night I attended the April 2013 evening meeting of the Elgin Genealogical Society (EGS). The program for the evening was a “members sharing” and, unfortunately, not too many people came to join in with the sharing. I’m hoping the reason was more due to the inclement weather than with the type of program. We had torrential rain for a couple of days and many areas were suffering from flooding. I know if my basement were flooded I wouldn’t have been there.

“Sharing” programs are among my very favorite. Over the years I’ve learned as much, if not more, from such evenings as I have from lectures or talks from experts. People who avoid sharing meetings have no idea what they’re missing. Sitting among them at a normal speaker’s program are some of the most knowledgeable genealogists/researchers/family historians – other members of their local society. These “experts” rarely have credentials but have worked on their own families for many years learning their craft by personal study and trial-and-error. Many of them would feel intimidated standing before a crowd to give a talk but happily share in smaller groups.

EGS meets at the Gail Borden Library which is one of the busiest libraries I’ve ever seen. They have multiple programs going on almost all the time. Last night was no exception and, as it turned out, EGS was moved from its normal meeting rooms to a smaller venue upstairs. Due to this change, we didn’t have the tables we are accustomed to and which we had planned to use to divide into smaller groups. However, again hopefully due to the weather, we had fewer in attendance than normal so we adapted and stayed together as one group.

Before the program began I was telling Larry Pepper, a fellow member of our writers’ group, about the writing challenge I’ve put myself under (to write 500 words before I am allowed to do anything else when I go to work in my office) and why I’ve done so. Sara Taylor and the facilitator for the program heard our conversation and asked me to begin the sharing with that subject. Because of that I probably ended up talking too much, not uncommon I’m afraid, but I think everyone attending shared something during the hour. We learned about a couple of websites being used, groused a little about Ancestry Family Trees but in the end most of us admitted using the site for documents and such. We shared stories about some items used in days gone-by like ice boxes, milk wagons, and clothes drying apparatus which brought up the value of time lines and historical placement. We discussed writing “stories” versus putting notes into genealogy software and the pros and cons of both. We heard about the value of keeping a “to-do list” or research log on software like Evernote so that no matter where you are you have access to what you need. All this in a matter of one hour!

Though not exactly the program we had planned, this is what is so great about this type of platform. You can let the discussion take its course and the attendees direct the flow. I know these programs can be overdone but I’m always happy when I can be part of members sharing.

By the way, this concludes my word count+ for the dayJ.

~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

EGS Awards Scholarship

Chester A. Bowser Scholarship recipient, Madonna Davis Marks, attended the EGS evening meeting on August 16, 2012. Madonna told the attendees about some of her journey researching her own family history and of her goal to contribute to the community after completing her studies in Library Sciences through the University of Illinois Graduate School.

EGS President, Judy VanDusen and Scholarship Chair, Lee Ellsworth, were pleased to award Madonna with a check to further her education.

Judy VanDusen, Madonna Marks, Lee Ellsworth

EGS Writers' Group

Thursday evening our EGS Writers' Group met for our February gathering. Unlike our January date, Thursday's unseasonably warm, dry weather allowed us come out in comfort and safety. Six of our regulars and one newcomer made up our number.

I am continually amazed at the talent displayed by this group. The sound of the timer marking the end of a reading is most often met with, "Ooh, no!" because we want to hear more. But, we know we have to give everyone their fair share of time.

Anna Moy and I joined the Family History Writing Challenge for February issued by The Armchair Genealogist Lynn Palermo. We are each committed to writing 250 words a day during each of the 29 days in February. We shared how it been going for us and what the process has been teaching us. There is still time to get involved if you're interested. You may be a few days behind but are welcome to pick up wherever you can begin. Just go to the link above to check it out.

