Society Spotlight: Decatur Genealogical Society

The Decatur Genealogical Society (DGS) is the oldest and one of the largest genealogical societies in Illinois. Membership of 600 includes many persons from out of state. Organized in 1964, DGS is a non-profit, non-sectarian, educational society with the following purposes: to encourage the science of genealogy, to help others gather genealogical information, to preserve and publish material of historical and genealogical nature, all for educational purposes. They operate entirely on membership dues, volunteer labor, publication sales, and private donations.

An individual membership currently is $15/year and offers the following benefits:

• Receive the Central Illinois Genealogical Quarterly.
• Place free queries in the Quarterly.
• Submit material on the Central Illinois area for publication in the Quarterly.
• Receive the bi-monthly newsletter Central Illinois News, which contains information on coming events, new acquisitions, and research tips.
• Full use of the DGS Library during open hours and the ability to check out books (those with an individual membership may check out three books, those with a family membership may check out six books).
• Participate in projects to preserve important records.

General meetings of the Society are held on the fourth Sunday in February, April, June, and September, at the DGS Building, 1255 West South Side Dr. in Decatur. Each November the DGS Annual Meeting is held off-site. In addition, DGS hosts a Genealogy Fair in the spring, and a four-week genealogy class in the fall. These meetings and events are open to the public.

DGS has an extensive reference collection, which is housed at the Decatur Genealogical Society and Library located at 1255 West South Side Drive, Decatur. The library is open Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (except for national holiday). In cases of inclement weather, visitors are advised to call the library at 217-429-0135 to make sure they are open. The library is open to the public, however, they do ask a nominal donation for use by non-members.

The DGS Library has something on every county in Illinois, every state, and even some foreign countries. They have a large collection of miscellaneous books covering subjects such as: Bible, Black History, Church, Colonial/New England, General Reference, How To, Immigration, Land, Mayflower, Military, Who’s Who, etc. There is also an extensive collection of Family Histories. DGS also exchanges periodicals with over 150 other genealogical societies and has a separate room of periodicals. There is a Surname Card File and a Location Card File to help find articles within these periodicals. Some of the library's most popular collections include:

• The original Macon Probate Records 1829-1975
• City Directories for Decatur, Macon County, and other contiguous counties.
• Family Vertical File – ten file cabinets full of miscellaneous tidbits filed by surname.

Additionally, the Stephen Decatur NSDAR Library is housed in the DGS facility. DGS also has an extensive yearbook collection, which not only contains those from schools in Macon County, but in surrounding counties as well. For more information visit the DGS Library page on their website.

The Society has been busy over the years, having published 80 book on Macon County, 95 books on other Illinois counties, and 8 for out of state locations. They also sell 81 Sangamon County, Illinois, publications that were given to them when the local Sangamon County society disbanded. These cover: cemetery; census; land; military; funeral home and many other miscellaneous types of records. Visit their Publications page to see a list of all the publications they have available for sale.

In addition to the books DGS has already published, they are currently working on the Wabash Railroad Employees Hospital Log 1909-1912, updating two Macon County cemetery books, and compiling other counties Honor Roll books.

For additional information about the Decatur Genealogical Society, visit their website, or contact them by email at Decaturgensoc@att.net.

Illinois State University Yearbooks Online

Anyone who has family members that attended Illinois State University (a.k.a. Illinois State Normal University prior to 1964) will be happy to learn that a near-complete collection of yearbooks, published from 1892 to 1994, is available to view online.  The digitization project was completed in 2012 through the support of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI). 

Each yearbook is fully digitized, cover to cover, and available to view for free.  Visit http://library.illinoisstate.edu/unique-collections/archives/yearbooks.php to access the collection.

Illinois State Genealogical Society 2013 Fall Conference Announced

October 25 & 26, 2013, at Timber Creek Inn & Suites in Sandwich, Illinois

May 8, 2013 – Springfield, IL. The Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) announces its 2013 Fall conference to be held on October 25 and 26 in Sandwich, Illinois, at the Timber Creek Inn & Suites and Convention Center.

