Flickr Commons

Flickr Commons can be of great help to genealogists. You may find pictures here of your ancestors and relatives, the house or town where they lived, and more.

Your participation in The Commons on Flickr will make these photos valuable to everyone, everywhere.

Describe the photographs you discover in The Commons on Flickr, either by adding tags or leaving comments.

The Commons was launched on January 16, 2008, when the pilot project was launched in partnership with The Library of Congress. Both Flickr and the Library were overwhelmed by the positive response.

The program has two main objectives:

1--To increase access to publicly-held photography collections, and

2--To provide a way for the general public to contribute information and knowledge. (Then watch what happens when they do!)

Sign in to The Commons at Flickr using your Yahoo email address and password.

Make Sure You Have a Gedcom

GEDCOM is an acronym for GEnealogical Data COMmunication. It is a generic database format designed to let you exchange genealogical data between different genealogy software programs. GEDCOM was developed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an aid to genealogical research.

A GEDCOM file contains genealogical information about individuals, and meta data linking these records together. Most genealogy software supports importing from and/or exporting to GEDCOM format.

GEDCOM is a standard, not a program. As such, genealogy programs that are going to use the same data have to be written by the programmers to handle GEDCOM files. and both programs have to support GEDCOM. The instructions for creating or reading GEDCOM files will vary from one program to another.

According to Cyndi Howells of Cyndi's List, here is how you create a GEDCOM: "In most programs, go to "File, Export to GEDCOM" and create a new file with a ".ged" file extension after the name."

Cyndi also says "To read another person's GEDCOM file (in most programs), go to "File, Import from GEDCOM" and create a new database file that can be opened in your genealogy software program. This will not merge with your existing database file unless you indicate that you wish for the two files to be merged."

[from Cyndilist Gedcom Page]

GEDCOM files can easily be shared with others via e-mail attachment or on a disk.

You can create a GEDCOM file using the free genealogical software at FamilySearch.

Get a GEDCOM! start sharing your family history research!

Temporary closure of NARA-Great Lakes Microfilm Room

Due to ongoing renovation projects, the microfilm research room at the National Archives-Great Lakes Region in Chicago will be closed on Wednesday, March 25. The room will re-open on Thursday, March 26. We regret the short notice for this announcement.

In order to bring the Regional Archives into compliance with updated security guidelines, we will need to be closed again in the future to complete several remaining renovation projects. The first phase of this project has been completed, but additional work is continuing, often on short notice. If you are planning to conduct research at the National Archives-Great Lakes Region in the near future, please contact us by phone (773-948-9001) or email (chicago.archives@nara.gov ) prior to your visit to ensure that the research room will be open on the day you will be visiting.

Douglas A. BickneseRegional Archives DirectorNational Archives and Records Administration-Great Lakes Region7358 S. Pulaski Rd.Chicago, IL 60629-5898(773) 948-9009douglas.bicknese@nara.gov

Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois: March Meeting

JGSI March meeting: March 29th
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois (JGSI) will meet at Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street in Skokie.

The JGSI library will be open for research at 12:30, and JGSI members will be available to help you with your family research using some of the many internet sites.

The March program, featuring Trudy Barch, will begin at 2:00.
She will speak on "Genealogical Organization Goals & Objectives."

(Save the date: June 14th: JGSI will host nationally acclaimed lecturer and author Beau Sharbrough.)

1897-1920 Michigan Deaths Online

Seeking Michigan currently has about 250,000 digitized death records for 1897 to 1920. There will eventually be about 1 million records.

This Library of Michigan collection of Michigan death certificates features nearly 1 million records. This statewide collection offers researchers critical information in tracking Michigan ancestors during this time period. Information includes the decedent's birth date and place, parents' names and birthplace, cemetery name and

Genealogy Tweets

Twitter can help your genealogy.

Learn which Genealogy Companies and People are on Twitter.

Geneabloggers recommends the Top Ten People, and Top Ten Genealogy Companies. that all genealogists should follow on Twitter.

NSGS Meeting April 11

Computers Are Easy and Fun...until you use one.

1)Did you know you can browse library shelves remotely?

2)Did you know you can search obituaries in the ProQuest Historical Tribune database?

3)Did you know that the secret of “controlled vocabulary” will give you more information online?

Be a guest at the North Suburban Genealogy Society’s monthly meeting and learn to use these online resources and the secret of “controlled vocabulary.” Ginger Frere will present her program using 21st Century data: “Searching Electronic Databases”

When: April 11, 2009:
1 p.m.: Problem Solving
1:50 p.m.: NSGS Meeting;
2 p.m.: Ms. Frere’s Program: "Searching Electronic Databases" (You are invited to all three).

Where: Glenview Library 1930 Glenview Rd., Glenview, IL 60025
Admission: Free
Contact: Jim Boyle 847 401 2579

Ginger Frere is a lifelong Chicagoan who has been involved in family history for 15+ years. For the past 5 years Ginger has worked in the Local and Family History Section of the Newberry Library. Ms. Frere is the principal of Information Diggers which provides multiple research services.

Glenview Library Genealogy Resources

Do you know about the Genealogy Page of our web site?

Links on the Genealogy Page tell you about our books, our genealogy databases, the Digital Past project in which we participate, our favorite genealogy resources around Glenview, our favorite Internet Resources, the genealogy microfilm we own, how to email your genealogy questions, and more.

