Genealogy First Tuesday

Join us on the first Tuesday of the new year! Bring your questions and your research to the Genealogy & Local History Room between 2 and 4:30 on Tuesday, January 6.

Rock Island County Genealogical Society

The Rock Island County Genealogical Society has a nice website and offers great services if you're

looking for ancestors from the Quad Cities area of Illinois.

Their online records includes:

• Obituary Index
• Funeral Home Memorial Cards
• Surnames Index
• Cemetery Facts

There is plenty of other great information to be found on the site too!

DNA Kits and Genealogy Research

Genetic genealogy is growing in popularity and if you're looking for a fun genealogy project or gift for the holidays, several DNA testing companies are having holiday specials.

Ancestry DNA is having a holiday special on DNA tests. Save 10% on a DNA kit until December 21.

23andMe has a special offer of buy one and get 20% off each additional kit you buy.

Family Tree DNA also has some good deals on the variety of tests they offer.

Still have questions about genetic genealogy, DNA tests, and how it all works? CeCe Moore has written a good introduction to genetic genealogy on the Geni Blog.

Holiday Gift Guide for Genealogists

Family heirloom 'scrapbox' from wholeliving.com

Trying to find family history-themed holiday gifts this year? Here are a few ideas:

Check Pinterest for crafty, DIY family history projects. This board in particular has some really unique craft ideas!

The GenealogyBank blog offers great ideas for sharing your family history this season:

• Ancestor Booklets
• Old Fashioned Recipe Books
• Family Cookbooks
• Family Advent Calendars

Family Tree Magazine also has a good list of things to buy for genealogy enthusiasts.

If you're looking to splurge on something really memorable, plan a trip to the family's country of origin. Visit and learn about your family's homestead and organize a research trip to the local archives!

Genealogy First Tuesday

Join us Tuesday evening in the Genealogy & Local History Room for Genealogy First Tuesday. Drop by anytime between 6:00-8:30pm. Bring your research and your questions!

Searching for early American colonists

During the Thanksgiving holiday season, we often think about the first colonists in America.

Searching for your early colonial ancestors can be tough though. There are few online resources or digitized records for colonial genealogy research but here are a few books from our collection that can help with your search:

• The Original Lists of Persons of Quality, 1600-1700 by John Camden Hotten (online resource)
• Passenger and Immigration Lists Bibliography, 1538-1900 by William P. Filby 
• A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May 1692, on the Basis of Farmer’s Register by James Savage 
• New England Marriages Prior to 1700 by Clarence Almon Torrey
• Dutch Colonists in the Americas, 1615-1815 by David Dobson
• A List of Emigrants from England to America, 1718-1759 by Jack Kaminkow

These are only a few resources in our collection. We have early vital records, passenger lists, and local histories for specific colonies too. We also have records on Mayflower and Jamestown ancestors.

And don't forget to look in the Lundberg periodical collection. Many early records and town histories are transcribed by local historical and genealogical societies and published in their journals and newsletters.

American Indian Records in Ancestry

Ancestry recently partnered with the Oklahoma Historical Society to add more than 3.2 million new American Indian records to their site.

Some of their new collections include:

• Oklahoma, Indian Land Allotment Sales, 1908-1927
• Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Indian Photos, 1850-1930 
• Oklahoma and Indian Territory, Marriage, Citizenship and Census Records, 1841-1927
• Records Related to Enrollment of Eastern Cherokee by Guion Miller, 1908-1910
• Ratified Indian Treaties and Chiefs, 1722-1869 

These are great new collections to help you find your American Indian ancestors!

The History and Achievements of the Fort Sheridan Officers' Training Camps

Veterans Day may have passed but the Genealogy & Local History collection has great resources to honor veterans year round.

One interesting book in the Lundberg Collection is about nearby Fort Sheridan: The History and Achievements of the Fort Sheridan Officers' Training Camps published in 1920 by the Fort Sheridan Association.

The book is an excellent resource for learning about how the army prepared its soldiers during World War I. It's also a neat bit of area history and should definitely be consulted if you're researching WWI ancestors who may have been stationed at Fort Sheridan.




