Chicago Genealogical Society News

CGS Members -- the new Winter 2026 Chicago Genealogist is Here!

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 04:33:19 GMT

The new quarterly has been posted to the Members Only section of the website. Included in this issue is a profile of Norman Buel Judd, an early settler, political figure and associate of Abe Lincoln; story about the Sievert and Lally families; Mexican life in South Chicago profiling the de León and Elizalde Families; update on our Ancestor Certificates program; and a tribute to our late colleague, Jeanne Larzalere Bloom.

CGS Members -- the Fall 2025 Chicago Genealogist is Here!

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 04:59:55 GMT

The new Fall 2025 issue features stories about Oak Wood Cemetery and the history of the cemetery's Confederate Monument. Also featured is a story about the demise of two friends: The author uncovers causes of death which are totally at odds with the preliminary reports. This story is a fun illustration of the importance of diligent investigation. We also profile the subjects of some +100 year old studio portraits, and we recap upcoming CGS events.

CGS Members: The Summer 2025 Chicago Genealogist is Here!

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 04:09:28 GMT

The Summer 2025 Chicago Genealogist (Vol.57 No.4) is now available for download in our website's Members Only section. Members who elected to receive printed copies should receive them in 7-10 days. Please enjoy the new issue!

Would You Like to Write Your Family History?

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 03:51:10 GMT

CGS is seeking family history-oriented articles for our Chicago Genealogist. The "quarterly" is a collection of stories centered on Chicago-area ancestors, places and events. Anyone can write and submit a story for publication. This is your opportunity to leverage the information in your family tree, historical documents and vital records, and share your photos and other historical images. To submit a paper for consideration or to discuss ideas, please contact the Quarterly Editor at quarterly@chicagogenealogy.org.

For CGS Members: The Winter 2025 Chicago Genealogist is now available

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 05:21:43 GMT

The Winter 2025 Chicago Genealogist (Vol.56 No.2) is now available for download in our website's Members Only section. Members who elected to receive printed copies should receive them in 7-10 days. Please enjoy the new issue!

Would You Like to Volunteer with CGS?

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 05:19:38 GMT

If you have an interest in genealogy and have some time to commit to a rewarding endeavor, then please consider CGS. We are looking for volunteers to help support the society's initiatives and programs. If you have an interest, we would like to discuss it with you. Contact us at info@chicagogenealogy.org.

CGS Members: The Fall 2024 Chicago Genealogist is now available

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 21:52:14 GMT

The Fall 2024 issue of The Chicago Genealogist is now available to CGS members on our website. Hard copies will be mailed to those members who elected to receive a printed copy as soon as printing is completed. We hope you enjoy this issue, and keep those articles coming!

CGS Members: The Summer 2024 Chicago Genealogist is Here!

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 00:06:13 GMT

The Summer 2024 Chicago Genealogist is now available for download in our website's Members Only section. Members who elected to receive printed copies should receive them in 7-10 days. Please enjoy the new issue!

Chicago Genealogical Society Announces the Return of a Popular Membership Service

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 14:28:18 GMT

After an unanticipated delay, the Chicago Genealogical Society announces the return of the popular vital record lookup service. This is a perk available to Members Only! For $5, per record, you may request images of Cook County vital indexed on FamilySearch. In order to submit your request, complete the designated form with the required information, along with payment.

Forms may be submitted by email or U.S.P.S. mail. All requests will be fulfilled in the order in which they are received. If you are looking for a quicker response, please submit requests and payments online. Once images are located, they will be sent digitally via email, paper copies are not available for this service.

Detailed instructions and the form are available in the Members Only section of the website. Any questions regarding this service can be sent to info@chicagogenealogy.org. Please put “Vital Record Lookup” in the subject line.

Member Gravestone Photo Request

Sat, 23 Mar 2024 01:09:07 GMT

Member Gravestone Photo Request

**CGS Members**

CGS Next Cemetery Walk is July 14th at Mt. Greenwood Cemetery in Chicago.

The CGS Cemetery Committee is offering to take gravestone photos for members at the Mt. Greenwood Cemetery. One request per member please. Please first check FindAGrave and BillionGraves websites to see if a photo is already available. Depending on the number of requests received, it may not be possible for volunteers to complete every one. Also, volunteers may not be successful in finding the requested graves. If the grave is located, you will be emailed photo(s) of the gravestone, and CGS will also load the images on FindAGrave.

Provide the name, dates, and location (section, plot) if known. You can contact the cemetery office (773-233-0136) and request information. Photo requests will be taken between May 1 and June 30. Send your request by June 30^th to CGS info@chicagogenealogy.org Attn: Mt Greenwood Cemetery Walk Gravestone Photo Request.

For CGS Members: The Winter 2024 Chicago Genealogist is Here

Sat, 10 Feb 2024 04:28:37 GMT

The latest edition of The Chicago Genealogist is now available. Volume 56 No. 2 can be accessed by signing into the CGS website and selecting The Chicago Genealogist from the Members Only section. Please note that requested paper copies were mailed this week. Please enjoy the new issue!

Would you like to tell your family history story?

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 03:16:19 GMT

Are you interested in your family history? Do you like to write? The CGS encourages the submission of family history articles for possible publication in our Chicago Genealogist quarterly journal. To submit a paper for consideration or to discuss ideas, please contact the Quarterly Editor at quarterly@chicagogenealogy.org.

CGS Members: The Fall 2023 Chicago Genealogist is now available

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 05:59:49 GMT

The latest edition of The Chicago Genealogist is now available and can be accessed by logging into our website and selecting "The Chicago Genealogist" from the Members Only section. Paper copies will be mailed once printing is finished early next week.

CGS Members: The Summer 2023 Chicago Genealogist is now available

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 23:29:10 GMT

The electronic version of the Summer 2023 Chicago Genealogist is now available and can be accessed by signing onto the CGS website and selecting The Chicago Genealogist from the Members Only section. Paper copies will be mailed once printing is finished.

CGS Members: The Spring 2023 Chicago Genealogist is Here!

Thu, 04 May 2023 04:18:14 GMT

The latest edition of The Chicago Genealogist is now available. The electronic version of our Spring 2023 edition (Vol. 55 No. 3) can be accessed by signing into the CGS website and selecting The Chicago Genealogist from the Members Only section. Please note that requested paper copies will be mailed once the printing is finished. Please enjoy the new issue!

CGS Members: The Winter 2023 Chicago Genealogist is Here!

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 21:02:52 GMT

The Winter 2023 edition (Volume 55 No. 2) of The Chicago Genealogist is now available. The electronic version can be accessed by signing into the CGS website and selecting The Chicago Genealogist from the Members Only section. Please note that requested paper copies will be mailed once the printing is finished. Please enjoy the new issue!

To Be Rescheduled Special DNA Doubleheader - Two Webinars in One Afternoon

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 22:41:23 GMT

Due to unforeseen circumstances the DNA Doubleheader Webinars scheduled for Saturday 3 December has been cancelled and will be rescheduled soon

DNA Doubleheader - Two DNA Webinars in One Afternoon

3 December @ 1:00pm & 2:30pm

Join us for this special afternoon to learn about DNA with Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG^®, BCG Trustee.

1:00pm – Why Test My DNA When I Already Know My Ancestors? Explore the many ways DNA test results confirm and advance documentary research.

2:00pm – 30-minute break

2:30pm – Case Study---Who are Katey's Biological Parents? Ancestry DNA Match Lists and A Deep Dive into Documentary Records Confirm a Biological Relationship and Extend the Proof Back Generations

A case study demonstrates research strategies integrating evidence from documentary and genetic sources to prove genetic relationship conclusions. Common mistakes in atDNA analysis are explored.

Karen Stanbary, CG^®, holds the Certified Genealogist credential. She lectures nationally on the use of DNA test results in genealogical problem-solving, always within the framework of the Genealogical Proof Standard. She is a Trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists and chairs that organization’s DNA Committee.

Cost: $10 members (that’s only $5/per webinar!)

$20 non-members

No refund after November 26, 2022. The online payment service fee of $1.50 will be deducted from refunds. These presentations will not be recorded. Handouts will be provided to registrants only.

CGS Members: The Fall 2022 issue of The Chicago Genealogist is here!

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 05:24:00 GMT

The Fall 2022 edition (Volume 55 No. 1) of The Chicago Genealogist is now available. The electronic version can be accessed by signing into the website and selecting The Chicago Genealogist from the Members Only section. Please note that requested paper copies will be mailed once the printing is finished. We hope you enjoy the new issue.

In Memoriam

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 16:32:24 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society was saddened to learn that Wayne Weber, current Treasurer, passed away on 19 October 2022. He was a life member of CGS, joining on 1 September 1969. Wayne served as Treasurer since 2008. Also, he held the positions Archives/Historian, Quarterly Proof Reader, By-laws Committee and filled in many times as Recording Secretary, 1^st VP of Membership and Nominating Committee. He gave so much of his time to the Chicago Genealogical Society. Wayne will be truly missed.

On behalf of the Chicago Genealogical Society, the Board wishes to convey to Wayne’s family how sorry we were to learn of his passing. We send our sincere condolences to the extended family for your loss. CGS will be making a donation in Wayne’s name to a charity suggested by the family.

Wayne Daniel Weber – Hallowell & James Obituaries (hjfunerals.com)

Chicago Genealogical Society Announces DNA Doubleheader!

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 16:23:02 GMT

Exciting opportunities are happening at the Chicago Genealogical Society

DNA Doubleheader! Two DNA Webinars in One Afternoon

3 December @ 1:00pm & 2:30pm

Join us for this special afternoon to learn about DNA with Karen Stanbary, MA, LCSW, CG^®, BCG Trustee.

1:00pm – Why Test My DNA When I Already Know My Ancestors? Explore the many ways DNA test results confirm and advance documentary research.