For those interested in joining the EGS Writers' Group, below is our schedule for 2012:
EGS Writers’ Group Meetings at Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove, Elgin, IL

                                                   6:30PM - 8:00 PM

Date: Mar 08, 2012 Location: Meeting Room 2

Date: Apr 12, 2012 Location: Meeting Room 2

Date: May 10, 2012 Location: Conference Room

Date: Jun 14, 2012 Location: Conference Room

Date: Jul 12, 2012 Location: Conference Room

Date: Aug 09, 2012 Location: Conference Room

Date: Sep 13, 2012 Location: Conference Room

Date: Oct 11, 2012 Location: Conference Room

Date: Nov 08, 2012 Location: Conference Room

Date: Dec 13, 2012 Location: Conference Room

Date: Jan 10, 2013 Location: Conference Room

January 2012 Evening Meeting

More than 25 hearty members and guests attending the January evening meeting last night. Considering the frigid and ever dropping temperature outside, all I can say is I'm truly impressed! I hope each person took something useful away from the sesstion.

The topic was a Computer Interest Group discussion about Family Tree Maker's mapping and timeline features. I facilitated the evening and am happy to report I learned a few new things on the topic as well. The participation of attendees was wonderful and greatly appreciated.

In anticipation of assisting with the indexing of the 1940 census, we also demonstrated how to register as a volunteer indexer for Family Search at https://www.familysearch.org/, as well as, how to be included with the indexing group for the Illinois State Genealogical Society. ISGS is embarking on an initiative to gather support from local Illinois genealogy societies to index the Illinois portion of the 1940 census. Everyone is welcome to join ISGS in this effort. If you have questions or want more information, feel free to contact me, Becky, at bhiggins9@gmail,com.

EGS Writers' Group December

Last night, Dec. 8, was the last meeting for the EGS Writers' Group in 2011. The meeting was well attended and extremely interesting. A special thanks to Nancy for the Christmas cookies!!

As genealogists we're finding our greatest challenge at the moment is to spend more time considering the writing techniques and less making suggestions for further research. :-) We'll be working on that next year.

If you're getting ready to write up your research or your own story for that matter, why not join us in 2012?

2011 EGS Holiday Celebration

EGS members celebrate the end of another year learning
and sharing about genealogy

Yesterday, December 6, EGS members came together for the last time in the year 2011. Some have made great strides in their family research, some have learned new skills to further their work, some have found new friends who share this passion (obsession) of ours. 

The annual business meeting included the election of officers for 2012 - to be discussed in another post - and a remembrance of the five members who passed away this year. We will sorely miss each one. 

Once business was out of the way, refreshments were provided by the 2011 board members. After all, it would be at least another hour and a half before the luncheon and we wouldn't want any one to starve.

Pennies were distributed among all the attendees in preparation for the program, A Penny for Your Thoughts. Based on the year imprinted on our penny, each of us were to share something from our personal or family history. Fortunately, member Ann Brasch had a magnifying strip with her or many of us would have been making up our own dates! We heard some great stories and some very interesting historical notes. 

Then, it was off to Villa Olivia in Bartlett, Illinois for our Holiday Luncheon. The setting and room were lovely, the food was delicious and the service excellent; but mostly the companionship and conversation made the day. The door prizes were simply icing on the cake. Okay, we didn't have cake, we had ice cream but you get the idea!

We're looking forward to great things in 2012. Here's hoping you can join us in our efforts in the coming year.

October Morning Meeting 2011

A happy group of 42 members and guests were treated to a great program, Holy Cow! Where are My Chicago Catholics Now? presented by Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, CG yesterday morning.

Teresa presented a concise, clear, informative talk about finding Catholic ancestors in Chicago. After a brief history of Catholic Churches in the City and the various records created by the church, she provided excellent suggestions on how to find the person's address or Ward which is essential to locating the church where the records sought would most likely have been created. Also mentioned was where those records may be found today.

She discussed the dreaded 1909 street numbering change and where and how to identify those changes in reference to your ancestor.

Teresa, also, shared two case studies to show how the methodology was used and the stunning results.