The History and Achievements of Fort Sheridan details how the soldiers prepared for war, gives the full schedule of each week of training camp, describes how the men entertained themselves, and what some officers accomplished during the war.

It's also incredibly well illustrated with photographs of the soldiers during training and also goofing off.

There is a very nice (and sadly very long) section of photos and short biographies of all of the men from Fort Sheridan who died while fighting in WWI.

The book also includes a full roster of every man who trained at Fort Sheridan during World War I. I found two men from Glenview in the ranks:

A.W. Burnham

Alvin G. Gyllenhaal

Teddy Roosevelt visits the troops at Fort Sheridan

The Lundberg Collection includes many interesting military histories particularly from the Civil War. The collection even houses military rosters, records and pensions from states across the country. Drop by the Genealogy & Local History Room to research the veterans in your family!

Free Access to Ancestry Military Records

In honor of Veteran's Day, Ancestry is offering free access to military records. You can search Ancestry's military collection from home for free today and tomorrow. Get started here.

And don't forget that you can always use Ancestry for free in the library.

Military Records

There is still time to sign up for our class on Military Records on Tuesday, November 11 at 10am. Learn how and where to find records and how to use them in your research. Register for the class online or call the Reference Desk at 847-729-7500.

Family History Research Day

Celebrate Family History Month this Saturday at the Glenview Public Library!

Drop by the Tech Lab or the Genealogy & Local History Room any time between 1 and 4 pm. Volunteers and staff will be available to help you with research and to answer any questions.

Register online or call the Reference Desk at 847-729-7500.

GHC Annual Meeting

The Glenview History Center is holding its annual meeting on October 24th.

This year's speaker is Douglas Stiles, a great-great-grandson of watchmaker Jonathan Dillon. According to family legend, Mr. Dillon secretly engraved a message on Abraham Lincoln’s pocket watch at the beginning of the Civil War. Mr. Stiles’ research led to the verification of family story.

Join us and enjoy this interesting bit of history!

Celebrate Family History Month

October is Family History Month. Looking to celebrate your family history but don't know where to begin? Here are some activities to get you started!

Create your family tree. Start with yourself and work back one generation at a time. Download free charts from Ancestry.com or you can find some fancy charts here or search Cyndi's List for other free trees and pedigree charts.

Interview family members and record family stories. You can find sample questions online or check out one our oral history books to help find inspiration.

Preserve family photos. Organize all of those family photos you've been collecting throughout the years. Track down family members to help you identify people and places in old photographs. Try scanning and uploading photos to a website and file the the originals in acid-free boxes or albums.

Make a heritage scrapbook. After collecting all of your photos and family stories, put them all together in a scrapbook. You can also include family recipes, ephemera, and record all of your family traditions and favorite memories.

Get the kids involved! All of these projects can be shared with kids and you can find other fun activities online to get the next generation interested in family history.

Family History Research Day

Celebrate Family History Month at the Glenview Public Library on Saturday, October 25. Drop by the library anytime between 1 and 4pm. A volunteers and staff will be in the Genealogy & Local History Room and the Tech Lab to help you with research and to answer your questions.


Register online or call the Reference Desk at 847-729-7500.

GHC Cemetery Walk

Come learn more about several of the founding members of Northfield Township this Sunday at the old St. Peter's Cemetery. Members of the Glenview History Center and the Northbrook Historical Society will be presenting a walking tour of the cemetery and will be sharing stories and portraying figures from the township's history.

The cemetery is located on Shermer Road between West Lake Avenue and Willow Road. Performances are at 1pm and 2:30pm.

Digging Deeper with Ancestry

There is still time to sign up for our class on Digging Deeper with Ancestry.com on Thursday at 2pm. Learn about Ancestry's special collections and advanced searches!

First Tuesday

Drop by the Genealogy & Local History Room this Tuesday between 6:00 and 8:30 pm. Bring your research questions and brick walls!

Illinois Newspapers

With the library's subscription of GenealogyBank, you have access to historic newspapers from across the country.