2:00pm – 30-minute break

2:30pm – Case Study---Who are Katey's Biological Parents? Ancestry DNA Match Lists and A Deep Dive into Documentary Records Confirm a Biological Relationship and Extend the Proof Back Generations

A case study demonstrates research strategies integrating evidence from documentary and genetic sources to prove genetic relationship conclusions. Common mistakes in atDNA analysis are explored.

Cost:

$10 CGS members (that’s only $5/per webinar!)

$20 non-members

Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. Registration will close 1 hour prior to the event (3 December @ noon). The webinars 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.

No refund after November 26, 2022. The online payment service fee of $1.50 will be deducted from refunds. These presentations will not be recorded. Handouts will be provided to registrants only.

How to Begin Using Instagram + Learning Some Basic Features

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 15:51:25 GMT

We're excited to unveil our newly updated CGS Instagram account @ChicagoGenSoc that you can find by searching in your Instagram App or going online to https://www.instagram.com/chicagogensoc/ Visit and follow us today!

And we'd love to give you some suggestions for using Instagram's basic features so you can be prepared for our upcoming October 11th CGS Special Tech Tuesday Webinar, "Get Grammin': How to Instagram Your Family History" with professional genealogist Elizabeth Swaynay O'Neil.

1. Free help from the Instagram Help Center: Get your questions answered in the Instagram Help Center at https://help.instagram.com/ or find answers by Google-ing for help from other sources.

2. How to register for an Instagram account: Download the Instagram App or go online to https://www.instagram.com Click "Sign up," and either 1) Enter your email address, password and create a user name, or 2) Register with your Facebook account. Details in the Help Center at https://help.instagram.com/155940534568753

3. How to add a profile pic: Go to your Profile by clicking the profile icon. Click "Edit Profile," then "Change Profile Photo," then select where you'd like to import your photo from, then "Submit." Details in the Help Center at https://help.instagram.com/557544397610546

4. How to manage settings: *Via App* = Find your account settings by clicking your bottom profile icon, then clicking the 3-bar collapsed menu icon (also called the Hamburger button), then clicking "Settings." *Via Computer* = Find your account settings by clicking your top right menu profile pic to find the "Settings" in the dropdown menu. Details in the Help Center at https://help.instagram.com/131112217071354

5. How to protect your privacy on Instagram: Consult the "Staying Safe" section in the Help Center at https://help.instagram.com/1417489251945243/

6. How to post on Instagram: Instagram is photo driven, so choose a photo, then start building your post by clicking the add a post icon and follow each step, clicking "Next" until your post is ready, then click "Done." Details in the Help Center at https://help.instagram.com/442418472487929/

7. How to search Instagram: Search Instagram using keywords or hashtags (labels added to a post beginning with a # sign with words attached, like the hashtag for the Chicago Genealogical Society which is #ChicagoGenSoc). Simply type your keywords or hashtag into the Search box (you may need to click the search icon to reveal the Search box). You can search for photos, videos, people's accounts, people's locations and so many other things. Details in the Help Center at https://help.instagram.com/1482378711987121

8. How to follow others on Instagram: When you find an account that you'd like to follow, simply click "Follow." Details in the Help Center at https://help.instagram.com/741619032578266

CGS Members: The latest Chicago Genealogist is now available!

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 15:50:12 GMT

Dear CGS Members,

The Summer 2022 edition (Volume 54 No. 4) of The Chicago Genealogist is now available. The electronic version can be accessed by signing into the website and selecting The Chicago Genealogist from the Members Only section. We hope you enjoy reading! Please note that requested paper copies will be mailed once the printing is finished.

CGS Members Only Project

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 15:06:18 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society announces a special Birth/Marriage/Death records project for members only. Let us help you obtain locked Cook County, Illinois, Birth/Marriage/Death record images from familysearch.org. You will need to locate the record on familysearch.org and provide name, date, GS film Number, digital folder number, image number, reference id, record number and certificate number. Not all numbers are provided for each record. (Instructions on reverse side of project form). We are NOT doing research. We are retrieving record images only. This is a members only project. Members can request up to three records for $5.00 each. All efforts will be made to locate the record. However, if a record is not found the fee is non-refundable. Requests are due by August 31, 2022. Requests will be filled in the order they are received, and images will be emailed.

2022 CGS BMD Request Form.pdf

Email the completed project form, type required information directly into an email or send familysearch.org screen shots to info@chicagogenealogy.org and pay at www.chicagogenealogy.org/donate and select the Fund: Birth/Marriage/Death Records Project. Or you can mail the completed project form to CGS, P.O. Box 1160, Chicago, IL 60690-1160, Attn: Birth/Marriage/Death Records Project. Include check payable to CGS.

CGS Members: The Latest Chicago Genealogist is Here!

Mon, 16 May 2022 17:03:54 GMT

Dear CGS Members,

The latest issue of The Chicago Genealogist is here! To access the electronic version of the 2022 Spring Edition, Volume 54 No. 3, sign into the website and select The Chicago Genealogist from the Members Only section. We hope you enjoy reading!

Requested paper copies will be mailed once the printing is finished.

Chicago Genealogy Source: Clear-Ridge Historical Society

Sat, 12 Mar 2022 04:27:58 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society recent webinar featured the Communities of Garfield Ridge and Clearing. Rob Bitunjac, president of the Clear-Ridge Historical Society and Branch Manager of the Clearing Library, discussed the history of the Chicago communities of Garfield Ridge and Clearing as well as some of the surrounding areas. Also, resources the Clear-Ridge Historical Society and the Chicago Public Library have to offer as far as genealogical research was shared. A recording of the webinar is available to CGS members in the members only section of the Chicago Genealogical Society website.

The Clear-Ridge Historical Society maintain historical files about the neighborhoods of Clearing, Garfield Ridge and the surrounding areas of Summit, Stickney and Bedford Park. We recommend visiting the Historical Society’s website to learn more and check out their great photo collection. https://clearridgehistory.weebly.com

If you are researching these communities, they have published 3 books that maybe of interest. More information available on their website.

The History of Garfield Ridge

A Little Known History of the Land Called Clearing

Gleanings of Archer Road

*The picture is of former Chicago Mayor "Long" John Wentworth's farmhouse that he built in 1868 on the corner of what is now Archer Avenue and Harlem Avenue, taken in 1936. Courtesy of the Clear-Ridge Historical Society.

Chicago Genealogy Source: Chicago Building Permits Digital Collection 1872-1954

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 05:25:27 GMT

Great news! Chicago Building Permits for 1872-1954 have been digitized and available free online! No more going to the Chicago History Museum or the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Library to sit at the microfilm reader to find this information.

The collection includes:

The Chicago Building Permit Street Index

The Chicago Building Permit Ledgers

City of Chicago Fire Reports

Building Construction Data

This collection is handwritten and not searchable. There is a “Browse Building Permits” button. We highly recommend reading all of the guide to get a clear understand of the collection to help you with a successful search.

Included is an informative guide and how to:

Find a permit

Using the digital reel
Using the street index – Note which direction you are looking for (North, South, East and West). Number addresses will be next to each other. Some are really hard to read.
Using the ledger Books
Ledger detail for pre-1912
Ledger detail for post-1912

Supplementary information – **important to read to understand the collection

Fire reports for 1933-1968 – 12 ledgers, handwritten index in front of each ledger, helpful reel index that shows date ranges and index starting page.

Building construction data from 1917-1925 – 4 ledger books

So, locate those addresses and dig in to see what you can find.

Introduction - Chicago Building Permits Digital Collection 1872-1954 - Subject and Course Guides at University of Illinois at Chicago (uic.edu)

https://researchguides.uic.edu/CBP/home

Thank you UIC – University Library for digitalizing this collection and making it available free online.

CGS Members: The Latest Chicago Genealogist is Here!

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 04:55:30 GMT

CGS Members,

The Latest Chicago Genealogist is Here!

See the online 2021 Winter Edition, Vol. 54, No. 2

To access the electronic version - on this website sign into the Members Only Section (button on the upper right side). Select The Chicago Genealogist tab. Look for the newest version “Vol 54, No 2 2021” on the top row. Click on it and then you can read & enjoy the newest issue.

Requested paper copies will be mailed once the printing is finished.

The Chicago Genealogical Society’s Special Military Afternoon is coming up this Saturday!

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 15:47:37 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society’s Special Military Afternoon

this Saturday!

Are you registered? Don’t miss out on this special event.

December 4th - 1:00pm & 2:30pm

Military Doubleheader! Two military webinars in one afternoon!

Roll Call of Resources: Researching Revolutionary War and U.S. Civil War Ancestors

Join us for this special afternoon to learn about military resources with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

1:00pm – Revolutionary War

2:00pm – 30-minute break

2:30pm – U.S. Civil War

Learn the best primary resources available both online and in local and regional archives. Learn how to find from Muster Rolls to Pension files for your ancestors. Also learn how to "Adopt the Regiment" to better understand the story of your ancestors through the stories of his fellow veterans. These lectures will allow you to obtain the necessary military proof for joining an associated hereditary society.

David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society since 1993. David is an internationally recognized speaker and author on the topics of genealogy and military history. David is co-host of Extreme Genes radio show and podcast since 2015. David's expertise is New England, Atlantic Canada, British Isles and military records.

www.chicagogenealogy.org/event-4385746

Cost: $10 members (that’s only $5/per webinar!) and $20 non-members. Register at CGS website under events. Space is limited to 100 spots. A waitlist option will be available. No refunds after November 27, 2021. The online payment service fee of $1.50 will be deducted from refunds. These presentations will not be recorded.

Chicago Genealogy Source: Chicago City Government Records Guide

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 01:30:59 GMT

A new research guide is out on Chicago City Governmental Records. You can find the guide on the Northeastern Illinois University Libraries website Home - Chicago City Government Records - Research Guides at NEIU Libraries (libguides.com)

The purposes of the guide: offer an overview of the structure of city government and identify its principle office-holders over time, help researchers understand what records exist for conducting research on Chicago city government & officials and point researchers to the various digital and brick-and-mortar archives that house City government records.

