New Book: "Going Home: a Guide to Polish American Family History Research

This comprehensive reference book covers all facets of research that you will need to successfully trace your Polish-American family history.

Its author is Jonathan D. Shea, A.G., Reference Archivist for the Polish Genealogical Society of Connecticut and the Northeast, whose other books are owned by the Glenview Public library. This book is brand new, and updates the classic by Rosemary Chorzempa, Polish Roots, which was published in 1993.

Going Home begins with an introduction to the Polish language, including letter sounds and correct pronunciation.

Chapter 2 provides a capsule history of Poland and worldwide Polonia. It discusses emigration and settlement patterns to different countries , and ethno-cultural groups in Poland.

Chapter 3 details the sources on this side of the ocean, how to use them, and where to obtain them. Examples include local and state sources, vital records, church sacramental records, city directories, yearbooks, newspaper sources, probate and other court records, school records, fraternal organization records, records of organizations of incarceration such as hospital and police, town reports, voting records, state census records, etc..

Chapter 4 covers federal U.S. records such as census, passenger arrivals, alien registration files, passport records, military records, social security applications, consular records, etc..

Chapter 5 discusses geographical resources such as gazetteers, information about former territorial designations, church directories, etc..

Chapter 6 discusses vital records in Poland, historical background about them, the languages in which they are found, how to access them, letter-writing guides, etc.

Chapter 7 tells about additional Polish and european sources such as sacramental registers, revision lists, estate inventories, parish censuses, Nazi concentration camp records, notary and court records, nobility documents, uniquely Jewish records, archives, etc..

Chapter 8 discusses Polish names in Europe and America, including patronymic and matronymics, topographical and geographical surnames, suffixes, alterations, etc..

Appendices include lists of polish parishes in the U.S., internet links, contact addresses for archives. and an extensive bibliography.

There are pictures, reproductions, and illustrations on nearly every page.

Find Going Home on the shelf at 929.3438 SHE. There is a second copy in the Reference Room.

Ulster Ancestry

The Ulster Ancestry website is devoted to genealogy, ancestry and family history research in Northern Ireland

It contains links to many high-quality free genealogy pages, including Griffith's Primary Valuation of Ireland 1848-1864 and the Townlands of Ulster Database.

You can also sign up for a free email newsletter, and take advantage of the informative forum and message boards.

Professional genealogists are also available to provide ancestral research services for a fee.

If you are researching Northern Irish ancestry, you may enjoy the Ulster Ancestors website!

Do You Have St. Louis Ancestors?

Recently the Missouri History Museum launched the Genealogy and Local History Index, which includes references to hundreds of thousands of St. Louis ancestors.

In this index, you can search by personal name, business/corporate name, or street address. (The latter search option is designed primarily for those researching the history of their home and its former residents.) You can also sign up for their email list to receive monthly announcements of new sources that are added to the index.

Among the more than 225 sources in the Genealogy and Local History Index are the following: more than 5,000 Civil War-era loyalty oaths signed by St. Louisans; many high school and other school yearbooks from the first half of the 20th century; local Who's Who publications; company employee magazines; a few mid-19th-century, nonfederal St. Louis-area censuses; questionnaires filled out by World War I servicemen; records and publications relating to Civil War veterans; and much more.

Please note that the Genealogy and Local History Index is an INDEX to selected books, publications, documents, and photographs in the holdings of the Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center. You cannot view a digital image of the actual source online. If you find references in the index that interest you, you can request a photocopy online. (Copies will be mailed in 1-2 business days.)

Please also visit the new Family History--Get Started page to learn about additional catalogs, guides, and indexes.

Read more about the Genealogy and Local History Index in the current edition of Voices, the online magazine of the Missouri History Museum:

(received from: Dennis NorthcottAssociate Archivist for ReferenceMissouri History Museum)

NSGS Genealogy Meeting, March 9

You are invited to the March, 2009 meeting of the North Suburban Genealogical Society on Methodologies in Research. The guest speaker is David M. McDonald. David will show us how to successfully apply methodology to our genealogical research for outstanding results. David McDonald is a certified genealogist and edits the Wisconsin State Genealogical Newsletter. David has published numerous articles and books and he is an ordained Protestant Minister.

Who: David M. McDonald
What: Methodologies in Research
Where: Wilmette Masonic Temple 1010 Central Wilmette, IL 60091
When: March 14, 2009: Problem Solving @ at 1 p.m. Gen’l Meeting 1:50 p.m & speaker at 2 p.m.
Admission: Free
Contact: Jim Boyle, Publicity Chair 847 401 2579 or wpld.alibrary/nsgs.htm or Winnetka Public Library-Genealogy Room Lower Level

Irish Genealogy by Paul Milner: March 4

Celebrate St. Paddy's Day by discovering your Irish ancestors!

"Finding Your Ancestors in Ireland" is a good overview of procedures to follow in performing Irish research. Paul will use many examples to illustrate the wide variety of records that can be utilized in the research process.

This presentation will take place on Wednesday, March 4, at 7:00 PM in the Maynard Room of the Glenview Public Library, 1930 Glenview Rd., in Glenview IL.

Register by calling the Reader Services Desk, 847-729-7500 x113 or x112.

You do NOT need a library card for this program. Everyone, everywhere, is welcome!