For the Chicago area, you can search the following newspapers:

Chicago Daily Times (1855-1856)
Chicago Times (1854-1888)
Daily Inter Ocean (1874-1894)
Inter Ocean (1879-1889)
Pomeroy's Democrat (1869-1879)

For more recent newspapers, you can use Newsbank to search:

Chicago Sun-Times (1986-present)
Daily Herald (1995-present)
Glenview Announcements (1995-present)

Newsbank gives you access to other suburban and Illinois papers too. And through the library's databases you can also search the Chicago Tribune archives 1849-1990 and 1985-present.

The Genealogy and Local History Room has Glenview-area newspapers on microfilm going back to the 1920s and don't forget to use our Obituary Index to locate death notices.

If you're still not finding what you're looking for with library resources, try one of these free websites to locate historic newspapers.

Genealogy Meetings

Genealogy First Tuesdays is not meeting this month but if you're looking for other genealogy-related events to go to in September, check out one of these genealogy societies:

Northwest Suburban Genealogy Society

September 6 at 10 am

Arlington Heights Senior Center

1801 W. Central Rd., Arlington Heights

"Truth or Fiction: Unraveling a Family Yarn" with Teresa Steinkamp McMillan

Hear the story of a 19th century Irish immigrant in Chicago. Learn how Ms. McMillan discovered the truth behind the family lore of this immigrant ancestor.

North Suburban Genealogical Society

September 13 at 1 pm

Northbrook History Museum

1776 Walters Ave., Northbrook

"Write Your Family History Now!" with Mike Karsen

Learn how to organize, write, and publish your genealogy research.

GHC Civil War Encampment

The Glenview History Center's Annual Civil War Encampment is this weekend!

Stop by the History Center at 1121 Waukegan Road this Saturday and Sunday between 9am and 4pm.

Enjoy living history presented by the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War US Signal Corps & 1st Michigan Engineers; Luther E. Johnson, African American Historical Military Reenactors; General George Thomas, Commanding General Army of the Cumberland; and Jessica Michna portraying Mary Ann "Mother Bickerdyke. Also enjoy a traveling Civil War Museum & Fashion exhibit.

Donations are $5/Individual or $10/Family.

Glenview Air Shows

Going to the Air & Water Show this weekend? Check out some aviation history right here in Glenview! Air shows were commonly held at the Curtiss-Reynolds Air Field in the 1930s.

DN-0089768, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago History Museum.

DN-0089769, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago History Museum.

Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago History Museum.

Curtiss-Reynolds eventually became the Glenview Naval Air Station. Check out Hangar One's image galleries for more aviation photos from Glenview: 1929-1941, 1942-1945, 1946-1995.

GenealogyBank

Glenview now has access to GenealogyBank!

To access GenealogyBank:

• From the Glenview Public Libray homepage, click on Databases & eResearch.
• Click on Genealogy.
• Select Newsbank: America's Newspapers
• Click on America's GenealogyBank.

GenealogyBank has digitized and searchable historical newspapers going back to 1690. Newspapers are great source for the obvious: obituaries, marriage and birth announcements. You can also find real estate transactions, family reunions, military personnel and casuality lists, ship arrivals and passenger lists, photographs, and more.

GenealogyBank also has a collection of searchable books and historic documents including: family histories, military records, pension requests, land documents, and orphan petitions.

HeritageQuest

Learn how to use HeritageQuest on Tuesday, August 12 at 2 pm. HeritageQuest is a genealogy database that you can access from home with your library card. Register for the class here or call the Reference Desk at 847-729-7500.

Genealogy First Tuesdays

Join us in the Genealogy & Local History Room this Tuesday from 6-8:30pm for Genealogy First Tuesdays. Drop in and bring your research questions or get one-on-one help with starting your family tree!

Glenview's Frank Lloyd Wright

Did you know that there's a Frank Lloyd Wright house right here in Glenview? The John O. Carr house was built in 1950 and the current owners have never opened the house for tours or had the building landmarked. The house will be going on the market soon and now you can purchase this unique piece of architectural history in Glenview!

You can find an article about the house and its owners in Crain's and view more photos of the house here.


You can also find a listing of more Wright homes in the North Suburbs here.