Teresa suggests the following "book is a must-have for researching Chicago Catholics" -  Jack Bochar, Locations of Chicago Roman Catholic Churches, 1850-1990. Second edition. Sugar Grove, Illinois: The Czech & Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois, 1997. Gail Borden Public Library has this book in its collection.

Thanks Teresa for an interesting and enlightening program.

EGS Writers' Group Meeting

On September 1, 2011 a group of EGS members interested in moving from the research to the writing phase of Family History met for their 2nd gathering. The first meeting had been held to discuss the purpose and details of this Special Interest Group (SIG) had been held on the evening of August 18th. At that meeting two main thought were determined. A prevailing idea among everyone was the need for motivation and that meeting in a group such as this might provide that stimulus. A secondary idea in the group was the desire to use proper source citations for their writings.

The SIG will be held monthly on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 6:30-8:00 pm at the Gail Borden Public Library. For details such as room location, contact Larry Pepper at llpepper@sbcglobal.net.

The September meeting was a great success. Each of the eight attendees shared as much of his/her recent work as the "timer" would allow, leaving time for discussion, questions, suggestions. What a thrill to see the excitement of all for having finally set something to pen and paper or keyboard to file! As hoped, the deadline provided a much needed "kick in the pants" (soon to be known as KP) for all.

The next meeting is set for October 13, 2011 at GBPL in Community Room B at 6:30. All EGS members are welcome to join us. If we get too large, we'll split off. :-)

June Evening Meeting Review

Joyce Nigbor provided us with a very informative and fun program last evening. Her talk was really a case study involving finding four sisters who emmigrated (not together) from Norway to Minnesota in the 1800s and finding living relatives, if possible.

About a year ago, Joyce finally agreed to take on this project at the pleadings of the family still in Norway. She shared with us the little bit of information the family shared to get her started and how she proceeded from there. With the use of the internet and some old-fashioned legwork, Joyce fulfilled this family's request.

They now know what became of the sisters and have been in contact with "new" relatives in the States. In fact, one of those relatives is our new EGS member, Violet Danks, who is planning a trip this summer to Minnesota to meet some of the Stateside kin new to her.

Our thanks to Joyce for showing us her methodology in tracking down these women and for sharing her enthusiasm for the hunt. Thanks also to Violet for sharing how much the results of Joyce's work has meant to her.

EGS Annual Meeting & Holiday Lunch 2010

Our 2010 annual meeting was well attending by local members. We missed our president who was unable to attend because he was needed in Champaign on family business. Our vice-president, Judy Van Dusen, did a great job of filling in and the meeting progressed along nicely.

Suzanne Kovak, Judy Van Dusen,
Treasurer - Tom Cheetham

VP - Judy Van Dusen, Secretary- Suzanne Kovak

Our new executive board was unanimously voted in to office for 2011:
President: Judy Van Dusen
Vice President: Karen Myers
Am Secretary: Suzanne Kovak
Pm Secretary:  Anna Moy
Treasurer: Becky Higgins

Then it was break time and, being the good genealogists we are, we partook from the treats table even though our holiday luncheon was only and hour or so away. We did try to keep the options smaller this year, however.

After the break, we were reminded that our 2010 resolutions would be discussed at the January morning meeting. There are only a few weeks to made sure they've been met.
Then, some of our members shared special family heirlooms and stories with us. We were delighted by some of the unusual items and all the wonderful tales!

Then, we were off to Rolling Knolls Country Club where we mingled and talked and ate lots of food:

After the luncheon, we played a new game called Remembrance Roulette. We all had a number (on our place cards). If your number came up, you had to share a genealogy/family related story and then you got a prize. Since we all love hearing our fellow members' stories, a great time was had by all.

November Morning Meeting Review

What a great turnout (52 heads) for a well-received presentation by Maureen Brady this morning. She provided helpful information for researching our Scottish heritage. Not only did she tell us where we might find data to help in our search but also let us know what not to expect and why. Knowing when records started and when they might be intermittent may just save many of us time and frustration in the end.