Sections include:

Departments and Agencies
City Council
City Officials
City Courts
Archives

Check out the videos on collection overviews and how to access records.

Thanks to a great CGS member for sharing this new guide with us!

For a Limited Time! CGS Journal Special Edition

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 01:24:47 GMT

For a Limited Time!

The Chicago Genealogical Society’s Quarterly Journal Special Edition 150^th Anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire 1871-2021 is available in hardcopy $10.00 and pdf $5.00 for a limited time. You can purchase a copy on the CGS website under donate. www.chicagogenealogy.org ;

Reminder – Members can find a copy of the issue as a .pdf in the members only section of the CGS website.

CGS EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 21:53:20 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society continues to commemorate the 150^th Anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire.

We proudly present our CGS EXCLUSIVE video "150 Years Later: The Great Chicago Fire, Its Impact and our Ancestors' Firefighting History" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vtW3ZIGTI8

You can also find the link on the CGS website main page. Enjoy!

Special Edition 150th Anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire 1871-2021 Quarterly Issue

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 21:27:03 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society publishes a Special Edition 150^th Anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire 1871-2021 Quarterly Issue to commemorate this historic event that impacted so many Chicagoans.

The cover map shows how large the burnt district was. It was published for the benefit of the Relief Fund. The issue is full of articles and pictures covering during and after the fire.

CGS Members - To access the electronic version, go to the Chicago Genealogical Society’s website at www.chicagogenealogy.org. Sign into the website and select Members Only Section button on the upper right side. Select The Chicago Genealogist tab. Look for the newest version “Vol 54, No 1 2021” on the top row. Click on it and then you can read & enjoy the newest issue.

Announcing a Special Military Afternoon at CGS

Sun, 19 Sep 2021 03:26:52 GMT

Exciting things are happening at the Chicago Genealogical Society! Announcing a special military afternoon:

4 December 1:00pm & 2:30pm –

Roll Call of Resources: Researching Revolutionary War and U.S. Civil War Ancestors

Military Doubleheader! Two military webinars in one afternoon.

Join us for this special afternoon to learn about military resources with David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist of the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

1:00pm – Revolutionary War

2:00pm – 30-minute break

2:30pm – U.S. Civil War

How to Use Pinterest For Genealogy Research

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 02:44:13 GMT

How to Use Pinterest

Even if you “don’t do” Social Media, give the concept in this blog post a listen . . .

Wouldn’t it be great if you could find lists of websites that were curated by experts when you’re researching a genealogical topic? Like a list of recommended research sources for the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that was compiled by the Chicago Genealogical Society. This is exactly what you’ll find if you go to our CGS Pinterest Board called “Recommended Great Chicago Fire Research Sources” at https://www.pinterest.com/ChicagoGenSoc/the-great-chicago-fire-of-1871-research-sources/

And wouldn’t it also be great to create your own list of your favorite websites and to borrow parts of other people’s lists that they update for you (so you don’t have to search for any new website links)?

This in a nutshell is Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com

After you create a free account, you can search for Boards (other people’s lists of websites). When you look at a Board, instead of a bullet point list you’ll see descriptive Pins like the one at the right (small visual bookmarks with a link to a website). When you click on a Pin, your computer opens a new window displaying that website. You can always use other people’s Pins, or by clicking the red Save button inside of a Pin, you can save it to your own Pin collection.

CGS has set up its Pinterest page at https://www.pinterest.com/ChicagoGenSoc/ with nine Boards:

“About Us . . . Chicago Genealogical Society”
“Blog Recommendations”
“Chicago Military Research Recommendations”
“Ethnic Chicago Genealogical Resources”
“Of Interest”
“Recommended Great Chicago Fire Research Sources”
“Research Resources Recommendations”
“Research Guide Recommendations”
“Social Media . . . Chicago Genealogical Society”

If you’d like to get started with Pinterest, we suggest that you visit the Pinterest Help Center at https://help.pinterest.com/en And here are some topics that can help you get started:

“Find your Profile” https://help.pinterest.com/en/article/find-your-profile
“Create a Board section” https://help.pinterest.com/en/article/create-a-board-section
“Add Pins from the web” https://help.pinterest.com/en/article/add-pins-from-the-web

If you’re hesitant to join any Social Media platform due to privacy concerns, we recommend that you use a name other than your legal name, and you display a Profile photo of a sunset or other object.

We hope you’ll come visit our CGS Pinterest page and use our Boards to enhance your genealogical journey.

CGS’s Recommendations for Commemorating The 150th Anniversary of The Great Chicago Fire on October 8, 2021

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 01:55:25 GMT

We're sharing our "Chicago Genealogical Society’s Recommendations for Commemorating The 150th Anniversary of The Great Chicago Fire on October 8, 2021." We hope they will help enrich your understanding of what some of our Chicago ancestors experienced.

Chicago Genealogy Source: Evangelical Lutheran Church of St Paul, Austin (Chicago) Records

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 16:10:42 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society Quarterly has been published since 1969 and the issues are loaded with genealogy gems. One such gem is church records from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St Paul, Austin (Chicago). The church is located on Menard Avenue at Iowa Street.

A CGS member transcribed and recorded in the quarterly in the 1970s and 1980s church records. Also, included is a historical sketch that was compiled in 1961 for the 75^th anniversary of the church.

The Chicago Genealogical Society published four listings:

Marriage Records – 1886-1900 (Vol. 8, No. 3, Spring 1976), information included groom and bride names & addresses, ages, birthdates, licenses number, wedding date, and attendants. A picture of the church appears on this issue’s cover. Picture above.

Birth and Baptismal Records – 1884-1900 (Vol. 16, No. 4, Summer 1984), information included name, birth date, baptismal date, and parents.

Confirmation Classes – 1887-1900 (Vol. 20, No. 4, Summer 1988), information included child, father, birthdate, and baptized.

Death Book 1 – 1886-1901 (Vol. 21, No. 1, Fall 1988), information included name, date of death, date buried, age, and survivors.

These issues are available through CARLI (Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois) Digital Collections site.

http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/nby_cgs

Select “Browse all items in collection” and then look for volume and issue number.

Happy Researching!

Good Read - Chicago’s Great Fire: The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City

Sat, 14 Aug 2021 02:24:41 GMT

With the 150^th Anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire coming in October, maybe you are looking for a good read on the subject. Carl Smith’s Chicago’s Great Fire: The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City would be a good book to consider checking out.

Published in 2020, this book is one of the most recent books on the subject. Chicago’s Great Fire covers the agonizing experience of the fire and all the aftermath Chicagoans faced.

An added bonus, there are great maps in the book that were created by Dennis McClendon of Chicago Cartographics. Dennis gave a great webinar for CGS in October 2020. CGS Members can view the presentation in the members only section of the CGS website.

Check your local library for a copy.

Zoom Backgrounds

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 18:03:36 GMT

Are you tired of the standard Zoom backgrounds? Want to show your love for Chicago? Would you like to impress your family and friends with a neat Chicago Zoom background?

The Chicago History Museum is offering FREE ZOOM backgrounds from their image collection. They offer several images you can download and use. There are instructions on both downloading the images and what to do on Zoom to set it up. Check out the Chicago History Museum website for more details Zooming through History - Chicago History Museum.

Summer Issue of the Chicago Genealogist is Here!

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 18:20:20 GMT

CGS Members,

The Latest Chicago Genealogist is Here!

See the online 2021 Summer Edition, Vol. 53, No. 4

To access the electronic version - on this website sign into the Members Only Section (button on the upper right side). Select The Chicago Genealogist tab. Look for the newest version “Vol 53, No 4 2021” on the top row. Click on it and then you can read & enjoy the newest issue.

Requested paper copies will be mailed once the printing is finished.

Visiting Chicago City Hall for Vital and Deed Records

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 21:54:05 GMT

Planning a visit to Cook County City Hall for vital or deed records? A recent visit found the procedures have been changed for entry. Now, you can only enter the building via the Washington Street door (not Clark Street). Also, you are required to wait outside now. You can not enter the building until they have room for you in the department you want to visit. Since summer is here, be prepared to stand outside.

Chicago Genealogy Source: Is your Chicago Ancestor’s house a historically significant building today?

Tue, 18 May 2021 03:38:53 GMT

Is your Chicago Ancestor’s house a historically significant building today?

The Chicago Historic Resources Survey (CHRS), completed in 1995, was a decade-long research effort by the City of Chicago to analyze the historic and architectural importance of all buildings constructed in the city prior to 1940. During 12 years of field work and follow-up research that started in 1983, CHRS surveyors identified 17,371 properties which were considered to have some historic or architectural importance. The CHRS database identifies each property's date of construction, architect, building style and type, and Chicago Landmark status.

Search for a building - Website: https://webapps1.chicago.gov/landmarksweb/web/historicsurvey.htm

Search the database by Architect, Address, Year Construction, Community or Style.

Fullerton Pkwy Search Example

629 W Fullerton Pkwy Ammon House Example

Special Joint Webinar with the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago (AAGHSC)

Sat, 10 Apr 2021 15:30:58 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society announces Special Joint Webinar with the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago (AAGHSC) - May 1, 2021, 10:00am CST.

Funeral Home Collections: Utilizing Genealogical Societies and Others for Crowd Sourcing with Ari Wilkins

What useful information can you get from a funeral home for genealogical research? Funeral home records can contain so much more than a death certificate and obituary! Files can reveal the deceased and the family’s extended genealogical information, church affiliations, financial status, and even how they planned for the future. This lecture also describes processing the large donated funeral home collection using a genealogical society.

Ari Wilkins, a graduate of Louisiana State University, has been actively researching family history since 1998. Ari worked with the esteemed genealogist, Dr. James Rose, for many years on his final project Generations: The WPA Ex-Slave Narrative Database. She is the owner of the genealogical consulting company, Black Genesis. Ms. Wilkins also works as a contributor for Proquest’s African American Heritage database.