WWI Draft Registration Cards

World War I officially began one hundred years ago today. WWI is a particularly fascinating time period to research and one of my favorite military records collections is the United States World War I Draft Registration Cards.

Beginning in May 1917, the Selective Service Act authorized President Wilson to increase the size of the US military. There were three draft registrations between 1917 and 1918:

• June 5, 1917: All men residing in the US between the ages of 21 and 31 
• June 5 and August 24, 1918: Registered men who had turned 21 since June 5, 1917
• September 12, 1918: All men between 18 and 45

About 24 million men were registered--and these were not just American citizens. All men living in the US regardless of their citizenship were required to register. If an ancestor wasn't naturalized, a draft card may be the only place you can find an exact birth date and place of birth for them. Other information typically found in these records includes: address, occupation and employer, name and address of nearest relative, citizenship status, physical description and signature.

Remember that just because an ancestor has a draft registration card does not mean that they served in the war. The draft cards do not include any information about WWI military service. 

You can search for WWI Draft cards through Ancestry or FamilySearch.

Intro to Ancestry

Want to learn how to use Ancestry.com? Come to our class on Tuesday, July 22 at 6pm! Learn how to perfect your searches and start finding your ancestors.

Register online or call 847-729-7500.

Free Ancestry.com Resources

You can always access Ancestry Library Edition for free while you're in the library but when you're at home and don't have a subscription to Ancestry, there are free resources you can access through their site.

You can search Ancestry's Free Index Collection. Search through selected collections of indexes. You may not always be able to view full records without a subscription but you can still find some great information.

You don't need a paid subscription to create a family tree on Ancestry. Upload information about your family and Ancestry will give you "hints" of records that might be applicable to ancestors; however, you'll need a subscription to view the full record.

And you can always take advantage of Ancestry's Learning Center. Videos and research guides can help you further your research.

Chicago Ancestors

Steve Szabados shared some great information last night on where to search for your Chicago ancestors.

Here are some of my favorite links for Chicago genealogy:

Chicago Ancestors -- be sure to check out the Tools section
Chicago Genealogy
A Look at Cook
Encyclopedia of Chicago
Cook County Genealogy
Cook County Naturalization Records
Cook County Assessor

Researching Your Chicago Ancestors

Do you have Chicago Ancestors? Join us on Wednesday, July 9, and discover what sources are available and where they can be found. Databases discussed will include vital records, church records, state records, federal records, employment records, histories of the neighborhoods and many more. The sources that are reviewed will include online websites, genealogy collections held at the major libraries, collections at local libraries and collections compiled by area genealogical societies.

This program will be presented by Steve Szabados who has given numerous presentations to groups in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan and Wisconsin and wants to share his passion for Family History. He is a member of the Illinois State Genealogical Society, the board of directors for the Polish Genealogical Society of America, and also a genealogy volunteer at the Arlington Heights Library. His roots are Polish and Hungarian plus he has also had success researching Slovenian and Bohemian records. He has also written three books that over his tips for beginning your research and also European research.

Register for the program online or call the Reference Desk at 847-729-7500.

New Irish Records Available

Recently, the Irish Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht allowed all pre-1901 Irish census records to be released online.

You can find the census collection and other searchable Irish archives here. Unfortunately, the pre-1901 census records are not complete. Here's a little bit of information from the Irish Times:

True censuses were taken in Ireland every 10 years from 1821, a full two decades before anywhere else in what was then the United Kingdom.  

By the time the 1911 census had been completed, there were full sets of no fewer than eight censuses in existence, the earliest four transferred to the Public Record Office, the others still held by the Office of the Registrar-General, the body responsible for census-taking after 1851.
Then things started to go horribly wrong. 

First, at some point during the first World War, the Registrar-General ordered the 1881 and 1891 returns to be pulped, for reasons that are still murky. (The 1861 and 1871 returns had already been destroyed, shortly after the censuses were taken, again for reasons that remain unclear.)  

And then, of course, in June 1922 the Public Record Office was destroyed and every single item held in its Strong Room, including the four earliest censuses, was obliterated without trace. 

