Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Upcoming at Arlington Heights Library

The following genealogy programs will take place at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.  Inquire at 847-392-0100:

Adoption Searches Past and Present

Monday, March 26, 7 p.m. / Hendrickson Room
You've just discovered that an ancestor was adopted. What do you do now? Researching adoption records is very challenging. Matt Rutherford, curator of genealogy and local history at the Newberry Library, will discuss the history of adoption records, policies and research in the United States. Register

Setting Up Your Genealogy Website
Saturday, April 21 10 a.m. / Hendrickson Room
The Computer Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois (CAGGN-I) will hold a panel discussion on how to create your own genealogy website. Register

Family Tree Maker – Special Interest Group
Saturday, April 21, noon / Hendrickson Room
Family Tree Maker (FTM) is one of the most popular genealogy softwares. If you already use it or are considering buying it, come to the FMT special interest group. They will answer all your questions. Register

Railroad Ties to Arlington Heights History (part of AH 125)
Saturday, April 21, 2 p.m. / Hendrickson Room
The railroad has been vital in the historical development of Arlington Heights. Joe Piersen, manager of the Chicago & Northwestern railroad archives, will discuss the history of that railroad, its impact on Arlington Heights, and how to access information on railroad employees. Register

Genealogy & Local History Resources are available at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.



Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Transcribe Historic Documents

Participate in the National Archives (NARA)  Transcription Pilot Project!  Contributing transcriptions will make historical documents more accessible to the public.
The Transcription Pilot features over 300 documents ranging from the late 18th century through the 20th century including letters to a Civil War spy, various acts and laws, presidential records, suffrage petitions, indictments, and fugitive slave case files.

Documenta are categorized as beginner, intermediate, or advanced and by status of transcription – “Not Yet Started,” “Partially Transcribed,” and “Completed.”

There is a "Transcription Tips" page, an FAQ, and a "Policy" page.

Visit the NARAtions Blog for more news from The National Archives.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Forgotten Patriots

The Glenview Library owns Forgotten Patriots: African American and American Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War, by Eric G. Grundset. -- 2nd ed. -- National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, c2008.  R929.373 GRU GENEALOGY

This 854 page DAR book is now free online in PDF format with  a 79 page supplement for 2008-2012 covering additions, corrections, and much more bibliographic information.

The 2008 publication identifies over 6,600 names of African American and American Indians who contributed to American Independence. The Supplement includes an additional three years of research revealing additional names of African American and American Indians who contributed to the Revolution.

Chapters discuss the Northern states, the South, miscellaneous naval and military records, foreign allies, and the West Indies.

Appendices include a map of the enslaved population; 1790 Census documenting the color of participants in the American Revolution ; names as clues to finding forgotten patriots ; and the numbers of minority participants in the Revolution.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

About Polish Archives

Church institutions were the source of Polish archival materials from the late 12th century. 

A subsequent repository was the Crown Archives, from the mid-14th century. 

Later, various archives were formed from collections of judicial, district, municipal, and family records.  Prussian archives had branches in Poznan and Gdansk.  Russian archives had ten branches in Poland, although some were transferred to St. Petersburg. the Galician Archives were mainly in Lwow and Krakow. 

Poland GenWeb has good information about obtaining Polish records.

JewishGen also has extensive information about vital records in Poland.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

1940 Glenview Census Maps

Steve Morse's website helps you identify an enumeration district (E.D.) where your ancestors lived.  This will enable you to browse the E.D. in search of people you cannot find by searching the census on Ancestry or Heritage Quest.

Steve's website  lets you view 1940 enumeration district maps in one step.

 Here is an old map of Glenview.  Click on the map to enlarge it.

JGSI January Meeting

Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois (JGSI) will meet on Sunday, January 29 at Temple Beth Israel (3601 W. Dempster Street in Skokie).

The Temple will open at 12:30 and JGSI members will be available to help answer genealogical questions, help with Internet searches or for those interested in using library resources.

2:00 Program: JGSI member Skip Bieber will speak on Ancestry.com.

JGSI has recently added many wonderful new books and maps to the library.

Finding Your Roots

PBS will air a new genealogy-related television miniseries by Henry Louis Gates Jr. Finding Your Roots premieres Sunday, March 25 at 8:00 p.m.

The show will focus on 2 high profile individuals each week, starting with Kevin Bacon and his wife, Kyra Sedgwick.

Others in this program will include Tyra Banks, Cory Booker, Angela Buchdahl, Geoffrey Canada, Margaret Cho, Harry Connick, Jr., Robert Downey, Jr., Sanjay Gupta, Samuel L. Jackson, John Legend, John Lewis, Branford Marsalis, Yasir Qadir, Condoleezza Rice, Michelle Rodriguez, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters and Rich Warren.

