German Research Tools

The Library owns the following two books, which are indispensable to German genealogical research, and were recently reviewed by The Genealogical Publishing Co. in its newsletter, Genealogy Pointers:

Ancestors in German Archives R929.343 ANC GENEALOGY

Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs R914.3003 MEY GENEALOGY v. 1-3

The key to German genealogical research is to locate birth, marriage, death, and immigration records. The Brigham Young University German Immigrant Ancestors Project identified records in more than 2,000 German archives for emigrants, and created Internet-accessible databases describing their birthplaces, occupations, spouses, and children. Ancestors in German Archives is the result of this project.

It describes each archive in terms of its jurisdictions, records, and services. Vital records, religious records, military records, emigration records, passport records, censuses, and town and county records are included, along with guides or inventories to the collections.

To determine which archives today have jurisdiction over the records that were created by church or state institutions, use the Locality Inde to identify every town with an archive, no matter what kind.

Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs was published at the peak of German immigration to the United States. Serious German research begins with this massive gazetteer, which describes approximately 210,000 cities, towns, hamlets, and dwelling places in the German Empire prior to World War I. The facts presented about these localities enable researchers to determine the whereabouts of civil, religious, court, and military records.

Great Lakes Archives, 2nd Saturday

Upcoming "Second Saturday" Research Hours: Saturday, August 14, and Saturday, September 11.

In addition to the National Archives at Chicago'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 http://us.mc825.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=(chicago.archives@nara.gov ).

For event updates, highlights from our holdings, and rapid news stories, become a fan on Facebook. They are listed under National Archives at Chicago.

Naturalization: Its History and Records

The Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA) will meet in the Social Hall of the Polish Museum on Sunday, August 8, 2010 at 2:00 pm.

The speaker will be Kathryn Barrett, a genealogy researcher, teacher, and lecturer with 35 years of genealogy experience. Her topic will be Naturalization: Its History and Records. Ms. Barrett has been a volunteer at NARA for more than 15 years and is a professional member of the National Genealogical Society, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, and the Wisconsin State Historical Society.

Time will be reserved to solve personal genealogical problems.

Plan now to attend the PGSA Conference on October 1 and 2, 2010.

Genealogy Saturdays

Are you researching ancestors from Poland? do you want some hands-on guidance in a place brimming with amazing genealogical resources?

Genealogy Saturdays take place the 3rd Saturday of each month, from 10 to 1p.m., at the library of the Polish Museum of America. 984 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago.

Knowledgeable members of the Polish Genealogical Society of America help you start your research, or find solutions when you are really stuck.

Genlighten

Have you exhausted all resources for locating the document you need? Is a trip to the land of your ancestors out of the question? Has their national or regional archive not yet created an easy-to-use website for orderng records?

Genlighten is a website for obtaining documents from remote repositories. It connects you with local researchers who can find what you need.

When you search their record offerings, the kinds of documents and the cost of lookups are clearly labeled. Credentials and ratings are available for the researchers you hire. Set up a free account in order to purchase records.

CAGGNI Meeting

You are invited to the Computer-Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois (CAGGNI) this Saturday July 17th , 10:30 AM at the Schaumburg Library on the SW corner of Roselle and Schaumburg Roads next to Dominic's.

Past President Everett Butler and current Vice President Byron Atkinson will present Copying and Scanning Documents and Photos. They will cover various methods of copying documents and photos, and present a basic overview of how to correct various problems such as coffee stains.

Join them to hear helpful hints about this very useful topic.
For additional information, go to our web site, http://www.caggni.org/.

If you have questions, contact Bill McGovern, Promotions Chair, at bmcgovern70@hotmail.com

Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries provides interactive maps of all states, for the benefit of researchers in the areas of history, demography, economics, genealogy, geography, law, and politics.

German Roots

The German Roots web site contains internet resources and research information for Americans of German descent researching their family history.

Civil War Veterans Database

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War preserves the memory of the Grand Army of the Republic. It includes a searchable Grave Database.

On the project home page, you can create an account in order to contribute information to the database.

Sons of the Revolution in the State of Illinois

Sons of the Revolution in the State of Illinois is a hereditary society which you may join if you are a man who can documented his lineage to a revolutionary soldier.

They provide an online index to the Registrar's Records of Revolutionary Lineages and a searchable Ancestor List.

The Glenview Public Library owns a copy of Revolutionary Lineages: Everyname Index to the Registrar's Records at R929.3773 SON in the Reference Genealogy Collection.