Ms. Wilkins has spoken nationally at the National Genealogical Society, Federation of Genealogical Societies, Texas State Genealogical Society, Ohio Genealogical Society, Samford Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, American Library Association, and a multitude of local societies.

Ari has been a Library Associate at Dallas Public Library since 2007. She teaches a series of basic research classes using popular genealogical websites. She specializes in African American research.

Registration is required and registration fee is $5.00. Please register for Funeral Home Collections: Utilizing Genealogical Societies and Others for Crowd Sourcing on May 1, 2021 10:00 AM CST at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1920322760865156107

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The Latest Issue of the Chicago Genealogist is Here

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 17:34:26 GMT

CGS Members – make sure you read the latest issue of the Chicago Genealogist, vol. 53 no 3 Spring 2021

In this issue:

Learn about Jefferson Park Pioneers: The James and Sarah (Teague) McGrane Family
Follow A Research Trail - How I Found the Correct John Smith
Who says you can’t find a property record before 1871? Adam Glos and Wife to Peter H. Fippinger Abstract of Title 1851 - The Fippinger Property in Bellwood, Cook County, Illinois
Are you researching someone in Chicago in 1849 and can’t find out what happened to them? Check out - Chicago Deaths From Cholera - Part 1: 11 June to 23 July 1849
Want to learn more about the CGS Ancestor Certificates program? Honoring Your Chicago Ancestors - Program Notes December 2020

Chicago History Museum - Know Before You Go

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 22:29:57 GMT

Good news! The Chicago History Museum will be reopening March 4, 2021. The Research Center will open March 9^th. Before you plan a research trip and catch-up on all your back log, know before you go:

A reservation is required for the Research Center. You can make a reservation starting the last week of the month for the following month. They are operating at a reduced capacity for social distancing.
In 2021, CHM is renovating the underground storage facility which houses the archives and manuscript collections. Some items will not be available to use for research. It is highly recommended to search the online catalog ARCHIE on the CHM website to see if what you are interested in using is available to use. Contact the Research Center if you have any questions by emailing research@chicagohistory.org.

More information on the CHM website Home - Research Center - LibGuides at Chicago History Museum

Moved! Downtown Cook County Vital Records Office

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 03:01:14 GMT

Moved!

Downtown Cook County Vital Records Office at Daley Center 50 W Washington, Suite CL-25 has moved to the Cook County Building at 118 N Clark Street, 1^st Floor. More information on their website. Vital Records | Cook County Clerk's Office

Goodbye 2020 – Hello 2021

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 17:14:28 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society is saying goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021. We are excited about our upcoming programs to kick-off 2021. Hope you can join us!

4 January (7:00pm) - The South Side in Ten Families

*** Monday, 7:00pm CST via ZOOM ***

Mark Hansen, the author of The City in a Garden: A Guide to the History of Hyde Park and Kenwood, will recount episodes in the history of Chicago through brief portraits of ten South Side families.

6 February (1:30pm) - Everyone Has a Story: Why everyday life stories are worth capturing and how to do it

*** Saturday, 1:30pm CST via ZOOM ***

Our speaker will be Nora Kerr. Do you want to capture your own life story or that of a loved one? Take a trip down memory lane or get inspired to interview your family members. You'll leave inspired to tackle this important life work. Whether you're a writer, a storyteller, or a curious child or grandchild of someone with a lot of history, this workshop is for you! We’ll address questions such as...

What makes a good story?
How do I get started?
How should I organize them?
What tools do I need?

8 February (7:00pm) – Open Mic Meet-Up: Genealogy Discoveries Made During Lock Down

*** Monday, 7:00pm CST via ZOOM ***

Share a discovery you have made during the Covid-19 Lock Down with your fellow CGS members. Have you discovered a new online resource? Were you able to get a record from a closed repository? Did you learn a new technology that is a game changer for your research? Have you interviewed a relative using ZOOM? Join us to share your discovery or watch and listen to others share their successes. 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 please keep it to 5 minutes or less to allows others to also share.

8 March (7:00pm) – Friedrich Eiler: Building an Identity from Scant Clues

*** Monday, 7:00pm CST via ZOOM ***

Our speaker will be Jill Morelli, CG. The ability to combine fragments of identity to form a single individual is an important skill for all genealogists. This case study illustrates the techniques used to identify the unknown! Friedrich first appeared in a marriage record for my great grandmother, Ida Berg. It was a surprise to know she had married again, but that wasn't the last of the surprises. Working from the known information, the identity of Friedrich was determined using correlation tools, source analysis and collaboration with a descendant. Not all of our ancestors can be the model citizens and Friedrich was far from it, but he serves as a great vehicle for illustrating tenacity and patience, reasonably exhaustive research and the joys of collaboration.

**Registration is required for all CGS Events via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. Registration will be closed 1 hour before event. The webinar 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.

CGS January 2021 Webinar

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 22:22:00 GMT

Join us on January 4, 2021, at 7:00pm CST for a webinar with speaker Mark Hansen, the author of The City in a Garden: A Guide to the History of Hyde Park and Kenwood.

Mr. Hansen will present The South Side in Ten Families. He will recount episodes in the history of Chicago through brief portraits of ten South Side families.

John Mark Hansen is the Charles L Hutchinson Distinguished Service Professor in Political Science and the College at the University of Chicago. He joined the Chicago faculty in 1986. A native of Kansas, he received his bachelor’s degree at the University of Kansas in 1981 and his Ph.D. at Yale University in 1987. Hansen’s research in political science ranges in top from elections and citizen activism to Congress and interest group politics. Lately, he has set out to chronicle the history of Chicago’s South Side. His first book from the project, The City in a Garden: A Guide to the History of Hyde Park and Kenwood, appeared in 2019.

Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. The webinar will take place virtually via ZOOM. Registration will be closed 1 hour before event. 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.

Hope you can join us!

Chicago Genealogical Society Announces New Ancestor Certificate - Eastland Disaster Certificates

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 17:39:37 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society is pleased to now announce a new ancestor certificate relating to a major event in the history of the city: the sinking of the steamship Eastland in the Chicago River in 1915. Hundreds died in that sinking, becoming the greatest loss of life in Chicago history.

Our society will be issuing a variety of beautiful frameable Eastland Disaster Certificates to those who can genealogically prove (with primary documentation) that they are the descendants of those who were involved in some way in the tragedy and/or its aftermath. Eastland roles include:

- Passenger

- Crew Member, Staff Member

- Responder – Fireman, Fire Insurance Patrolman, Policeman, U.S. Coast Guard

- Diver

- Other – Local Press, Funereal, Ecclesial, Narrowly Missed, Others who assisted, Witnessed, On Committees, etc.

In addition to the Certificates, the documented applications will be privately archived at Chicago’s Newberry Library.

Applicants for the new Eastland Disaster certificates need to complete a genealogical linkage form available online at ChicagoGenealogy.org, to be mailed in together with paper documentation. A small fee (as described on the application form) covers all certification, printing, and archiving costs. Additional duplicate certificates may also be ordered which can be used as gifts to members of your family. All certificates make great ways to ensure that your ancestors are remembered for generations to come.

CGS Announces November Webinar - Identity Puzzles: How to Make Sure You're Following the Right Character

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 01:28:16 GMT

CGS Announces November Webinar

Identity Puzzles: How to Make Sure You're Following the Right Character

Our speaker will be J.H. (“Jay”) Fonkert, CG

November 7, 2020 at 1:30pm CST

Merging or separating identities is a core genealogical problem. Sometimes we find a man or woman of the same name in several different places over time and need to merge identity fragments. Other times, we find two easily confounded individuals in the same place and time, and have to separate identities. A series of research vignettes, including the case of two Johan Sebastian Welhavens of Chicago, illustrate the importance of certain identity in genealogical research.

J. H. (“Jay”) Fonkert, CG, is a genealogy researcher, educator, and writer, who focuses on 19th-century Midwest research. He is a co-managing editor of Minnesota Genealogist and president of the Minnesota Genealogical Society. He has lectured at numerous regional and national conferences, lectured for genealogy societies in eleven states, and has published more than 80 research and teaching articles, including three in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. He is a former trustee of the BCG Education Fund and a former director of the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. Registration will close 1 hour before the event starts. The webinar 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.

CGS October Webinar - Cartographic Tales of Chicago History

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 01:18:00 GMT

CGS Announces October Webinar

Cartographic Tales of Chicago History

Our speaker will be Dennis McClendon

October 5, 2020 at 7:00pm CDT

Historic maps of Chicago tell all kinds of intriguing stories about the city’s origins and development: vanished creeks and woods, big projects never accomplished, forgotten ethnic groups and neighborhoods, mysterious subdivisions, abandoned industrial areas, vice districts and world’s fairs, ghosts of railroad stations and streetcar lines and freight tunnels, reminders of a constantly changing city. Learn about the interesting stories seen in various corners of three dozen maps from Chicago’s past.

Our speaker Dennis McClendon is a Chicago historian and geographer, who makes his living by drawing maps. His design firm, Chicago CartoGraphics, creates a wide variety of maps for the tourism industry and real estate firms, for books such as the AIA Guide to Chicago Architecture and the Encyclopedia of Chicago, the region’s CTA and Pace transit maps, as well as most Chicago-area bike maps. He is well known as an expert on the city’s built environment and transportation, quoted regularly on WTTW’s “Ask Geoffrey” and WBEZ’s Curious City. Check out his website of historic Chicago maps and map sources http://chicagoinmaps.com/index.html.

Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. Registration will close 1 hour prior to the event. The webinar 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.

Chicago Genealogy Source: Suburban Digital Newspaper Collections

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 16:26:58 GMT

Chicago Genealogy Source: Suburban Digital Newspaper Collections

When you are researching your Chicago ancestors, do you ever think about looking in the suburbs? Many of them did move out looking for a larger piece of land or away from the big city noise. Did they have a summer home? Maybe they stayed in the city but their aunts, uncles and cousins moved out.

