Chicago Genealogical Society

Upcoming events

    • 6 Jan 2025
    • 7:00 PM
    • Webinar
    Register


    The year was 1950. Harry Truman was President of the US. The average annual income in the US was just a little over $3,000 and the average cost of a new home was $8,450. The US Census that had been taken every 10 years starting in 1790 was conducted for the 17th time.

    The 1950 Census is particularly important in helping provide context to families’ narratives because it was a time of many transitional events:

    • It was the first US census following World War II.

    • The growth in automobile use and the road system helped create modern suburbs and allowed more movement for employment.

    • It was the initial stages of the baby boom.

    Focusing on a large sample of Illinois 1950 census data, we will paint a picture of what life was like in the state during this transitional time. We will also look at how Chicago life differed from the mostly rural remainder of the state.

    Scott Norrick’s passion is connecting people to their past. While providing a list of names, dates and places for ancestors is a start, Scott enjoys helping others discover the stories of triumphs and tribulations that defined our ancestors’ lives. He does this by assisting clients with breaking down their genealogical brick walls and by helping them document the rich stories of their family history.

    His areas of expertise include research in the American Midwest along with the immigration to the Midwest from Britain, Ireland, and Germanic countries. He also does significant research into Civil War records.

    He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and a graduate degree from Northwestern University. With over 30 years of family history research experience, he is familiar with all the latest and time-tested genealogical tools. Through his company Ancestral Past, he welcomes the opportunity to assist others on their genealogy journey. He has presented to dozens of genealogical societies, history centers, and libraries. He is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists.


    The Webinar will be recorded and available on the CGS website in the members only section for 90 days.

    Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. Registration will close 1 hour prior to the event. The meet-up will take place virtually via ZOOM. All people registered will receive an email the morning of the event with log-in instructions and a link. This information is not to be shared.

    Note: This webinar is FREE for CGS members. Non-Members can register for the event for $10. No refunds. 

    • 14 Jan 2025
    • 7:00 PM
    • Webinar
    Register


    While most countries base citizenship on place of birth, parentage, and marriage, some countries also offer citizenship by descent—meaning if you have ancestors who were citizens of that country two, three, or even four generations back, you might qualify for dual citizenship! Two well-known examples are Italy and Ireland. In this webinar, we will go over the requirements involved for these two countries, gathering documentation, applying—and waiting—for dual citizenship.

    Rhonda R. McClure, Senior Genealogist, is a nationally recognized professional genealogist and lecturer. Before joining American Ancestors/NEHGS in 2006, she ran her own genealogical business for 18 years. She was a contributing editor for Heritage Quest Magazine, Biography magazine and was a contributor to The History Channel Magazine and American History Magazine. In addition to numerous articles, she is the author of twelve books including the award-winning The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Online Genealogy, Finding your Famous and Infamous Ancestors, and Digitizing Your Family History. She is also the editor of the recently released 6th edition of the Genealogist’s Handbook for New England Research. Her areas of expertise include: immigration and naturalization, Late 19th and early 20th Century urban research, New England, Mid-West, Southern, German, Italian, Scottish, Irish, French Canadian, and New Brunswick research.


    The Webinar will be recorded and available on the CGS website in the members only section.

    Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. Registration will close 1 hour prior to the event. The meet-up will take place virtually via ZOOM. All people registered will receive an email the morning of the event with log-in instructions and a link. This information is not to be shared.

    Note: This webinar is FREE for CGS members. Non-Members can register for the event for $10. No refunds. 

    • 1 Feb 2025
    • 1:30 PM
    • Webinar
    Register


    The talk explores ways in which visualizing the locations of households of particular surnames in Catholic records, valuations, census records and records of births, marriages and deaths can help with genealogy and local history, providing vivid examples of just how local some names are and how impossibly widespread others can be. All the records covered are free online and form part the basis of almost all nineteenth-century Irish research.