All that survived of them were the few bits and pieces that happened to be in use in the reading room or out for conservation: 29 parishes in Galway, Offaly and Meath (1821); 42 parishes in Derry (1831); part of Killeshandra (1841); parts of 14 parishes in Antrim (1851).

 So you can't search for census records for all of Ireland but it's still a great collection to have digitized and searchable (for free!) online. The National Archives of Ireland have a lot of other resources on their website to help with your Irish genealogy.

Genealogy First Tuesday

Drop by the Genealogy & Local History Room this Tuesday between 2-4:30 pm for individual help with your genealogy. Meet other genealogists and use all of the library's great resources!

Wings Over Glenview

Students from Glenbrook South High School and local resident Lisa Zimbler produced a documentary about the history of the Glenview Naval Air Station. The documentary includes oral histories with some of the men who were stationed at the base.

 

(2014) Wings Over Glenview from Glenbrook South Television on Vimeo.

Beginning Genealogy

Learn how to start your researching your genealogy! We're having a class on Beginning Genealogy next Thursday, June 5 at 2pm. Register for the class online or call the Reference Desk at 847-729-7500 x7700.

FamilySearch Class

We're having an evening class on FamilySearch next week. Come learn more about this excellent free database on Wednesday, May 21 at 6pm. Register online or call the Reference Desk at 847-729-7500 x7700.

Hat Exhibit at GHC

The Glenview History Center is showcasing a new exhibit: "Hats Through the Ages."

Stop by the Museum on Sundays between 1-4pm.

Mexican Genealogy

Celebrate your Mexican American heritage this Cinco de Mayo! Here are some websites to help you find your Mexican ancestors.

Hispanic Genealogy Blog The blog doesn't get updated incredibly frequently but you can still find plenty of great links and information on the site.

HISPAGEN, Asociación de Genealogía Hispana Hispanic genealogy organization with articles and genealogy indexes.

The Genealogy of Mexico An older website but still useful with genealogies of some of the first Europeans in Mexico.

Mexico Genealogy Forum A forum to discuss Mexican genealogy with other researchers.

Also search the National Archives of Mexico and the National Archives of Spain. The Spanish Archives have passenger lists from Spain to Latin America 1500s-1700s.

Many of these sites are in Spanish but you can always translate them with Google Translate.

Genealogy First Tuesdays

Join us next Tuesday for our drop-in genealogy group. Bring your questions or research, utilize the library's genealogy resources and meet other enthusiasts. We meet in the Genealogy & Local History Room from 2-4:30pm.

Searching the National Archives

There are still seats available in our "Search the National Archives" class on Wednesday, April 30 at 2pm. Register online or call the Reference Desk at 847-729-7500 x7700.

Free Civil War Records

Fold3 has opened up it Civil War Collection for free until April 30! Start searching for those Civil War ancestors!

RootsTech 2014

The RootsTech conference was held in February but sessions from the conference were recorded and are now available online. Learn about the newest technology to enhance your genealogy research and family trees!

Here's the keynote speaker from the opening session.

Kennicott Exhibit at The Gove

A new exhibit at The Grove focuses on the life Dr. John A. Kennicott.

An excerpt from a recent Chicago Tribune article:

This is the first exhibit at The Grove to focus on Kennicott, the patriarch of the family. His son, Robert, had been The Grove's focus for many years, Swanson said, having founded the Chicago Academy of Sciences, served as a Smithsonian scientist and been the first naturalist for the state of Illinois. He was also one of four principal people to purchase Alaska from Russia.  

"Dr. Kennicott has really been kind of eclipsed by him," said Swanson. "But we decided we really wanted to look at Dr. Kennicott's life and all his achievements."  

Kennicott, who was born in 1802 in New York, became one of the area's first physicians when he came to Glenview, then called West Northfield, in 1836. He started The Grove Nursery & Garden in 1842 and called for the first Illinois State Fair in 1853.  

Kennicott also had national reach. He lobbied for a federal agricultural bureau, now the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and went to Washington to petition for the Land Grant College Act. 

He helped draft a bill in the state legislature to create an "Illinois university."  