If any of your ancestors moved to the suburbs, you should check the local town newspapers for items such as birth and marriage announcements, anniversaries and obituaries. Can’t find the suburban newspaper on one of the big newspaper websites? How about checking the library in the town? You can be surprised what you find. Here are two examples:

Harvard IL – The town of Harvard is in McHenry County (last stop on the train line from Chicago) about 63 miles from the Chicago Loop. The Harvard Diggins Library has a digital archives collection of Harvard newspapers from starting in the 1860’s with a few issues through 1979. http://www.harvard-diggins.org/drtest/index.php Under Harvard Newspapers tab. No library card needed.

Elburn IL – The village of Elburn is in Kane County about 45 miles from the Chicago Loop. The Town and Country Public Library District has an archive of area newspapers database that covers 1882 through 2016. https://elburn.lib.il.us/ Under the History & Genealogy tab, select History & Genealogy Database, Historic Elburn Newspapers. No library card required.

If you know of any libraries in the Chicago suburbs that have a digital archives of newspapers, email the library name to CGS (put Suburban Newspaper Digital Archives Collection in the subject line) or post on our Facebook page so we can share the information. Email info@chicagogenealogy.org.

Happy Researching!

Chicago Genealogical Society Announces New Donated Collection

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 00:41:46 GMT

Chicago Genealogical Society Announces New Donated Collection

Bob Jerich, retired executive from Lucent Technologies (the company that acquired one portion of the former Western Electric Company), recently made a gift of a significant collection of corporate newsletters of the Western Electric Company. The Microphone was the newsletter of the Western Electric Hawthorne Works facility in Cicero, IL. The corporate newsletter was initially a weekly publication (from 1922 to 1932), before it was changed to a once monthly publication.

Bob had the foresight to save this collection of newsletters from the dumpster when the Hawthorne Works factory was closed in the mid-1980s. Not only that, but he also had the wisdom to have the newsletters professionally bound to help preserve them. The collection seems to be near complete, ranging from 1922 to 1985 and including over 900 different editions containing more than 7,200 pages.

For genealogists, researchers, and historians, these newsletters are a true treasure trove of personal information. The newsletters are chockful of employee names and occupations, plus dates of employment, anniversaries, retirements, and passings. And, of course, the newsletters are filled with ample photos of the employees. With the Hawthorne Works being such a large and iconic employer for decades, we know that many of you will find these to be important documents in researching your Chicago family genealogy and history.

To make the content of these newsletters useful and useable to a broad audience, the Chicago Genealogical Society (CGS) will be undertaking an important project to scan every page of the more than 7,200 pages in the collection. The digital images will later be made available to members of CGS via the Members Only section of the CGS website. It is also important to note the scanned newsletters will be created with OCR applied to enable text search.

As CGS does not provide archival and caretaking of original documents, once the scanning project has been completed, the entire collection will be gifted to the Chicago History Museum for long-term archival and stewardship. The original newsletters will thereby be available to individuals, families, and researchers for generations to come. And if you do not need access to the originals, or if you live outside of the Chicago area, the digital collection will be available online via the CGS website for members.

The cost to scan this amazing Chicago collection is $4,300. Our Society is kicking off a fundraising campaign for this project. CGS is extremely grateful to have recently received an offer to match gifts made through September 30^th, up to $2,300.

Help us reach our goal and double the impact of your gift. Donate today at www.chicagogenalogy.org.

Note – any donation amounts over $4300 will be applied to the next CGS scanning project.

CGS Webinar - The Art of Negative-Space Research: Women

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 13:00:00 GMT

CGS Announces September Webinar

The Art of Negative-Space Research: Women

Our speaker will be Jeanne Larzalere Bloom

September 12, 2020 at 1:30pm CDT

Like using negative space in art, the successful identification of women is often accomplished by using the records of friends and family. A case study demonstrates how to successful use this technique.

Jeanne Larzalere Bloom is a full-time professional researcher specializing in Chicago and Cook County research, forensic genealogy, problem-solving, and multi-generational family histories. On behalf of the Department of the Army, Jeanne searches for and identifies family members of unaccounted for servicemen from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Jeanne writes articles for scholarly journals and society publications. She is a frequent lecturer at conferences, workshops, and institutes.

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

Chicago Genealogy Source: Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 17:01:54 GMT

The Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society’s mission is to collect, preserve and share the story of the diverse community of Chicago’s far north side. The Society is located at 7363 N. Greenview Ave., Chicago.

The Society’s website provides a history of this Chicago neighborhood “The World in One Neighborhood” https://rpwrhs.org/a-short-history-of-rogers-park-and-west-ridge/

For genealogy research, their website provides the following information about their collection:

Photographs – 9,000 images digitized and cataloged. The collection includes class photos from elementary and high schools, neighborhood prominent residents, daily life scenes and special events.

Papers – The collection includes important papers and historical records of prominent individuals, families and businesses in the neighborhood.

Books - Limited selection of business and telephone directories. Some school yearbooks.

Note – The Society is in the process of transferring stewardship of some of the material to the Northside History Collection held at the Sulzer Reginal branch of the Chicago Public Library. Another great location to check for genealogy research.

The Society also provides a Property History Research Service for properties located in Rogers Park and West Ridge.

Call or check their website before your visit to confirm they are open. They currently have limited hours. https://rpwrhs.org/

Happy Researching!

Commemoration of 105th Anniversary of the Eastland Disaster

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 17:16:24 GMT

On Friday, July 24, dozens of people will gather along the Chicago Riverwalk on the west side of Clark Street. Descendants of survivors, victims, and heroes will be present to share their families’ stories.

The commemoration ceremony of the 105^th anniversary of the Eastland Disaster will be hosted by the Eastland Disaster Historical Society (EDHS), now a part of the Chicago Genealogical Society (CGS). The public ceremony will take place at 12 noon along the Riverwalk between Clark and LaSalle Streets, which is the exact site of the tragedy. The ceremony will conclude with white rose petals being laid into the Chicago River by those who have gathered.

We ask you to follow the current Chicago Department of Public Health guidelines regarding COVID-19 if you attend this outdoor event. If you are not able to personally attend, the event will be streamed Live through Facebook, at both the EDHS and CGS Facebook pages.

105 years ago on July 24, 1915, the S.S. Eastland – a ship known for its speed yet also its instability – was docked and ready to embark on its chartered excursion. However, the Eastland never departed as it capsized, killing 844 people in the process. With more passenger fatalities than the Titanic, the capsizing of the Eastland was unprecedented in maritime annals: Had such a possibility been suggested by anyone prior to its occurrence, it would have been dismissed as an impossibility. Here was a great steel vessel built to stand rough weather on the Great Lakes that simply rolled over onto its side in the tranquil waters of the Chicago River while still partially tied to the wharf. While the odds of such an unprecedented occurrence were staggering, the haunting question that will never be sufficiently answered is whether the tragedy could have been prevented.

CGS Members Only Summer 2020 Project

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 16:01:53 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society announces a special Birth/Marriage/Death records project for members only. Let us help you obtain locked Cook County, Illinois, Birth/Marriage/Death record images from familysearch.org. You will need to locate the record on familysearch.org and provide name, date, GS film number, digital folder number, image number, reference id, record number and certificate number. Not all numbers are provided for each record. (Instructions on reverse side of project form). We are NOT doing research. We are retrieving record images only. This is a members only project. Members can request ONE record for FREE. Members can also request up to TWO additional records for $5.00 each. Requests are due by August 31, 2020. Requests will be filled in the order they are received and images will be emailed.

Email the completed project form, type required information directly into an email or send familysearch.org screen shots to info@chicagogenealogy.org and pay if required at www.chicagogenealogy.org/donate. Or you can mail the completed project form to CGS, P.O. Box 1160, Chicago, IL 60690-1160, Attn: Birth/Marriage/Death Records Project. If payment is required make check payable to CGS. Deadline is August 31, 2020.

CGS Virtual Meet-Up – “Ask the Expert” About Eastland Disaster Genealogical Records

Sat, 27 Jun 2020 17:44:38 GMT

Virtual Meet-Up: “Ask the Expert” About Eastland Disaster Genealogical Records

With Ted Wachholz

**This Meet-Up will be offered at 1:00pm CDT and 7:00pm CDT on 21 July 2020 so make sure you register for the correct time you are interested in**

As a by-product of the amazing disaster relief efforts provided in 1915 by the American Red Cross and the Western Electric Company, we are blessed today with having a unique collection of historical records that provide insight into families in Chicago at the turn of the century. The collection includes and honors the people who lost their lives, survivors, crew, U.S. Coast Guard, policemen, firemen, divers, funeral directors, and others.

These records, assembled over twenty years, are now becoming available via a joint effort with the Chicago Genealogical Society (CGS) and the Newberry Library. The “Ask the Expert” host, Ted Wachholz, will use select examples of the records to reveal what type of information will soon be available to researchers, genealogists, and historians. It is important to note that this collection is truly 1-of-a-kind, and will be available only via the Chicago Genealogical Society (Members Only section of the website) or the Newberry Library (physical archives).

In addition to exploring the content of the historical documents archived at the Newberry, Ted will provide a sneak preview into two other projects which are joint efforts with CGS and the Newberry. The first is an exciting new collaboration with the Newberry in using the interactive ChicagoAncestors.org as a new way to interact and engage with the Eastland Disaster content. The second is an equally exciting new undertaking with CGS to provide a surname index to the Eastland Disaster content as well as all surname content on file with CGS.

During the course of the meet-up, Ted will also discuss and explore the explanations behind the two most frequently asked questions about the Eastland Disaster. (a) What caused the Eastland Disaster? (b) Why is the history of the tragedy so obscure, even in the greater Chicago area?