    In addition, some of the focus will be on maps of the geographic areas used to collect the records. The talk will give some of the technical background involved in creating the maps, but will mostly focus on their use and on how they shed light on the surnames and the families.

    Our speaker, John Grenham, was Project Manager with the Irish Genealogical Project from 1991 to 1995 and later went on to develop and market his own genealogical software, 'Grenham’s Irish Recordfinder'. In 2005, he was the first Genealogist-in-Residence at Dublin City Library. He was awarded a fellowship of The Irish Genealogical Research Society in 2007 and of the Genealogical Society of Ireland in 2010 and Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI) in 2021. He is the author of Tracing your Irish Ancestors (5th ed. Dublin, Baltimore MD, 2019) the standard reference guide for Irish genealogy, The Atlantic Coast of Ireland (2014), Clans and Families of Ireland (1995), and An Illustrated History of Ireland (1997), among other works. He wrote the "Irish Roots" column in The Irish Times from 2009 to 2016, has developed heritage databases with Dublin City Library and Archive and the National Archives of Ireland, and ran the Irish Ancestors website in conjunction with The Irish Times until 2016. In partnership with his son Eoin, he now runs the successor website at www.johngrenham.com.

    He was an external member of the National Library of Ireland Genealogy and Heraldry Committee from 2011 to 2021. He has been a member of the full NLI board since 2021 and also chairs the Genealogy and Heraldry Committee.


    The Webinar will be recorded and available on the CGS website in the members only section.

    Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. Registration will close 1 hour prior to the event. The meet-up will take place virtually via ZOOM. All people registered will receive an email the morning of the event with log-in instructions and a link. This information is not to be shared.

    Note: This webinar is FREE for CGS members. Non-Members can register for the event for $10. No refunds. 

    • 3 Feb 2025
    • 7:00 PM
    • Virtual Meet-Up
    Register


    Open Mic Meet-Up - CGS Members Only Event

    Join us to share your discovery or watch and listen to others share their successes. You have a research problem? Come and ask the group. Maybe someone will have a suggestion to further your research. A great opportunity to learn!

    This meet-up will have a host to run the Zoom and to give the opportunity for everyone to share as time permits. If you plan to share a discovery or problem, please keep it to 5 minutes or less to allows others to also share. 

    Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. Registration will close 1 hour prior to the event. The meet-up will take place virtually via ZOOM. All people registered will receive an email the morning of the event with log-in instructions and a link. This information is not to be shared.

    **This Meet-Up is not recorded"

    Picture from Library of Congress

    • 3 Mar 2025
    • 7:00 PM
    • Webinar
    Register


    You’ve seen them on the news - genetic genealogists, sometimes called “DNA Search Angels” are identifying remains, solving crimes, helping adoptees to identify their biological parents and family medical history, clearing up family stories, identifying the surnames of ancestors whose last name was always “____” in your tree, and breaking down brick walls that withstood traditional genealogical methods.

    Join Kate Penney Howard, as she gives a brief overview of how genetic genealogy works, and she’ll share some highlights from adoption and brick wall cases. Attendees will also receive a reference guide explaining how YOU can apply these techniques to your own genealogical research.

    Our speaker, Kate Penney Howard, former resident of Hyde Park, is a genetic genealogist, specializing in brick wall work, HighRoH, and endogamy.

    She has presented at Rootstech, East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference, Illinois Genealogical Society, the International Congress on Medieval Studies, NAAP/RTK’s Untangling Our Roots, and the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Future speaking engagements include Rootstech 2025 and Ohio Genealogical Society 2025, as well as local library & genealogical society presentations.

    Kate studied vocal music and earned a Master of Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis in 2011, and has been pastor of North Christian Church since her ordination in 2012.

    The Webinar will be recorded and available on the CGS website in the members only section.

    Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. Registration will close 1 hour prior to the event. The meet-up will take place virtually via ZOOM. All people registered will receive an email the morning of the event with log-in instructions and a link. This information is not to be shared.

