Tracing the life of a deceased military soldier can be challenging.  Through three World War I and World War II case studies, learn about records and resources available to help you write the stories of your Soldier Dead.

 

Jennifer Holik is a genealogical research professional, lecturer, author and the owner of Generations .  She lectures in the Chicagoland area on ways to use technology with genealogy, kids genealogy, house histories and finishing the stories of your military ancestors.  One of Jennifer’s passions is bringing the love of genealogy and family history to the next generation by teaching genealogy to parents, children and genealogical societies.

The North Suburban Genealogy Society invites the public to attend its Saturday, June 8, 2013 meeting at the Northbrook History Museum (1776 Walters Avenue, Northbrook, IL).

 

The meeting will feature Nancy Thomas, presenting the topic “Breaking Down a Brick Wall: A Case Study.  How I Found the Marriage Record of My Irish Great-Great Grandparents”.  Learn how listening to family stories can lead you from known facts to the unknown. Newspapers, census records, church records, online indexes, and maps resulted in the breaking down of a major brick wall. This presentation will show the step-by-step process and analysis used to tackle Irish research successfully..

 

The meeting begins at 1:00 PM and is handicap accessible.  The meeting is free and open to the public.

 

Website:

http://nsgsil.org

e-Mail:

NSGS@nsgsil.org

Finding Federal Land Grant Records

 

Our next meeting, June 13^th, will be a continuation   of our educational series “How Do I Do That?”       You will learn how to find where your ancestors owned land by searching and finding their Federal Land Patent’s.  A Land Patent is the original title issued  for land.  Starting with the American Revolutionary War, United States veterans often received land grants in lieu of other remuneration. 

 

We will show you how to find a copy of the original Land Patent Certificate, and how to find where that precise piece of land was located.  We can even take it a step farther and show you what that land looks like today. 

 

Whether you are brand new to Genealogy, or have been searching your family roots for years, we are sure you will learn something new.  The public is always welcome!

 

Thursday, June 13th at 6:30pm

Peoria Public Library North Branch

3001 W. Grand Parkway, Peoria

Contact Info

E-mail: AskLibrary@wisconsinhistory.org

Phone: 608-264-6519

Fax: 608-264-6520

 

Looking for a Home, the first annual African-American Genealogy Conference co-hosted by the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Madison African-American Genealogy Writing Group, will be held June 21-22, 2013, at the Pyle Center in Madison. Internationally recognized genealogist, Tony Burroughs, will be the featured speaker for the conference. Burroughs taught at Chicago State University, and his book, "Black Roots: A Beginner's Guide to Tracing the African-American Family Tree," was number one on Essence magazine's best seller list.

 

Other speakers will include Walter T. McDonald, co-author of "Finding Freedom: The Untold Story of Joshua Glover, Runaway Slave," and Crystal Moten, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison history department. Moten will talk about "Finding and Telling Their Stories: Black Women's Lives and Experiences in the Historical Record." James Hansen, Wisconsin Historical Society genealogy reference librarian, will discuss "African-American Newspapers and Periodicals," and Lori Bessler, a Wisconsin Historical Society genealogy reference librarian who also teaches genealogy classes, will discuss "Navigating Ancestry and FamilySearch."

 

Conference Schedule

 

FRIDAY

 

11 am–noon — Registration

Noon–1 pm — Lecture and Book signing, "Finding Freedom" (Walter McDonald)

1–1:30 pm — Break

1:30–2:30 pm — Lecture on African-American Newspapers and Periodicals (Jim Hansen)

2:30–3 pm — Break

3–4 pm — Lecture on Ancestry and FamilySearch (Lori Bessler)

 

SATURDAY

 

8–9 am — Registration

9–10 am — Lecture "Black Roots" (Tony Burroughs)

10–11 am — Book Signing (Tony Burroughs) and Break

11 am–noon — Lecture, "Finding and Telling Their Stories" (Crystal Moten)

Noon– 1:30 pm — Lunch on Your Own

1:30–2:30 pm — Lecture, "Nature of Genealogy" (Tony Burroughs)

2:30–3 pm — Break

3–4 pm — Lecture, "Researching Pullman Porters" (Tony Burroughs) 

 

Ticket Info: View or download a brochure and registration form that includes information about fees (PDF 217 KB). Email the library to confirm a registration spot in this conference.

3rd DGS "County" Genealogy Fair

Sunday, June 23, 2013 1-4 p.m. Free admission!

Displays and entries from participants may be "judged" in three categories:

• Myth Busters: How a difficult genealogical problem was proved.

• Most Unique: Most creative/unique presentation of genealogical information.

• Repurposed Gems: Repurposed genealogical items (like making toys from old

quilts or clothing); unique ideas to reuse or share family heirlooms.

Shelby County, Christian County , Illinois State Genealogical Society and DAR will have tables with items for

purchase and information about their organizations, too! Browse and buy DGS publications as well.