About the speaker - Ted Wachholz has spent over twenty years researching the history of the Eastland Disaster. His research was balanced between the history of the tragedy and the families that were involved in the tragedy. In 2005, Ted authored the third book ever written about the Eastland Disaster. Ted’s passion and interest in the Eastland Disaster was sparked by his personal connection to the tragedy: His wife’s grandmother, Borghild “Bobbie” Aanstad, survived the tragedy as a young teenager.

Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. At the time of registration, you will have the opportunity to submit a question to the expert. He will try to incorporate submitted questions into the talk and will answer as many questions as time allows after.

This talk 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.

The talk will be recorded and uploaded to the members only section of the CGS website for future viewing.

**This Meet-Up will be offered at 1:00pm CDT and 7:00pm CDT on 21 July so make sure you register for the correct time you are interested in**

CGS Quarterly Journal Summer 2020 Edition Now Available to Members

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 18:58:58 GMT

The Latest Chicago Genealogist is Here!

See the online 2020 Summer Edition, Vol. 52, No. 4

To access the electronic version, go to the Chicago Genealogical Society’s website at www.chicagogenealogy.org. Sign into the website and select Members Only Section button on the upper right side. Select The Chicago Genealogist tab. Look for the newest version “Vol 52, No 4 2020” on the top row. Click on it and then you can read & enjoy the newest issue.

Direct link for members: https://chicagogenealogy.org/CGS-Quarterly-Index-and-Copies

Requested paper copies will be mailed once the printing is finished.

CGS Virtual Meet-Up – “Ask the Expert” About Chicago Property Records

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 21:05:42 GMT

CGS Virtual Meet-Up – “Ask the Expert” About Chicago Property Records – June 25 at 7:00pm CDT

With Craig Pfannkuche

Chicago/Cook County property records are a wonderful source of data for family history researchers. This is so, in part, because the property records for Cook County are kept in a “Torrens” form. In every other county in Illinois, property records are organized alphabetically and chronologically. This certainly makes it easy to find a specific land seller (grantor) or buyer (grantee) on a specific data. It needs to be remembered that, because Chicago was settled in a very ethnic manner with different sections of the city hosting different ethnicities to a great degree, many relatives, when they came to the city, tended to move in very closely to that earlier immigrant family member. What the Torrens system allows, which the other system does not, is for a researcher to actually “walk the streets” of a neighborhood in a specific year looking for the names of relatives. The records allow one to figuratively walk down a street seeing who all is living on a street in any specific time period.

There is a second very important reason why Cook County property records should be of great interest to family history researchers. Often, when a person dies, the family property is passed on to the next generation; sometimes to a married daughter of the property owner. One can, by looking at the records, discover married family members who can not be found in the “Index to Illinois Marriages.” Upon occasion, as in the presenter’s case, an adult child who got the property was “blackballed” by her siblings because she, and not other family members, got the property. The presenter’s parents never once mentioned that married daughter’s family name until the presenter came across it in the property records.

There is a third extremely important reason to do research in Cook County property records. Remembering that deaths were not required to be “registered” in Illinois until 1916, those who died while owning property most often had their “estates” go through probate. The property records make note of deaths which are not listed in the “Index to Illinois Deaths.” One might think that relatively poor people in Chicago did not own property but, because of Samuel Gross, Chicago “cottages” were much more widely available than is usually thought to low income workers in the 1880’s and beyond. Further, property records can indicate whether there were “bad guys” on one’s family tree.

This presentation will discuss these things in some detail. Additionally, the presentation will discuss the method which one must know in order to search property records as well as where this work can be done. While one can use a “Property Index Number (PIN)” to find information about a specific piece of property, the presenter will discuss the use of the Sidwell maps to find neighborhood properties even if a specific address and/or PIN number is not known. It is a most interesting and exciting method for a researcher to use.

Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. At the time of registration, you will have the opportunity to submit a question to the expert. They will try to incorporate submitted questions into the talk and will answer as many questions as time allows after.

This talk will take place virtually via ZOOM. All people registered will receive an email a few days before the event with log-in instructions and a link. This information is not to be shared. If you are not familiar with ZOOM, we suggest you watch this YouTube video ahead of time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9isp3qPeQ0E

The talk will be recorded and uploaded to the members only section of the CGS website for future viewing.

CGS Webinar - Travels with My Sister: Genealogical Journeys

Tue, 19 May 2020 22:25:50 GMT

6 June 2020 at 1:30pm

Chicago Genealogical Society Webinar:

Travels with My Sister: Genealogical Journeys

Our speaker will be Caron Brennan.

Traveling to a significant location in your personal history can be a very satisfying experience. Seeing the homes of your ancestors, walking the paths of your people and seeing the geography that informed their existence can be moving as well as helpful to understanding them. This presentation uses Caron's real-life adventures of traveling to do genealogical research.

Caron loves history, biography, puzzles and a good mystery, which makes her perfectly suited to genealogy research! She has been researching her family history since a 6th grade school project got her interested. Caron’s only vice is genealogy so she has subscriptions to many resources including Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, Genealogybank.com, Fold3.com, and Newspapers.com. She is also a big fan of free sites, her most used being FamilySearch.org.

Caron 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 Society Liaison for the Illinois State Genealogical Society; Facilitator for the Chicago Region of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and Web Master for the Chicago Genealogical Society. She previously held Board positions at the Illinois State Genealogical Society, the Chicago Genealogical Society and CAGGNI (the Computer-Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois).

When not working at her day job, researching her own family tree or making genealogy presentations, Caron may be researching for others or writing for her blogs!

The program handout will be posted in the members only section of the CGS website the day before the webinar under the Webinar Archive tab.

The webinar will be recorded and saved in the members only section of the CGS website for future viewing.

Registration is required.

Please register for Travels with My Sister: Genealogical Journeys with Caron Brennan on Jun 6, 2020 1:30 PM CDT at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7341856260578304268

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Brought to you by GoToWebinar®

Webinars Made Easy®

2020 Chicago Family History Research Sites Guide is Here!

Wed, 06 May 2020 21:16:03 GMT

2020 Chicago Family History Research Sites Guide

Find suggestions for tracing your Chicago family history in our City’s fine repositories, as well as a summary of their holdings. There are, of course, additional genealogical resources in the city, but those listed here are basic starting points. Directions from Downtown using public transit are also included.

Start today planning your next Chicago research trip now so when the stay-at-home order is lifted you will be ready to go!

You can find the guide on our website. Go to the Chicago Genealogical Society’s website at www.chicagogenealogy.org. Select the Research Tab on the top bar and then select “Chicago and Cook County”. You will find “Chicago Family History Research Sites” and a link to a .pdf.

Good luck with your research!

CGS Webinar - Where Did Grandpa Go? Using Maps to Solve Genealogical Problems

Fri, 01 May 2020 15:19:36 GMT

Where Did Grandpa Go? Using Maps to Solve Genealogical Problems. Our Speaker will be Ginger Frere.

Using case studies, Ginger Frere will demonstrate ways in which a wide variety of maps can be used to solve genealogical mysteries. Learn how to break down brick walls caused by boundary changes, look at migration paths, and find the exact location of where your ancestors lived.

Ginger Frere, MLIS, MBA, is a professional researcher who provides a variety of services to authors, historians, film makers and individuals interested in genealogy. Her primary research interests include Chicago history and the creation of online tools for students and genealogists. She has worked on projects such as the development of ChicagoAncestors.org, fact checking a book on the Chicago Fire for the History Comic series, and the development of a Newberry Digital Collection on “Chicago After the Fire” for teachers and students.

In addition to researching, Ginger is a frequent speaker in the Chicago-land area and a regular instructor in Chicago’s Newberry Library Adult Education seminar program. She is also a Newberry Scholar-in-Residence.

The program handout will be posted in the members only section of the CGS website the day before the webinar under the Webinar Archive tab.

The webinar will be recorded and saved in the members only section of the CGS website for future viewing.

Registration is required.

Please register for CGS Webinar #5: Ginger Frere, MLIS, MBA on May 2, 2020 1:30 PM CDT at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3648418581403072779

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Brought to you by GoToWebinar®

CGS Program Notes Index Published

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 03:04:23 GMT

Dedicated Chicago Genealogical Society members volunteer to write Program Notes for CGS programs and events for members who were unable to attend. Program Notes are for presentations, tours and genealogy day events. These Program Notes were published in the society’s newsletter until April 2019. Going forward CGS posts the Program Notes separately on the website.

Just published in the members only section is an index of Program Notes from January 2006 – April 2019 detailing what issue the Program Notes were published. Once a member locates an issue date of interest, they can go to the “Past Issues of CGS Newsletter” tab in the members only section for the issue.

Check out the index. Maybe you will find a new avenue to research or get an idea to spur your research forward. See example below.

CGS Quarterly Journal Spring 2020 Edition Now Available to Members

Fri, 13 Mar 2020 20:26:19 GMT

The Latest Chicago Genealogist is Here!

See the online 2020 Spring Edition, Vol. 52, No. 3

To access the electronic version, go to the Chicago Genealogical Society’s website at www.chicagogenealogy.org. Sign into the website and select Members Only Section button on the upper right side. Select The Chicago Genealogist tab. Look for the newest version “Vol 52, No 3 2020” on the top row. Click on it and then you can read & enjoy the newest issue.

Direct link for members: https://chicagogenealogy.org/CGS-Quarterly-Index-and-Copies

Requested paper copies will be mailed once the printing is finished.

UPDATE - House Bill 4210 of the 101st Illinois General Assembly

Sat, 29 Feb 2020 17:56:22 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society recently sent out and posted alerts regarding Illinois House Bill 4210 (HB 4210) which addresses excessive fees for documents in Illinois coroners’ offices. The bill passed out of committee 13-1. Thank you to everyone who were able to submit witness slips in support.

We now need your support to contact your Illinois representative to support and cosponsor the bill. The bill is now at 3^rd reading and can be called anytime for a House floor vote.