"Who Do You Think You Are?" Season 3

Season 3 of Who Do You Think You Are? will start Friday, February 3 on NBC.

Celebrities participating include Jerome Bettis, Paula Dean, Edie Falco, Helen Hunt, Rashida Jones, Rob Lowe, Reba McEntire, Martin Sheen, Jason Sudeikis, Marisa Tomei, Blair Underwood and Rita Wilson.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Meet Jane Marmet, Our New Genealogy Volunteer

The Glenview Public Library is pleased to announce that Jane Marmet will be volunteering in the Genealogy & Local History Room on Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Feel free to stop by and introduce yourself to Jane, or call the Genealogy Room at (847) 729-7500 x2709.

Jane has lived in Glenview since 1974, and raised three children here.  She has a great interest in history as well as genealogy.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Polish Genealogy Conference

If you are researching ancestors from Poland, consider attending the Annual Conference of the Polish Genealogical Society of America (PGSA). This year the Conference will be held in conjunction with the United Polish Genealogical Societies Conference on April 20-23, 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Barbara Berska, Deputy Director of the State Archives of Poland.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

New Genealogy Research Tool at Lincoln Library

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library has an online index of issues of the Illinois State Journal and its predecessors.  It covers the first issue of the Sangamon Journal from 1831 through 1847; the Illinois Journal from 1847 – 1855; and the Illinois State Journal from 1855 – 1860. People, places and things mentioned here are listed alphabetically and chronologically.  Local historians and genealogists will be able to search the it online before visiting the library to examine the newspaper issues on microfilm.
The Presidential Library has 5,226 newspaper titles, including the Illinois State Journal and its predecessors, on more than 100,000 reels of microfilm. It is the world’s largest source of Illinois newspapers on microfilm, and all of those are available on interlibrary loan at no charge through local public and educational libraries.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Marriage Certificate Strategies

What do you do if you are unable to find a marriage document on Ancestry Library Edition or Family Search?

Try obtaining the marriage license from the county clerk's website.  (For Cook County, this would be Cook County Genealogy.)    Do not stop with using the index; you may have to purchase a digitized copy of the original document.  The cost is small compared to its genealogical value, because there will be a date and an address for where the marriage took place.

Research this address.  It may turn out to be for an organization such as a church which is not included in microfilmed holdings in the catalog of the Family History Center.

Contact the organization and ask how to obtain a copy of a record for a marriage that took place there. 

The procedure may vary.  But usually they will provide the necessary documents in exchange for a small fee.

This copy may turn out to be a gold mine of information including names of parents of bride and groom, location of birth and / or baptism of bride and groom, names of witnesses, etc.  Sometimes names will be written in an unfamiliar spelling, which may turn out to be significant for your research.

Try this approach if you are stuck, it may provide you with many new leads.

Courthouse Research For Family Historians

The Glenview Public Library owns this valuiable book.  You can use it in the Genealogy room:

Courthouse Research for Family Historians: Your Guide to Genealogical Treasures by Christine Rose
R929.1 ROS GENEALOGY

 This is a step by step handbook for researching court records. Rose brings her experience in researching at over 500 courthouses to bear in one complete guidebook of instructions. This book will prepare you to visit a courthouse in person as well as accessing court records from a distance.
It examines different record types and the information each contains, and explains unfamiliar terminology. Step by step the reader is instructed in the process of preparing, accessing, reading, and understanding courthouse records.

The book covers: how to prepare for a visit to a courthouse...how to know in which county the records you need are located; for which years; and whether the county still exists...when it is open....what to bring...how to read old handwriting...the importance of faithfully transcribing what you see...should you bring your laptop computer...understanding different indexing systems, and how to use them...what was considered legal age in different times and places...which courthouses burned and what to do about it...other records on the shelves...land ownership...state-land and federal-land...surveying...deeds...types of documents...terminology...property records...plat books and maps...powers of attorney...mortgage books...photocopying...estates...probates...wills...primogeniture...intestate division...in-laws...bonds...petitions...accounts of sale...renunciation...administrations--guardianship...next friend...entails...kinds of courts...legal system...civil records...indebtedness...judgments...changes of name...tax records...road records and commissioners...coroner's records...voter registration...naturalization...divorces...criminal matters...gaols...bail bonds...juries...vital records...Delayed or Corrected Birth Records...documents that can substitute for missing documents...customs...Marriages Banns, Bonds, certificates, registers, contracts...Deaths...The Internet, Microfilm, and Libraries...Unusual Sites...Strategies that Work...and much more.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Newberry Library

Visit the new, re-designed website of The Newberry Library....and explore their genealogy resources.