If you would like to present or volunteer please call 217-412-4602 or email (Mc7377@aol.com) before May 15, 2013

Terri McGinnis Jordan, Program Chair

2013 Family History Conference and Book Fair

 

Registration: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilgssi/reg_form.html

 

The Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois and John A. Logan College

Saturday, August 10, 2013   

 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.

 

Ray Hancock Conference Center

John A. Logan College

Route 13 & Greenbriar Road, Carterville, IL  

 

Featured Speaker

 

Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D.

 

Certified Genealogist & Certified Genealogical Lecturer

 

 

Thomas W. Jones, Ph.D., CG, CGL, FASG, FUGA, FNGS, has edited the National Genealogical Society Quarterly since 2002. He is a trustee and a past president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, past board member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and recipient of its 2011 Professional Achievement Award and its 2004 Grahame T. Smallwood Jr. Award of Merit.

 

Retired from a thirty-year career in higher education and professor emeritus at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., Tom works full time as a genealogical researcher, writer, editor, and educator. He coordinates courses at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and Samford University's Institute on Genealogy and Historical Research; and he teaches in Boston University's Genealogical Certificate Program. Tom's research has encompassed records of every state east of the Mississippi, as well as Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, England, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Wales. He specializes, however, in Georgia and Virginia and is most interested in solving "brick-wall" genealogical problems. 

 

Tom writes and speaks frequently on genealogical methods with broad application across geographic areas, time periods, and levels of expertise. He is known for meaty lectures benefiting genealogists of all experience levels.

Finding "Unfindable" Ancestors

 

The failure of common research practices to identify ancestors does not mean they are nfindable. This session will describe and demonstrate nine approaches to locating difficult-to-trace ancestors.

 

Going Beyond the Bare Bones: 

Reconstructing Your Ancestors' Lives

 

Learn how to extract information from frequently used genealogical sources to create biographies that bring ancestors to life.

 

How to Avoid Being Duped by the Internet

 

The Internet brings increasingly bountiful amounts of information to genealogists' desktops—some valid, some erroneous, and much of unknown accuracy. Attendees will learn practical strategies for discriminating between correct and misleading information. They also will learn how online genealogical information—even if its accuracy is unknown—can lead to valid conclusions about ancestors.

 

Missing Something? 

Getting the Most out of Genealogical Evidence

 

Attendees will learn five ways to get more information from the genealogical sources they use: paying attention to all of the evidence in the sources; examining each source's context; using an entire series; paying better attention to what is not in the source (using negative evidence); and combining sources to build a case.

“Journey through generations” during the next Federation of Genealogical Societies conference. Join us at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, August 21-24, for a fun-filled, inspiring time as you learn from the experts, research in the nation’s second largest Genealogical library and more. Everyone with an interest in family history is welcome.

Maureen Taylor is our nation’s foremost historical photo detective.  Maureen is the author of a photo blog and several books, including Preserving Your Family Photographs, Fashionable Folks: Bonnets and Hats 1840-1900, Fashionable Folks Hairstyles 1840-1900, Finding the Civil War in Your Family Album, The Last Muster, and Images of the Revolutionary War Generation. She has written a number of magazine articles and is a contributing editor for “Family Tree Magazine.” Maureen has been featured in top media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Hallmark Television, The View, Better Homes & Gardens, the Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, MSNBC, PBS Ancestors, and more.

 

The one-hour interactive lecture topics will be:

 

Identifying and Dating Family Photographs – Learn 10 easy steps for naming those unidentified pictures tucked away in shoeboxes.

 

Preserving Family Photographs – 1839 to the Present – Learn how to care for photographs, from daguerreotypes to digital images.  Topics include printing and sharing digital images and safely labeling grandparents’ photos.

 

Reading Genealogical and Immigrant Clues in 19th Century Photographs – A single photograph can unlock a family mystery. Pictures document births, deaths, marriages and more. Use an image as genealogical proof by understanding the language of family photographs. Learn how to read immigration clues in pictures taken in the United States and aboard.

 

Kodak Moments and Technicolor Dreams: 20th Century Photos and Films in the Family Archive – Learn to identify, preserve and share recent photos and moving images, from black and white snapshots to DVDs.  Learn simple techniques to stop destruction of color photos plus low-cost storage solutions.

 

Individual Consultations:

 

Maureen has graciously consented to provide 15-minute individual consultations for $30 each on Friday afternoon, September 27th. Consultations will be held in the Conference Room at Grace United Methodist Church. Please enter at the main entrance to the church at upper level parking. You will be directed to the conference room.  Attendees must register and pay for individual consultations in advance.  Watch this page this summer for consultation registration instructions.  There will be NO individual consultations on the day of the conference, so please do not bring photographs with you to the conference.

 

Grace United Methodist Church, 300 E. Gartner Road, Naperville, Illinois,

 

conveniently located on Gartner Road just east of Washington Street (north of 75th Street and west of Naper Boulevard). The building will open at 8 a.m. for walk-in registrations with the conference beginning promptly at 9 a.m.

 

Continental breakfast and lunch are included.

 

Genealogy vendors and door prizes are also featured.