Attached is a sample letter you can use and / or format in your own words. If your representative is the sponsor or cosponsor, please write that rep and thank him / her for the support. You can find your Illinois representative and contact information as well as bill information at www.ilga.gov. If the link does not work, copy and paste it into a new window.

If you currently do not live in Illinois, please share this information with your genealogy and family history family/friends/associates who can help support this House Bill. Every person can make a difference. A successful outcome will benefit ALL researchers.

Your support is greatly needed and appreciated. Feel free to contact CGS if you have any questions at info@chicagogenealogy.org.

sample letter to Ill reps - HB 4210 - support and cosponsorship.docx

House Bill 4210 of the Illinois 101st General Assembly – Your Help is Needed!

Sun, 16 Feb 2020 01:20:54 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society Advocacy Committee has been working with legislators relating to excessive research related fees in Illinois coroner offices which impact researchers greatly.

Since 1979 Illinois has been taxing the dead. Counties charge fees for coroner reports. These documents contain verdicts and transcripts, and the fees to obtain copies of them are mandated by Illinois statute. The fees as they stand are excessive, ranging upward from $5.00 per page. For historians, researchers, genealogists doing primary research, or anyone who likes their public information more - not less – public, the fees run counter to the ideals of open records and free access to information.

This new House Bill 4210 (HB 4210) of the Illinois 101^st General Assembly recently introduced by La Shawn Ford, represents working together with the coroners' association and their lobbyist Brian Duffy over the past year where we have found common ground. The new language of HB 4210 provides for a $15 flat rate for research documents over 20 years (modeled after the Vital Records Act) and gives the coroner the right to waive the fees.

Your help is needed because HB 4210 is scheduled for a hearing this Thursday Feb 20^th. Illinois residents are needed to support this bill in the form of witness slips.

Your support as an Illinois resident is needed. HB 4210 is scheduled for a committee hearing this week on February 20th. Following is a link to the bill status and bill text as well as a link to the witness slips. We are asking everyone possible to file a witness slip in favor of HB 4210. Check as a Proponent and at the end of the witness slip, you can check "Record of Appearance Only." THIS MUST BE DONE BY FEBRUARY 20th

http://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/123197?committeeHearingId=17574&LegislationId=123197&LegislationDocumentId=156293

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=4210&GAID=15&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=123197&SessionID=108&SpecSess=&Session=&GA=101

Additionally, please contact your state representative to support the HB 4210.

The research related coroner fees are relatively recent; the fee language was added to the law in 1979, instituting fees for copies in the coroner’s office. The legislative debates on SB 1157 1979 provide little insight as to why these fees were added. SB 1157 passed the Senate with one no vote and the House placed the bill on the consent calendar where it passed 127-1-27. What began at $2.00 per page, eventually with subsequent legislation, became a whopping $5.00 per page. This coroner fee structure became an exception to the Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act which provides that an agency can charge fees reasonably calculated to reimburse its actual cost for reproducing, that the first 50 pages of a public record have no fees charged, and that fees when charged not exceed 15 cents per page.

For example, in the course of researching a historic 1956 Chicago murder, a researcher became acquainted with the family of the victims. He learned that they had never received a copy of the coroner’s inquest records. After the family was given a daunting and unnecessary runaround from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office concerning the availability of the documents, they sought to obtain copies. Upon being told they would have to pay $1,200 for a copy of the inquest transcript concerning their own family members, they asked for an explanation. The staff indicated that there was nothing they could do and that the family should hold a fundraiser. Similar experiences abound. Another researcher requested a photocopy of an inquest transcript related to a 1918 murder. He received a reply stating that the record consisted of 161 pages and that the total charge would be $805, an amount not typically in the budget for the average researcher or family member.

The coroner transcript for the investigation of the sinking of the Eastland in 1915 is available at the Chicago Public Library and can be scanned at no cost, but the 157- page document would cost $785 at the current rate mandated by Illinois statute.

These are public records, not the private stash of a public office or office holder.

Too many government agencies and archives have long treated historians, genealogists and other researchers as if we were asking them for a favor when we ask to see their records — our records — rather than recognizing their responsibilities to the public under the law. Having excessive fees in place taxes the dead and is a deterrent to public access and open records. HB 4210 will address this problem and bring the fees to a reasonable level.

Finding a Grave in the Chicago Catholic Cemeteries is Now Easier Than Ever

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 19:33:05 GMT

For years the Archdiocese of Chicago Cemeteries has been a user-friendly place for people visiting a grave. They have computer kiosks in the cemetery office lobbies where visitors can look up a grave location and print out a map to help them find the grave. The office staff is always happy to produce the same printout, if that is desirable.

The best thing about their printout, though, is the inclusion of a Quick Response Code (QR Code) in the lower right corner, which provides the exact GPS coordinates to the grave. This feature has been in place for years, but was often considered not worth the effort required to find, install and then learn how to use an app to read the QR Code on a smartphone. Recently, though, both Android and Apple have incorporated a QR Code reader directly into the phone's Camera function in the most recent versions of their operating systems, and made it as close to automatic as possible. So, if you have purchased a phone in the past year or two, or updated the operating system software to the latest versions, this will work for you.

What follows will show exactly how to use this feature using an Android phone running Android version 9. The procedures for an iPhone are similar.

The image below is an example of the printout from the cemetery computer kiosk. Note the QR Code in the lower right corner.

Initiate the phone's camera and aim it in the general direction of the QR Code. As shown below, the phone recognizes a QR Code is present with the yellow QR icon, highlighted by the red arrow.

By tapping the yellow QR icon on the phone, above, the phone displays the URL to the web page associated with the QR Code.

By tapping on the URL, above, the phone will automatically connect to Google Maps and open the map showing the location of the grave with a red drop marker, as shown below.

Of course, the map view can be changed to Satellite View and zoomed in as below.

If you are not familiar with the cemetery layout, and unsure how to get from the office to the grave, you can tap the blue Directions button on the bottom portion of the phone screen and it will generate a route from the office to the road location nearest the grave you want to visit. As in this case, below:

Once you have followed the route to your parking spot, the phone will even show the (in this case) 161 foot walk to the grave.

As genealogists and family historians, you may want to add your family's graves to Find A Grave, and you can use the same GPS coordinates from the kiosk printout to enter the exact grave location. Here is the link to the Find A Grave memorial for the example we have just covered:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/186794032/calogero-italiano

Note the “Show Map” link on the memorial, which will open the same map as above.

And, finally, here is an image of the QR Code we have used. If you are viewing this on something other than your smartphone, and you have a recent operating system on your phone, you can aim your phone's camera at this QR Code and give it a try.

Registration Open for Upcoming Tours

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 02:32:38 GMT

Registration is now open for our Upcoming Tours:

March 20 (Friday) - Chicago & North Western Historical Society Archives Tour

Tour Guide - Craig Pfannkuche

Location – C&NWHS Archives, Clarence Ave and Stanley Ave, Berwyn, at 9:30am. Free for members. Registration required.

The tour of the C&NWHS archives includes viewing the types of maps available for research, seeing photo files including many communities in the upper Midwest, viewing community railroad related maps, obituary filled company magazines, many different types of correspondence concerning the development of Chicago, old Chicago deeds, and a new personnel file among other things.

CGS will be given a special tour of the archives. Online registration on the CGS website will be required, under events https://chicagogenealogy.org/event-3727259 . Registration opens February 1, 2020. Free for CGS members. Group size is limited to 10, waitlist option is available. If we have a big waitlist, we will schedule an additional tour for another day. Note - the Archives is in a warehouse so dress based on the weather outside.

Transportation options:

Car – Park on the streets around the Archives.

Train – Metra BNSF line, from Chicago Union Station to Berwyn stop arrives 9:09am. Return train inbound back to Union Station leaves Berwyn 11:21am. The Archives is on the north side of the tracks and three blocks east of Oak Park Ave.

May 2 - Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library

Location - Pritzker Military Museum & Library, 104 S. Michigan Ave. 2nd Floor, Chicago, at 10:15am. Free for members. Fee for non-members. Registration required.

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library is a center where citizens and service members come together to learn about military history and affairs. The Museum & Library features an extensive collection of books, programs, artifacts, and rotating exhibits which cover many eras and branches of the military. The tour will focus on military history and research. More information at http://www.pritzkermilitary.org/

CGS will be given a special in-depth 90-minute tour of the museum and library. Online registration on the CGS website will be required, under events https://chicagogenealogy.org/event-3561749. Registration opens February 1, 2020. Free for CGS members and $11.00 for non-members. Registration closes 4/27/20 and no refunds after 4/27/20. Group size is limited, waitlist option is available.

We will meet at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, 104 S. Michigan Ave. 2nd Floor, Chicago, at 10:15am.

Chicago Genealogy Source: W.A. Haggard’s Undertaker Records 1895-1916

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 21:15:39 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society Quarterly has been published since 1969 and the issues are loaded with genealogy gems. One such gem is the W.A. Haggard’s Undertaker Records 1895-1916.

Helen Sclair, known as the “Chicago Cemetery Lady,” submitted to the CGS Quarterly a transcription of W. A. Haggard’s Undertaker Records for publication in 1990.

The description she provided:

These names, addresses, dates and cemeteries are from the records of W.A. Haggard, Undertaker, 136 S. Western Ave., Chicago, Illinois (later in Oak Park, Illinois also). Every attempt has been made to decipher the handwriting and spelling of the bookkeepers. Note that the addresses are city-wide. Frequently street names and numbers have been changed since the records were compiled. There are also out-of-town addresses. Sometimes the names are of the deceased and often the names seem to be of those arranging the funerals. The omission of a cemetery name was on the part of the bookkeeper. When “depot” is listed that is all the information available.