Using The Way They Were as this year’s theme, a variety of presenters will offer lectures to assist attendees in identifying the “they” in genealogical research. In addition, a focus on “were” will explore the importance of capturing family stories and ancestor anecdotes to round out a family’s history.

Besides attending genealogy focused lectures and social events, conference goers can visit the Sandwich area which offers a variety of venues for historical sightseeing. These include area museums, tours of the Naper Settlement in Naperville, and the world famous Mies van der Rohe glass home, as well as the Farnsworth House, on the banks of the nearby Fox River.

Conference details will be available soon at the ISGS website at http://www.ilgensoc.org. For room reservations, contact the Timber Creek Inn & Suites at (866) 992-7335 or visit http://www.timbercreekinnandsuites.com (mention the ISGS conference to secure the group rate).

Questions about the ISGS 2013 Fall Conference can be emailed to the Conference Chair, Howard Manthei, at isgspublications@ilgensoc.org.

Mark your calendar! We look forward to seeing you in Sandwich this Fall!

May 2013 Webinar – Timelines: Placing Your Heritage in Historical Perspective

Timelines are an invaluable tool for genealogists. Join us on May 14, where Laura Prescott will give us some pointers in her presentation Timelines: Placing Your Heritage in Historical Perspective.

Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2013, 8:00 pm Central

Description: Match historical events to an ancestor's life, or synchronize one ancestor's life events to another's using genealogical software as well as everyday software programs to create a graphic profile and timeline.

Presenter: Laura Prescott

Laura G. Prescott is a researcher, writer, and speaker. She offers a unique mix of history, genealogy, and technology to find answers and ancestors. She graduated Dartmouth College, BA (History). Her specialties include manuscripts and online research. She is a professional genealogist, past president of APG, and a consultant at Fold3.com. More at lauraprescott.com.

Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6182542135328835840

Recording and Handout Available to ISGS Members: For ISGS members who cannot attend the live webinar on May 14, a recording of the webinar, along with the handout, will be made available in the Members Section of the ISGS website at http://ilgensoc.org/members.php. If you're not already a member of ISGS, visit Join ISGS! at http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=8 for more information.

Spread the Word: Forward this email onto your friends and colleagues, post the information to social media sites and/or your blog/website, or print out a few copies of our webinar flyer to hand out at your local society meetings. The flyer can be accessed at http://ilgensoc.org/upload/menu/2013_Webinar_Brochure.pdf.

Make a Contribution: Support the ISGS Webinar program by making a financial contribution, which will help ISGS expand its educational offerings in a virtual manner. To learn why we need your help, or to make a contribution, please visit http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=345.

© 2013, copyright Illinois State Genealogical Society

Society Spotlight: Elgin Genealogical Society

The Elgin Genealogical Society (EGS), in Elgin, Illinois, began in 1973 around the kitchen table of founder Pat Lose. Before long the group outgrew the table and required a much larger room. The meeting rooms at the Gail Borden Public Library (GBPL) in Elgin were the perfect option because not only was its location convenient to most members, the Library had a wonderful collection of research materials.

The group officially organized in 1976 with its stated goals of bringing together persons who are researching family history; informing people of the value of and need for preserving family and local history; providing information, methods, and practices of family research; fostering idea sharing; seeking, preserving and making available material concerning past and present families; and encouraging officials to preserve public records and genealogical collections and make them accessible to interested persons.

EGS members are spread throughout the US with ancestral interests all over the globe. With its various program topics the Society assists in improving its members’ research methods and organization. EGS gives back to the genealogical community by providing Elgin and Kane County data through its website and records provided to GBPL for its website.

Currently, an individual membership is $20/year.  In addition to the numerous educational programs provided EGS, members also receive a quarterly newsletter either by email or postal mail.