Thanks Maureen for added to our knowledge.

October 2010 Morning Mtg. Recap - DNA

This morning's meeting saw a great turnout to hear Karen Fugate's presentation on DNA. Based on the number and quality of questions during the Q&A, the talk was well received.
After a brief history of the science of DNA and discussion regarding Y-Chromosonme and Mitochondrial testing, Karen shared the results of her brother and cousin's submissions. (She used her brother in order to get the Y-DNA test).
With reports from the testing company she used, Karen pointed out how she learned of various people who may be related to her family and how the number of matching "markers" are significant The more markers matched, the better of chances. She also showed a map which indicated her family's haplogroup migration patterns back 25,000 years.
Most interesting to me was the negative result for the origin of this family. As in traditional genealogy, negative results can be as telling as positive. In the case of Karen's DNA testing, the results indicated that the family originated in Norway, not England as many family historians believed.
DNA testing can be helpful by supporting or disproving traditional paper trails and family lore. It is beneficial as one more item in our genealogy tool chest.

September Morning Meeting Recap

What a great start for the fall season!! We had 40 members and several guests in attendance.

Our speaker, Teresa Steinkamp McMillin made the trip to the meeting all worthwhile with her presentation So You’ve Found Your German Town of Origin…Now What?? Teresa gave us hints for finding your German town on a map (may not be as easy as it soundsJ), encouragement and resources for deciphering the German script/writing we may encounter, instructions about the types of records that may be available, and help regarding how to access these records. Her talk was nicely organized and simple to follow. 

For more information about Teresa and the services she provides check out here website at www.lindstreet.com. 

August Morning Meeting Review

We had a wonderful turnout this morning for an extremely interesting talk. Jerry Allen presented "Researching Civil War Ancestors" but provided so much more.
Jerry grew up on a farm in LaCrosse County, Wisconsin. At the University of Wisconsin (UOW) - LaCrosse - he received a BS in Mathematics and Physics and at UOW - Milwaukee -  he received a MS in Mathematics. He currently works in downtown Chicago as a pension consultant.
Although not a professional historian, Jerry has had a life-long interest in history with a special interest in the Civil War and American Indian Conflicts. This morning he focused on his great-grandfather, Captain John K. Allen of the 78th Illinois Infantry Regiment. His research led him to visit the National Archives, the Chickamauga National Military Park, other historic sites, along with various internet sites dealing with Civil War history, military records and genealogy.

Jerry Allen as Captain John K. Allen of Co. H, 78th Reg. Illinois Infantry

Jerry not only instructed us with informative information but also entertained us with wonderful stories. He also came in full Union Army uniform, even though the heat of the day caused him to remove his jacket to proceed with his talk.

Wonderful July Evening Meeting

I hope everyone enjoyed last night’s meeting as much as I did!!

First, we were pleased to present a $1,000 scholarship check to this year’s recipient, William Holderfield. William is currently working towards his doctorate in Public History at Loyola University. He shared some of the surnames from his personal genealogical search and also his goals for the future. We wish him the best and are pleased we can be of some small help.

Pictured: William Holderfield and President Larry Pepper

Then, we heard from our speaker, Tim Pinnick. He gave us such an enthusiastic and educated talk that whether one had coalminer ancestors (Tim would say “yet”) or not, the insights Tim presented carry over to any research project.

He suggested we not overlook the “gold mine” to be found in thesis and other published student papers. If you can find such papers written on you subject, you’ll find most of your research already done for you!

If you are looking for information on coal mining or even a specific coalminer, check out Tim’s website. He has wonderful helps and links to help you in your search. Also, don’t be misled by the URL, Tim has lots of general mining tips and hints for all to use. Look for him at www.blackcoalminerheritage.net.

If you ever get a chance to hear him speak, take advantage of it. He is a joy to the ears and he lightens the heart!!