Who Do You Think You Are?

"Who Do You Think You Are?" is a very popular British TV show that has been exported to other countries. Each country produces their own shows, featuring local television personalities and stories.

NBC is bringing this television program to American viewers.

The American version of "Who Do You Think You are?" will premier on Friday, March 5, at 7 PM CST. It will feature American celebrities as they unearth their family trees.

Watch the trailer here.

Recording Your Family History

The North Suburban Genealogical Society invites you to hear four members discuss and show how they have documented their family histories. Books, computers, and notebooks are how they have preserved family treasures for generations to come.

When: February 13, 2010
1:00 PM: Problem Solving
2:00 PM: Program: Recording Your Family History
Where: Glenview Library 1930 Glenview Rd. Glenview, IL 60025

Contact: Jim Boyle (847) 401-2579 or NSGenSoc@gmail.com

Open to anyone interested in genealogical research. Free admission.

Northwest Suburban Council of Genealogists

The current issue of News From the Northwest, published by the Northwest Suburban Council of Genealogists, is on display in the genealogy corner of the Reference Room.

Family History Center: New Hours

NEW HOURS at The Family History Center, 2727 Lake Ave. in Wilmette.

Tuesday and Thursday - 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Saturday - 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Phone: 847-251-9818. Please call to confirm their hours before making a long drive.

Vacation Days for 2010: Apr 3, May 29, July 3, Sep 4, Oct 2, Nov 24-25, Dec 22-Jan 3.

During August, they will only open on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

If you have any questions about their hours or services, please call the FHC during open hours or email: il_wilmette@ldsmail.net

Genealogical Resources at the National Archives and Records Administration - Great Lakes Region

JANUARY 31, 2010 - Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois: Sunday Meeting
Temple Beth Israel, 3601 West Dempster - Skokie
12:30 p.m.

Temple Beth Israel will be open at 12:30 p.m. to accommodate members who want to use our library materials, need help with genealogical Web sites on the Internet, or have genealogical related questions.

2:00 p.m. Program - Presented by Barry Finkel Genealogical Resources at the National Archives and Records Administration - Great Lakes Region, Chicago Learn which records are available at this NARA facility that can help you in your genealogical research.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR - DAY OF DISCOVERY IS COMING....JUNE 6, 2010 Keynote speaker has been hired, a national presenter, scholar, author, researcher and tech person. He will also join our panel of "ask the experts"...plan on this wonderful day to find out HOW to begin your research or HOW to move your research along! More to follow!
Contact: Gert Schachtman , Gertjgsi@aol.com

Future JGSI Meetings at Temple Beth Israel are February 21, March 21, April 25 and May 23.

Funeral Cards

Genealogy Today features a searchable index of funeral cards (a.k.a. mourning or remembrance cards). Funeral cards provide clues like birth date, death date, maiden name, and name of funeral home.

Read about funeral cards online, and search the database of more than 23,100 names.

Here is another article about funeral cards by Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens.

If you google the words funeral card index, you will get over three million internet hits, many of them leading to more online funeral card indexes.

Helen Sclair 1930-2009

Helen Sclair, known as The Cemetery Lady, was a local genealogy celebrity who had lived at Bohemian National Cemetery since 2001. Her cremated remains will rest under a granite stone bearing the inscription, The Cemetery Lady, An Advocate for the Dead.

Mrs. Sclair, 78, died of cardiac arrest on Wednesday, Dec. 16, in the Harmony Healthcare and Rehab Center in Chicago, where she had been recovering from surgery.

She did a presentation at the Glenview Public Library about local cemeteries on October 28, 2008.

Tax Lists

The Library owns two wonderful books that can help you advance your genealogical research by using tax lists.

The Sleuth Book For Genealogists : strategies for more successful family history research, by Emily Anne Croom, 929.1072 CRO. There is also a Reference copy at R929.1072 CRO GENEALOGY.

It is brimming with wonderful checklists, case studies, and novel approaches for using any number of genealogical source records.

The following brief excerpt from a review of this wonderful book is about tax records:

"Strategies for Using Tax Records, by Emily Anne Croom
...A number of states and towns have preserved tax records that date to their early years; others have not been so diligent. Nevertheless, the genealogist needs to use them whenever they exist... The surviving records are usually found in county courthouses or in state archives. Many have been microfilmed and are available from the Family History Library...Tax records are kin to land records because residents paid taxes on land they owned, as well as on slaves, horses, cattle, oxen, personal property, and luxury items... In some cases, specific items were taxed in a given year, such as certain items of furniture, mirrors, and window curtains in Virginia in 1815..."

The other book is The Beginner's Guide to Using Tax Lists, by Cornelius Carroll. 929.1 CAR

"This is a primer for making the best genealogical use of tax lists... [The author] differentiates between tax lists, quit rents, tithables, militia lists, censuses, and similar records and the laws that applied to them. Then, by focusing on the tax lists of Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee, he demonstrates how tax lists can be used for determining parentage, birth and death dates, indentured servitude, slavery, manumission, and racial status. In conjunction with other records, tax lists can be used to help determine the parentage of a female, the date of a marriage, migration routes, and the accuracy of family traditions..."

Countdown to April 2, 2012

The National Archives website contains information about the release of the 1940 Census on April 2, 2012.

Information includes a countdown clock that counts the days, hours, minutes, and seconds; general information; how to start your 1940 census research; indexes and other finding aids; videos; articles; and links to online data.

NSGS Meeting: January 9, 2010

The North Suburban Genealogical Society invites you to its January meeting.

A genealogical question and answer period will be followed by readings of your favorite letters of sentimental value. You are invited to bring letters that are your favorites and listen to others read theirs.

When: January 9, 2010;
1 p.m.: Problem Solving,
2 p.m.: Program on Love Letters
Where: Glenview Library 1930 Glenview Rd., Glenview 60025

Contact: Jim Boyle 847 401 2579
Open to anyone interested in genealogical research. Free Admission