EGS meets twice a month at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove, Elgin. The morning meeting convenes on the first Tuesday each month at 9:30 AM and the evening meeting at 7:00 PM. Both meetings are always open to the public.  EGS also has a Writer's’ Group, which meets on the second Thursday of each month from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at the Gail Borden Public Library.

In partnership with the GBPL, our volunteers extract vital records information from Elgin historical newspaper microfilms, which is then input into the Local Newspaper Index database held on the library’s website.

The EGS website provides many free databases for genealogists such as death records from various funeral homes and the Warner Monument Company, church records from St. John Lutheran and Faith United Methodist, indexes for Elgin divorce and probate records, and much more. The website also provides a surname list and queries viewable by the public but postings are reserved for members only.

Our EGS genealogist will conduct research at the GBPL and the Elgin Area Historical Society Museum for a $10 donation for up to one hour. These donations are used purchase historical and genealogical reference materials for the GBPL genealogy section.

EGS is a sponsored group of the GBPL. GBPL holds an exceptional collection of genealogy materials that EGS contributes to through a 50/50 program. EGS donates 50% towards the purchase of certain materials and GBPL provides the other 50%.

Since the 1990s EGS has provided over $20,000 in scholarships and grants to assist local graduate students studying in the field of library sciences, museum studies or history, and organizations furthering genealogy or local history.

For additional information about EGS, visit their website or contact them by email at ElginGS@aol.com.  You can also follow their blog or find them on Facebook.

Upcoming Webinars - May 2013

Join us on Tuesday, May 14, at 8:00 PM Central, when Laura Prescott will present Timelines: Placing Your Heritage in Historical Perspective. To attend this webinar, register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6182542135328835840.

Last week's webinar, Digging Through Documents Word by Word, presented by Debbie Mieszala, is now available to ISGS members in the Members Section of the ISGS website (http://ilgensoc.org/members.php).

Upcoming Webinars

• May 14 – Timelines: Placing Your Heritage in Historical Perspective
  Presenter: Laura Prescott
  Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6182542135328835840

• June 11 – The Research Calendar: A Resource You Cannot Live Without
  Presenter: Luana Darby
  Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1792803534084357632

• July 9 – Common Surnames: Ways to Identify Your Ancestors in a Crowd
  Presenter: Juliana Smith
  Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5387125736981834496

For the complete list of upcoming webinars, including the entire 2013 schedule, visit http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=234.

And don't forget to spread the word! Forward this email onto your friends and colleagues, post the information to social media sites and/or your blog/website, or print out a few copies of our webinar flyer to hand out at your local society meetings. The flyer can be accessed at http://ilgensoc.org/upload/menu/2013webinarbrochure.pdf.

Support the ISGS Webinar program by making a financial contribution, which will help ISGS expand its educational offerings in a virtual manner. To learn why we need your help, or to make a contribution, please visit http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=345.

Please direct any questions to the ISGS Education Committee at isgseducation@ilgensoc.org.

Announcing the ISGS 2013 Ancestor Photo Contest

One of the most common questions about the ISGS website seems to be: Who are those people in the photos?

The photo above and all the photos you see in the header of the ISGS Website were winners in the 2012 ISGS Ancestor Photo Contest. ISGS is happy to announce the 2013 ISGS Ancestor Photo Contest and asks this question: wouldn't it be great to see our own ancestors' photos up there?

Between April 1 and May 31, 2013, ISGS is asking members to submit photos of their own ancestors for use on the ISGS website. If your photo is selected, it will be displayed on a rotating-basis in the top banner of the ISGS website along with other member-submitted photos. You can view all the pervious years' winners at http://ilgensoc.org/cpage.php?pt=156.

Not only will you be credited with the photo submission, but you'll also be able to provide a brief biography of the person or persons in the photo.

Click here for more information and instructions on submitting your ancestor photos!

NOTE: You must be a member of ISGS to participate in the 2013 ISGS Ancestor Photo Contest.