"If you got to any of the A&M universities, those are agricultural and mechanical universities, they're a direct result of the Land Grant College Act and he was the principal person that moved that act forward and was passed by U.S. House of Representatives and Senate," Swanson said.

Learn more at the Tribune and The Grove National Historic Landmark.

DuPage County Genealogy Resources

This week the New England Historic Genealogical Society showcased some genealogy resources for DuPage County.

DuPage County Genealogical Society

DCGS has a lot of great resources on their site:

• Cemetery Indexes for Addison, Downers Grove, Lisle, and York townships
• DuPage Families contains information about people who have lived in DuPage County
• Newspaper abstracts for Hinsdale Doings and the Wheaton Illinoian
• Other useful links for DuPage genealogy research 

Argus Obituary Index
Obituaries published in the Villa Park Argus from 1931 to present. This database was created by the Villa Park Public Library.

Bronswood Cemetery Burial Index
An excellently made index by the Oak Brook Historical Society.

Genealogy First Tuesdays

Our drop-in genealogy group meets tomorrow from 6-8:30 pm in the Genealogy & Local History Room. Bring questions, brick walls, and meet other enthusiasts.

Wilmette Family History Fair

Come to the Wilmette Family History Fair this Saturday beginning at 7:30am. The Fair includes live workshops and taped recordings from RootsTech as well as an exhibits hall. You can sign up for one-on-one consultations Wilmette Family History Center volunteers.

Visit their website for the presentation schedule.

Irish Ancestors

Searching for Irish ancestors this St. Patrick's Day? Try these free online archives:

National Archives of Ireland
Public Records Office of Northern Ireland
Irish Genealogy

Also, search the Irish Records Collections on FamilySearch and visit the FamilySearch Wiki to learn more about tracing Irish ancestors.

Find Your Female Ancestors

Learn how to find your female ancestors this Wednesday at 10am in the Computer Lab!

Register online or call the Reference Desk at 847-729-7500 x7700.

European Genealogy Websites

The following links were taken from GenealogyInTime. GenealogyInTime also posts links to genealogy record collections from all over the world that have been recently digitized.

Here are few free European websites that GenealogyInTime included in its 100 Best Websites of 2014 list.

Denmark
Dansk Demografisk Database: Includes Danish census records from 1787-1930, emigration records, probate, church records, and more.

France
GeneaNet: The largest French genealogy database that includes links to online municipal archives and information to help you get started with French research.

Germany
Ahnenforschung: Contains databases, digital archives, dictionaries, and forums related to German genealogy.

Ireland
Irish Genealogy: Online resources, church records, and Irish research tips hosted by the Irish Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht.

The Netherlands
Wie Was Wie: This database includes vital records, population registers, Dutch family trees, and more.

Norway
Arkivverket Digitalarkivet: Digital archive that includes census records, parish registers, property and legal records and much more.
DIS-Norway, Slekt og Data: Norway's largest genealogy organization whose site contains forums, helpful links, and digital projects.

United Kingdom
GENUKI: Online gazetteer, parish maps, and many useful links for UK research.
RootsChat: The UK's largest family history forum.
FreeBMD: Search transcriptions of the Civil Registration Index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales.

Several of these sites are in the language of the host county. Google Translate can translate whole webpages into English for you if you need help.

Find Your 17th Century New England Ancestor With NEHGS

Colonial American research can be really tough but the New England Historic Genealogy Society has a lot of great resources on their site that can help. In particular, they have a nice collection of online seminars that can help you get started with your New England or colonial research.

The above video is a recording from an NEHGS meeting earlier this month. David Dearborn discusses key reference works, records, and databases that can help with finding your 17th century New England ancestors.

Genealogy First Tuesdays

Join us for our drop-in group next Tuesday, March 4 from 2pm to 4:30pm. Bring questions, work on your family tree with other genealogy enthusiasts and share your successes and problems with the group.

Some recent genealogy 'brick walls' that we've discussed have included: immigration records, Canadian census records, Czech genealogy, and I've been able to provide one-on-one help with those who are just getting started.

Join us and see if we can help break down your brick wall!