The New York Times' Immigration Explorer shows historic immigration patterns in the United States. You can see where different ethnic groups settled. The interactive map is an excellent use of aggregate data from U.S. Census and geographic information systems.

Computer Genealogy Meeting

The Computer‑Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois (CAGG‑NI) meetings are held on the third Saturday of each month at 10:30am at the Schaumburg Township District Library, located at 130 South Roselle Road, Schaumburg, IL. 60193.

The April meeting will discuss "Preserving Family Photos on the Cheap."

It will take place on Saturday, April 18, 2009

The moderator will be Everett Butler.

Do you have slides and prints from years past but do not want to invest several hundred dollars copying them? Then this session is for you! Mr. Butler will demonstrate cheap ways to preserve what you have.

If you have questions, contact Stan Schmidt at (630) 529‑4849

Digital Past is on Twitter

Digital Past is now on Twitter as DigitalPast.

Be sure to follow DigitalPast for all the very very latest updates and changes.

In fact, today if you start following, you'll see a sneak peek of the new Digital Past page that's coming in April. NSLS and several staffers are also on Twitter - along with other library and genealogy celebrities you will want to follow.

Genealogy Podcasts

Make good use of your time...multi-task while listening to a genealogy podcast!

Download podcasts from the Internet, and listen at your leisure.

You can listen to podcasts on your computer, on an iPod or MP3 player, or on a CD that you can listen to anywhere.

Podcasts can contain interviews, lectures and lessons. Since you can listen to them any time you want, they are a flexible way to keep up with the latest genealogy news and tips.

Genealogy podcasts are available at Dear Myrtle, Family History Expos, The Genealogy Guys, Irish Roots Cafe, Genealogy Gems, Dick Eastman's EOGN Podcast, and elsewhere.

Lincoln and Glenview

Lincoln's Birthday Celebration in Glenview continues!

You may recall the carving of the Gettysburg Address belonging to the Glenview Senior Center that was on display in the lobby of the Glenview Public Library for a short time.

The carving will be on display at the Glenview History Center from March 15 until the end of April.

It is especially appropriate for this piece to be shown during the Bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, as the farmhouse in which the Glenview History Center resides was built during Lincoln's administration.

Civil War re-enactors will be on hand some Sundays while the carving is on exhibit."

Saturdays at the Great Lakes Regional Archives

Upcoming "Second Saturday" Research Hours: Saturday, March 14 and Saturday, April 11.

In addition to the National Archives-Great Lakes Region's regular hours of 8:00 AM to 4:15 PM Monday through Friday, the Regional Archives in Chicago is also open to the public the second Saturday of every month from 8:00 AM to 4:15 PM. Researchers interested in using original historical records or microfilm held by the Regional Archives are encouraged to contact a reference archivist ahead of time by phone (773-948-9001) or email (chicago.archives@nara.gov ).

If you are researching Naturalization records for your ancestors, this is a good place to go.

If you are new t o genealogical research, read the helpful Beginners' Guide provided by the National Archives.

Happy Genealogy Day!

Celebrate Your Name Week, March 1-7, is sponsored by Names Universe, and Saturday is Genealogy Day.

Join in on one of the world's fastest growing hobbies and celebrate names at the same time. Get genealogy tips, hints, and ideas, then begin the journey to knowing your heritage name by name, one ancestor at a time.

Enrich your genealogical research by learning about naming traditions, the changing of immigrant names. the meanings of Personal names , and the ethnic origins of surnames.

Irish Genealogical Society International

Irish Genealogical Society International (IGSI) is dedicated to assisting in the discovery of Irish ancestry.

Founded over 25 years ago, IGSI has developed into a well respected Irish genealogical society with over 1,700 members in 10 countries, and an extensive library and research facility.
They offer research help, a helpful interactive website, online databases of information not easily found elsewhere, a quarterly journal (The Septs) with educational articles and research tips, a bookstore,learning opportunities, and an annual conference.
Membership is open to anyone interested in Irish or Scots-Irish genealogy.

Census Substitutes & State Census Records

In this 2-volume series, acclaimed author William Dollarhide identifies Census Substitutes, as well as State Census Records for the U.S. The substitutes are those name lists derived from tax lists, directories, military lists, land ownership lists, voter registrations, and other compilations of names of residents for an entire state, one or more counties of a state, or one or more towns of a county. Thirty-seven states conducted colonial, territorial, or state censuses that are extant and available for research today. Usually taken between Federal Decennial Census years, these records often contain unique informatiion, and may even shed light on the lives of your ancestors that may have been on-the-move.

The Glenview Public Library owns these books. They are in the Reference room at:

R929.373 DOL GENEALOGY v. 1 and 2 Reference Material Genealogy / Local History

Illinois is in Volume 1, Eastern States, in Chapter 5, The Old Northwest.

New National Genealogical Society Website

The National Genealogical Society is pleased to announce its new website.

The professionally designed site restructures available information for members and the general public, making it faster and easier to find what you are looking for.

NGS is more than a century old! It was organized in Washington, DC, in 1903.

The mission of the NGS is to serve and grow the genealogical community by providing education and training, fostering increased quality and standards, and promoting access to and preservation of genealogical records.

The website featurres research resources, courses, publications, and other information.