Polish Pioneers in Illinois

Every good Chicagoan will tell you that Chicago has the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw. It's no secret that the area has welcomed a large number of Polish immigrants throughout the twentieth century but it's pre-1850 Polish immigration that interests James D. Lodesky.

Polish Pioneers in Illinois, 1818-1850 by Lodesky attempts to account for all of the earliest Polish settlers in Illinois. He believes that about 325 Poles lived throughout the state before 1850.

Lodesky discusses reasons for early Polish immigration and Polish history in Illinois and elsewhere. He examines Polish populations in Chicago and several counties throughout the state and also provides genealogies of some early families.

Indispensable history for Illinoisans with Polish roots!

Online Irish Workshops

The Ulster Historical Foundation presented seven webinars for the Fountaindale Public Library in March. The library has shared the videos and handouts on their blog.

The Ulster Historical Foundation specializes in Irish genealogy research and programming. The webinars presented at Fountaindale covered such topics as:

• Researching in cemeteries, newspapers, and archives
• Using school records, wills, and the Registry of Deeds
• Famine era emigration

Many thanks to the Fountaindale Public Library for sharing these informative lectures!

Comparing the 'Big 4'

Ancestry, FamilySearch, findmypast, and MyHeritage are currently the four biggest genealogy databases available. Which one(s) should you be using? Are they worth purchasing a subscription?

At this year's RootTech, Sunny Morton compared the "Big 4" to help users understand which databases best fit their research needs. You can watch her discussion here.

Ms. Morton says that when choosing a database, you need to consider what you need right now. Remember that no one website will have what you need all of the time.

The biggest question you probably have is: Which site holds the historical records I want? Here is a brief overview of the databases:

Ancestry.com

• 80 countries -- particularly: USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, Mexico, and the UK

FamilySearch

• 96 countries -- strong global outreach with a unique collection of Central & South American, African, and Asian records

findmypast

• 7 countries -- focus is on UK and Irish records as well as US, Australia, and New Zealand

MyHeritage

• Claims to cover 'all' countries -- primarily Europe and global Jewish collections

For more information, watch Sunny Morton's informational presentation.

Census Records

Do you have questions about how to use census records in your genealogy research? Attend our class on April 12 to learn census research tips. 

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