Newspaper Links

We looked at a lot of different websites for researching newspapers in my Historical Newspapers class. Here is a large list of links I've found that would be useful for you in your research:

Newspaper Links

Discover Historical Newspapers

Learn how to use historical newspapers in your genealogy research! I'll be teaching a class on Thursday, February 20 at 2pm. Register online or call the Reference Desk at 847-729-7500 ext. 7700.

Genetic Atlas

Here's an interesting article from the New York Times about tracing human migration patterns through DNA. If you're interested in DNA testing and genetic genealogy, this can help explain some of your DNA Ancestry results and how your ancestors may have migrated across the globe.

NSGS February Meeting

The North Suburban Genealogical Society invites the public to attend its Saturday, February 8th meeting at the Northbrook History Museum. Guests are welcome and are invited to bring a friend and enjoy refreshments.

The meeting will feature Tina Beaird presenting on Military Genealogy. Tina will explain the significance behind using original records for tracing your ancestor's military service. Records from the American Revolution to WWII will be discussed as well as some sources for modern records. Learn what types of documents are available within federal, state and local archives.

 The meeting begins at 1:00 PM and is free and open to the public. There will be snacks.

Genealogy First Tuesdays

Join us in the Genealogy & Local History Room this Tuesday from 6-8:30pm for our drop-in genealogy group. Bring your questions and get one-on-one help, meet other enthusiasts, and share research tips with the group.

Immigration Records Class

Looking for your immigrant ancestors? Come to my class this Wednesday, January 22 at 10am to learn about immigration records! You can register online or call the Reference Desk at 847-729-7500 x7700.

Early Education in Glenview

Old Rugen School located at Shermer Road and Lake Avenue -- 1912
Glenview History Center

The Glenview Journal recently ran an article called What Education Was Like in Glenview's Early Years. The author spoke with Bev Dawson from the Glenview History Center about some of the first schools and school teachers in Glenview. Ms. Dawson also explains how Glenview's current school earned their names.

More on organization

Need more help getting your research organized? Here are some resources that may help:

Cyndi's List has a great list of websites devoted to organization.

You can also watch this 5 Minute Genealogy video about organizing records. And this lesson from the New England Historic Genealogical Society discusses what types of forms to use, how to properly fill them out, and what kinds of software can help you get organized.

The library also has books that can help with your organization:

Organizing Your Family History Search by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack

Organizing and Preserving Your Heirloom Documents by Katherine Scott Sturdevant

The Complete Beginner's Guide to Genealogy, the Internet, and Your Genealogy Computer Program by Karen Clifford

Get Organized!

If you made a New Year's Resolution to get organized this year, here are few tips to get you started sorting through your mass of genealogy records. Remember that you should organize and document your research as you go.

Many prefer to color code their research. An easy way to do that is to assign each of your grandparents' families a color. For example, your paternal grandfather would be coded "red" and all of your research relating to his family line will be kept in red folders or folders with red labels. Keep all of your red files together and arrange them alphabetically by surname.

One of the simplest organization methods is to create a family group record for each married couple and then assign each family group to a file folder. The family group will be comprised of the married couple and their children. All of the family group's genealogical records created after the marriage will be kept in that folder. So the first document in the folder might be the couple's marriage certificate followed by the birth certificates of their children, family census sheets, etc. Note that the married couple's birth records should be kept in their parents' folders. You will also want to keep your research logs and notes in your family group folders. The FamilySearch Wiki has a really great description of of family group records and how to use them.

You can also organize your files by family name and record type. For instance, you might have folders for JONES: Birth, JONES: Census, JONES: Marriage, etc. Number each document included in the folder. At the front of each folder, create an index listing family members with the corresponding number(s) assigned to their document(s).

There is no right or wrong way to organize your research but, hopefully, this can get you started. As you get further along in your research you'll discover a system that works for you.

Genealogy First Tuesdays

Drop by the Genealogy & Local History Room on Tuesday, January 7, anytime between 2:00-4:30. Meet other genealogy enthusiasts, get to know our genealogy collection, receive one-on-one help, or discuss your brick walls with others.