    Note: This webinar is FREE for CGS members. Non-Members can register for the event for $10. No refunds. 

    • 22 Mar 2025
    • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Swedish American Museum, 5211 Foster, Chicago, IL
    Register


    Swedish American Museum Tour: We are America

    A one hour guided private tour for the Chicago Genealogical Society of the Museum's new core exhibit, We Are America. (second floor). We Are America tells the story of Swedish immigration to Chicago. Attendees will encounter environmental displays, artifacts, images, interactives, and kid-friendly elements. They will learn about the lives Swedish immigrants built in the U.S., from employment to recreation to religion to home life, and even about Swedish-American businesses and clubs that still form an integral part of Chicago today. We Are America also invites the group to compare the Swedish immigration story with others from Chicago, and to reflect on their own histories and experiences. The tour also includes the Brunk Children's Museum of Immigration (3rd floor).

    Registered attendees will meet at the Swedish American Museum, 5211 North Foster (Clark and Foster), Chicago, IL, at the main entrance @ 11:00am. Parking and transportation options can be found on the Museum website under visit/hours and admission.

    Both CGS members and non-members are welcome.

    Cost:   Free CGS members           $5.00 non-members

    Registration closes on March 19, 2025, at 11:00am. No refund after March 19, 2025, at 11:00am. The online payment service fee of $1.50 will be deducted from refunds.



    • 7 Apr 2025
    • 7:00 PM
    • Webinar
    Register


    Everyone has heard of Ancestry, but there are some other big databases for genealogy research.  They all share search capabilities as well as have their own unique merits.  Learn “the good, the bad and the ugly” about the Big Four – Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindMyPast and MyHeritage.  Learning about these databases will help you target your research.  All of them have Library editions (free access) in addition to their subscriptions.

    Our speaker, Caron Primas Brennan, loves history, biography, puzzles, and a good mystery, which makes her perfectly suited to genealogy research!  She belongs to several local and regional genealogy groups as well as being a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild and a Professional Member of the Association of Professional Genealogists.   She is currently the Registrar for the Anan Harmon Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the Revolution (DAR). Caron has been teaching at the Newberry Library in Chicago and speaking at local libraries and genealogical societies for over ten years with consistently excellent feedback.  


    The Webinar will be recorded and available on the CGS website in the members only section.

    Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. Registration will close 1 hour prior to the event. The meet-up will take place virtually via ZOOM. All people registered will receive an email the morning of the event with log-in instructions and a link. This information is not to be shared.

    Note: This webinar is FREE for CGS members. Non-Members can register for the event for $10. No refunds. 