Paul Milner is a professional genealogist and lecturer. He is a native of northern England and has specialized in British Isles genealogical research for the past 18 years. He was raised in England and settled in the United States in 1975. Paul is a communication professional and has been designing workshops and lecturing to a wide variety of audiences for 23 years. He also holds a degree in Theology and is particularly knowledgeable about the church and its role in record keeping. As a genealogist he speaks on a variety of topics relating to research in the British Isles, the U.S. and research methodology.

Access to Archival Databases at the National Archives

Are you researching genealogy or personal history involving casualties, civilians, military personnel, passenger lists, or prisoners of war? You can search through these and other categories on the National Archives website's Access to Archival Databases page.

Fill in the search box under the green "Search AAD" bar, and click on the "Seacch" button.

In the results list, locate the record group, click on "view records," scroll down to the specific record, and click "view record."

Genealogy at USCIS

The Genealogy Program of the U. S. Citizenship and Immigratiion Services is a fee-for-service program providing family historians and other researchers with timely access to historical immigration and naturalization records.

you can submit orders online!

Records available through the USCIS Genealogy Program:
Naturalization Certificate Files (C-files) from September 27, 1906 to April 1, 1956
Alien Registration Forms from August 1, 1940 to March 31, 1944
Visa files from July 1, 1924 to March 31, 1944
Registry Files from March 2, 1929 to March 31, 1944
Alien Files (A-files) numbered below 8 million (A8000000) and documents therein dated prior to May 1, 1951

Looking for Very Old Chicago-Area Newspapers?

Are you trying to find a very old obit or news story from the Chicago area?

Are you positive it is not in the Chicago Tribune Archive online?

Have you asked our Reference Staff for some professional guidance in this area, and the Library's resources do not go back far enough?

You may consider checking with the Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington General Information Services Dept., Chicago newspaper microfilm holdings.

Date range for the standard Chicago English language papers is from 1833 to current. Newspapers include Chicago Democrat, Chicago American, Chicago Daily American, Chicago Express, Chicago Journal, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Democrat Press, Chicago Times, Inter Ocean, Chicago Herald, Chicago Record, Chicago Mail, Chicago Evening Post, Chicago Daily News, Chicago Record, Chicago Record Herald, Chicago Times Herald, Chicago Chronicle, Chicago Defender, Chicago Sun, Chicago Today, and others.

If the obit or news story is about an immigrant or member of a first generation ethnic group, you should also investigate the following, which CPL also has on microfilm:
--Chicago Neighborhood newspapers
--Suburban newspapers
--Various U.S. ethnic newspapers
--Alternative press newspapers
--Early American Newspapers (1704 -1820)
--The Lerner Newspaper Collection of Chicago neighborhood and suburban newspapers (1905 -1993)
--The Underground Newspaper Microfilm Collection (1963 -1984)

To find out which titles and years they own, or to ask them which newspaper might contain what you need, call (312)747-4300.

Social Security Death Index

Try this Genealogybank version of the SSDI. It is updated weekly, making it the most current version.

The Social Security Death Index contains over 83.4 million death records for individuals with United States social security numbers. This free database provides helpful family history information including name, birth date, death date and last known residence.

Chicago Genealogical Society Newsletter

As a member of the Chicago Genealogical Society (CGS), the Glenview Public library has a subscription to the Society's newsletter. The newsletter is separate from the CGS's quarterly publication, The Chicago Genealogist, which is in the Lundberg periodical collection.

Each newsletter lists upcoming events, which are usually held at the Newberry Library. It also includes helpful articles of current interest for local researchers. announcements of new books and collections acquired by the Newberry, and more.

The newsletter is kept in a binder on the Genealogy Reference shelves.

The CGS Weblinks are a valuable resource for genealogy researchers in Glenview.

NSGS Meeting, April 11, 2009

On Saturday, April 11, the North Suburban Genealogical Society will meet at the Glenview Public Library, 1930 Glenview Rd., Glenview.

1 PM: "Problem Solving" with Jane Lahey.

2 PM: "Searching Electronic Databases" with Ginger Frere.

NSGS Meeting, March 14, 2009

The North Suburban Genealogical Society will meet at the Wilmette Masonic Temple, 1010 Central Ave. in Wilmette.

1 PM: "Problem Solving" with Jane Lahey.

2 PM: "Methodologies in Research" with David McDonald.

Do You Have West Virginia Ancestors?

West Virginia Archives and History offers a genealogy newsletter and a genealogy surname exchange. You can print the online form or submit it electronically.

The Surname Exchange is a list of surnames and researchers compiled from the West Virginia State Archives' Genealogy Exchange cards submitted since 1987, a surname exchange conducted during the second "Mining Your History" Conference at The Cultural Center, and all genealogy exchange requests submitted by patrons since October 1995. More than 3,200 researchers from all fifty states and ten countries currently participate in the exchange, which is designed to allow genealogists to contact others who are conducting research on identical surnames.

PGSA Meeting, February 8

The Polish Genealogical Society of America will meet in the Social Hall of the Polish Museum, 984 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago IL, on Sunday, February 8, 2009, at 2:00 PM.

Matt Rutherford of the Newberry Library will discuss the insurance records acquired from the Polish Women's Alliance of America.

Mr. Rutherford, MLIS, has been a local and family history reference librarian at the Newberry Library for five years. He has spoken at numerous genealogical society conferences and teaches seminars on genealogy topics, such as researching pre-fire Chicago, adoption searches, non-population census schedules, etc.. There will be time for solving personal genealogical problems.