Past events

2 Dec 2024 The Windy City at War: Chicago’s Homefront 1941 - 1945
12 Nov 2024 Tech Tuesday Webinar: Essential PC Tech Tools for Genealogy
4 Nov 2024 U.S. Naturalization: Rules, Records, and Repositories
14 Oct 2024 Open Mic Meet-Up: Share Your Latest Genealogy Discoveries or Problem
7 Oct 2024 Researching Your Ancestor's Occupation
21 Sep 2024 Remembering Chicago’s World Fair – A Century of Progress 1933-1934
9 Sep 2024 Late Last Night: House Histories in the Digital Age
5 Aug 2024 Ten U.S. Military Research Strategies to Use Today
13 Jul 2024 Mt. Greenwood Cemetery Walk
1 Jul 2024 Open Mic Meet-Up: Share Your Latest Genealogy Discoveries or Problem
3 Jun 2024 Genealogy Estate Planning Made Simple
6 May 2024 PERSI 2.0: The New PERSI for Everyone
8 Apr 2024 Genealogy Book Discussion: Share Your Favorite Genealogy Book or Latest Genealogy Book Discovery
6 Apr 2024 Oak Park River Forest Museum and Research Center Tour
12 Mar 2024 Google Workspace for Genealogical Research
4 Mar 2024 *Added Session* Using Maps in Genealogical Research: Digital Mapping with Google Earth and Google Maps
5 Feb 2024 Open Mic Meet-Up: Share Your Latest Genealogy Discoveries or Problem
3 Feb 2024 AI and Genealogy: Trouble Ahead?
16 Jan 2024 Using Maps in Genealogical Research: Digital Mapping with Google Earth and Google Maps
8 Jan 2024 Tracing a Chicago Family‘s Roots: A Case Study
4 Dec 2023 You Light Up My Census! Researching Beyond Population Schedules
6 Nov 2023 Family Gatherings: Dragging Genealogy Information Out of Your Family
2 Nov 2023 Kickstarting Your Family History Story
7 Oct 2023 Glessner House Tour and Prairie Avenue Walk
2 Oct 2023 Open Mic Meet-Up: Share Your Latest Genealogy Discoveries or Problem
11 Sep 2023 Finding Dirk: Insanity in the 19th Century
10 Jul 2023 Open Mic Meet-Up: Share Your Latest Genealogy Discoveries or Problem
8 Jul 2023 Mt Carmel Cemetery Walk
5 Jun 2023 How to Write Ancestral Stories Your Relatives Will Want to Read
13 May 2023 Special DNA Afternoon - Two Webinars
1 May 2023 Was My William Smith in the Civil War?
3 Apr 2023 Open Mic Meet-Up: Share Your Latest Genealogy Discoveries or Problem
14 Mar 2023 How to Use eBay, Etsy, and Other Shopping Sites for Family History
6 Mar 2023 Polish Beneficial Records in Genealogy
6 Feb 2023 Open Mic Meet-Up: Share Your Latest Genealogy Discoveries or Problem
4 Feb 2023 Researching Chicago Ancestors from Afar
2 Jan 2023 Search vs. Research
15 Nov 2022 Digital Organization for Your Family History
7 Nov 2022 How to Maximize Your Search Using Fold3
11 Oct 2022 Get Grammin’: How to Instagram Your Family History
3 Oct 2022 Open Mic Meet-Up: Share Your Latest Genealogy Discoveries or Problem
1 Oct 2022 A Visit to Pullman, Illinois: Pullman Museum and CGS Walking Tour
12 Sep 2022 Immigration Ports of Entry
13 Aug 2022 Historic Old Joliet Prison Tour
1 Aug 2022 Hopping Down the Paper Trail
11 Jul 2022 Open Mic Meet-Up: Share Your Latest Genealogy Discoveries or Problem
9 Jul 2022 Montrose Cemetery Walk
6 Jun 2022 Sign of the Times: Timelines in Genealogy
9 May 2022 Focused Research: Using Research Plans
4 Apr 2022 Open Mic Meet-Up: Share Your Latest Genealogy Discoveries or Problem
2 Apr 2022 Beyond Ancestry: Essential Portals for Genealogy Research
7 Mar 2022 Chicago Neighborhoods: The Communities of Garfield Ridge and Clearing
7 Feb 2022 Open Mic Meet-Up: Share Your Latest Genealogy Discoveries or Problem
5 Feb 2022 Getting Ready for the 1950 Census: Searching with and without a Name Index
3 Jan 2022 How to Build a Personal Genealogical Reference Library
6 Dec 2021 Open Mic Meet-Up: Share Your Latest Genealogy Discoveries
4 Dec 2021 Special Military Afternoon - Roll Call of Resources: Researching Revolutionary War and U.S. Civil War Ancestors
8 Nov 2021 The Everleigh Sisters: A Case Study in Conflict Resolution
2 Oct 2021 CGS Genealogical Bus Tour: The Great Chicago Fire
17 Sep 2021 Chicago & North Western Historical Society Archives Afternoon Tour
17 Sep 2021 Chicago & North Western Historical Society Archives Morning Tour
11 Sep 2021 Researching Pre-fire Chicago
2 Aug 2021 The World of Juliette Kinzie: Chicago Before the Fire
24 Jul 2021 Commemoration of the 106th Anniversary of the Eastland Disaster
5 Jul 2021 Open Mic Meet-Up: Share Your Latest Genealogy Discoveries
5 Jun 2021 What the Heck Does That Say? Overcoming the Challenge of Difficult Handwriting
3 May 2021 The South Side in Ten Families Part 2
1 May 2021 Funeral Home Collections: Utilizing Genealogical Societies and Others for Crowd Sourcing
5 Apr 2021 Open Mic Meet-Up: Genealogy Discoveries Made During Lock Down
3 Apr 2021 Researching HER Life: Genealogical Tools and Methods for Researching Your Female Ancestor
8 Mar 2021 Friedrich Eiler: Building an Identity from Scant Clues
8 Feb 2021 Virtual Open Mic Meet-Up: Genealogy Discoveries Made During Lock Down
6 Feb 2021 Everyone Has a Story: Why everyday life stories are worth capturing and how to do it
4 Jan 2021 The South Side in Ten Families Part 1
7 Dec 2020 Chicago Genealogical Society Ancestor Certificates - Honoring Your Chicago Ancestors
7 Nov 2020 Identity Puzzles: How to Make Sure You're Following the Right Character
5 Oct 2020 Cartographic Tales of Chicago History
12 Sep 2020 The Art of Negative-Space Research: Women
25 Jul 2020 Webinar: The Pritzker Military Museum & Library
24 Jul 2020 Commemoration of the 105th Anniversary of the Eastland Disaster
21 Jul 2020 Virtual Meet-Up: "Ask the Expert" About Eastland Disaster Genealogical Records
21 Jul 2020 Virtual Meet-Up: "Ask the Expert" About Eastland Disaster Genealogical Records
25 Jun 2020 Virtual Meet-Up: "Ask the Expert" About Chicago Property Records
6 Jun 2020 Webinar: Travels with My Sister: Genealogical Journeys
9 May 2020 *** Will Be Rescheduled*** Purple Hearts Reunited Chicagoland Returns
2 May 2020 Where Did Grandpa Go? Using Maps to Solve Genealogical Problems - Webinar
2 May 2020 ***Rescheduled to July 25, 2020*** Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library
4 Apr 2020 Finding Hidden Clues in Old Family Photos **Rescheduled to September 12, 2020**
7 Mar 2020 Spit and You Shall Find! atDNA Identifies a Charming Scoundrel
1 Feb 2020 Newspaper Necessities
7 Dec 2019 Mayflower and Other Lineage Societies: What are they? Why would I join one? How do I join?
2 Nov 2019 The Chicago “L” -- Chicago’s Biggest “Mover & Shaker”
5 Oct 2019 Decoding the Sentiment behind Cemetery Symbolism
7 Sep 2019 Tracking Down Your Infamous Ancestors
24 Aug 2019 CGS Genealogical Bus Tour: Chicago’s Greatest Waterway - The I & M Canal
1 Jun 2019 Adoption Searches Past and Present
19 May 2019 Webinar - The Eastland Disaster: An Unparalleled Tragedy
4 May 2019 The Eastland Disaster: An Unparalleled Tragedy
6 Apr 2019 Investigating Chicago Police Ancestors
2 Mar 2019 Purple Hearts Reunited Special
10 Feb 2019 Using Yearbooks for Genealogy
2 Feb 2019 If These Walls Could Talk: Incorporating Stories of Places to Enhance Your Family Narrative
13 Jan 2019 Genealogy Road Trips with Julie Benson
19 Aug 2018 MyHeritage DNA with Daniel Horowitz
2 Jun 2018 CGS Annual Meeting

Chicago Genealogical Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.  Address: PO Box 1160, Chicago, IL  60690-1160

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