Helen transcribed: Name, Address, Date and Cemetery

The Chicago Genealogical Society published four alphabetical listings:

Part 1 – 1895-1900 (Vol. 22, No. 4, Summer 1990)

Part 2 – 1901-1903 (Vol. 23, No. 2, Winter 1990-1991)

Part 3 – 1904-1908 (Vol. 23, No. 2, Winter 1990-1991)

Part 4 – 1909-1916 (Vol. 23, No. 4, Summer 1991)

These issues are available through CARLI (Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois) Digital Collections site.

http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/nby_cgs

Select “Browse all items in collection” and then look for volume and issue number.

Happy Researching!

CGS Quarterly Journal Winter 2020 Edition Now Available To Members

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 17:50:22 GMT

The Latest Chicago Genealogist is Here!

See the online 2020 Winter Edition, Vol. 52, No. 2

To access the electronic version, go to the Chicago Genealogical Society’s website at www.chicagogenealogy.org. Sign into the website and select Members Only Section button on the upper right side. Select The Chicago Genealogist tab. Look for the newest version “Vol 52, No 2 2020” on the top row. Click on it and then you can read & enjoy the newest issue.

Direct link for members: https://chicagogenealogy.org/CGS-Quarterly-Index-and-Copies

Requested paper copies will be mailed once the printing is finished.

Chicago Genealogy Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Researching a Chicago Property

Mon, 06 Jan 2020 21:11:06 GMT

When you are researching your Chicago ancestors, you think of birth/marriage/death records, census records (Federal and State) and city directories to name a few. But what about the property your ancestors lived in? When was it built? What style was it? What type of construction?

Researching a Chicago property is not an easy task. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks provides a step-by-step guide to researching a property, “Your House has a History.” The guide includes architectural styles information, how to research building permits, an annexation map and neighborhood history sources. Plus, it has a good detailed resource center list.

You can find this guide on the City of Chicago website:

https://www.chicago.gov/dam/city/depts/zlup/Historic_Preservation/Publications/Your_House_Has_A_History.pdf

Also, take a look at the City of Chicago Landmarks webpage. Search the Chicago Historic Resources Survey Database. 17,371 Chicago properties are in the database (only some are landmarks). You may get lucky and find your ancestor’s property listed.

https://webapps1.chicago.gov/landmarksweb/web/historicsurvey.htm

Happy Researching!

Proposed Fee Increase by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS)

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 22:57:29 GMT

You have all likely seen some mention of an outrageous proposed fee increase by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). Essentially what they are proposing for fees are: raising the search fee 269% from $65 to $240 and the cost of the actual file 481% from $65 to $385.

If you had relatives who immigrated to the United States in the 20th century, USCIS is the place to order the above records.

USCIS has provided an opportunity for the genealogical community to comment on this proposed Rule that dramatically impacts the USCIS Genealogy Records Program. In coordination with the leadership of other organizations in our community, we want to encourage our members to make their voices heard and express your concern with this outrageous proposal.

Chicago Genealogical Society is recommending everyone to send a letter outlining some of the objections. Your help is needed!

If you would like to read the proposed rule, see:

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-11-14/pdf/2019-24366.pdf

The Genealogy section is Section N which starts on page 62315-62316.

See Section 103.40 for Genealogical Research Requests on page 62359.

The Washington Post had an article on the proposed fee increases last Thursday which may be read at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/12/05/genealogy-boom-has-hit-roadblock-trump-administration-plans-huge-fee-hikes-immigration-records/ .

Additional background may also be found at https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com

We strongly urge you to get behind this process and let USCIS and your local representatives know that you object to this unsupportable, exorbitant charge for access to value genealogical documentation. You can contact your Senators or Representatives via www.senate.gov and www.house.gov, respectively.

CGS Next Program: Mayflower and other Lineage Societies: What are they? Why would I join one? How do I join?

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 20:39:41 GMT

Join us on December 7th for our next program:

Mayflower and other Lineage Societies: What are they? Why would I join one? How do I join?

Everything you ever wanted to know about lineage societies but were afraid to ask – the who, what, when, where and how of joining groups like the Daughters of the American Revolution, Colonial Dames and Mayflower Society are discussed.

Our speaker, Kimberly Ormsby Nagy MD PLCGS, is a retired trauma surgeon with a lifelong passion for genealogy. She is nationally known for her work with lineage societies, and has served on national boards of several. She has 40 years of experience preparing lineage society applications, and has first-hand knowledge of what is necessary to have an application approved. She has extensive lecturing experience, first as a medical educator, now as a genealogical lecturer. She is excited to speak on one of her favorite topics - "Lineage Societies"

All Programs are at the Newberry Library at 1:30pm and free unless noted

Chicago Genealogy Source: Online Chicago Telephone Directory Collection

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 17:09:56 GMT

News From the Library of Congress:

Now available online at the Library of Congress website FREE a collection of Chicago Telephone Books. Why are these so important for your ancestor research? Because they include years beyond the available City Directory years! 1930’s, 1940’s, 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s.

The direct link to the Chicago Collection:

https://www.loc.gov/collections/united-states-telephone-directory-collection/?fa=location:illinois

Chicago Genealogy Source: Union Ridge Cemetery

Thu, 14 Nov 2019 16:58:12 GMT

Looking for information on Union Ridge Cemetery? The history of the cemetery? Do you have an ancestor buried in the cemetery?

Union Ridge Cemetery is located on the north side of Chicago at 6700 West Higgins Road, in Norwood Park Township. In 1838, the farmers living in this small community recognized the need for a cemetery and Henry Smith donated a small corner of his land for that purpose. Initially the cemetery did not have a name, it was just “the Cemetery” and on the 19^th century maps its location was known as “Smith’s Ridge.” Section “O” is the original cemetery. Following the Civil War and the interment of about 67 veterans, the cemetery came to be known as Union Ridge Cemetery.[1]

In 1991 and 1992, a group of Chicago Genealogical Society members volunteered to do a full cemetery reading of the Union Ridge Cemetery. The primary reason for doing the reading was because the cemetery association had no records prior to 1890. A rechecking of the stones was done in the summer of 1994. A book was compiled to preserve this data and published in 1995. Some of the contents of this book include:

- Early History of Norwood Park

- Maps

- History of Union Ridge

- 1941 Map of Union Ridge area

- The Reading

- Some Early Settlers in Cook County

- Civil War Burials in Union Ridge

FindAGrave website currently reports the cemetery has been 72% photographed. Maybe you are lucky your ancestor has been photographed. But can you read the gravestone? This cemetery reading was done 25 years ago. That is 25 Chicago winters the gravestones have weathered since the reading. It is worth checking out the discoveries from years ago. If you ancestor’s gravestone has not been photographed, you could discover the gravestone’s section and information appearing on it. Keep in mind the reading recorded only existing stones and what could be read at the time.

Where can you find the Chicago Genealogical Society Union Ridge Cemetery Book? On CGS’s website www.chicagogenealogy.org in the members only section. Thank you CGS volunteers for completing this project 25+ years ago.

Happy researching!

¹ Chicago Genealogical Society, Union Ridge Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois (Chicago : Chicago Genealogical Society, 1995), p. vii.

CGS Next Program: The Chicago “L” -- Chicago’s Biggest “Mover & Shaker”

Tue, 29 Oct 2019 15:22:16 GMT

This Saturday, November 2, 2019 at 1:30pm Newberry Library

Discover the world-famous Chicago “L” in all its grit and glory with Greg Borzo, author of The Chicago “L.” This PowerPoint presentation portrays the growth and development of Chicago’s most enduring icon. The “L” has been running 24/7 for 127 years. See how it came to be and how it changed the region. Lavishly illustrated with more than 100 images and popular movie clips, Borzo’s rich historical presentation will inform, entertain and spark memories. Travel through time. Mass transit never looked so good!

Greg Borzo is an award-winning journalist. He was editor of Modern Railroads Magazine and has been a health and/or science writer for the American Medical Association, Field Museum and University of Chicago. He conducts public tours of the “L” for the Chicago History Museum and other organizations. The Chicago “L” has been favorably reviewed by more than 30 media outlets. His other books include Chicago's Fabulous Fountains, Chicago Cable Cars, and Lost Restaurants of Chicago.

Born in Chicago, Borzo lives in the South Loop to better enjoy all the art and architecture, culture and history that the city has to offer. He gives tours for the Chicago History Museum, Chicago Cycling Club, and others.

Chicago Genealogy Source: Chicago Ward Boundary History

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 15:08:00 GMT

Does it seem like your Chicago ancestor’s ward changed often? Did your ancestor move or did the boundaries move? The wards were originally set up as six wards in 1837. By 1921, Chicago was divided up into 50 wards. Between 1851-1931, boundaries were changed as well as wards added ten different times.

The following book details the history and boundaries for each ward:

Centennial list of mayors, city clerks, city attorneys, city treasurers, and aldermen : elected by the people of the City of Chicago, from the incorporation of the City on March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1937, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the years during which each official held office / compiled in commemoration of the centennial of the incorporation of Chicago as a city on March 4, 1937, under the direction of Frederick Rex, Librarian, Municipal Reference Library, City of Chicago.

A transcription of this book is available online courtesy of the Chicago History Museum http://chsmedia.org/media/fa/fa/LIB/AldermansList.htm

Per the title of the book, it also includes a list of mayors, city clerks, city attorneys, city treasurers, and aldermen that were elected from March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1937. At the end, there is an added list of aldermen, city treasurers and city clerks for 1933 to April 1979. Maybe you will be lucky enough to have an ancestor who served in public office for Chicago.

Happy researching!

CGS Next Program: Stories in Stone: Decoding the Sentiment behind Cemetery Symbolism

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 16:26:56 GMT

Hope to see you this Saturday, October 5th at 1:30pm, Newberry Library, for our next program - Stories in Stone: Decoding the Sentiment behind Cemetery Symbolism

Have you ever wandered through a cemetery and wondered about the meanings of the designs carved on old gravestones? The symbols found on headstones usually possess special meanings to those interred in their final resting place. But what do they mean? Take a look at historical mourning customs and a virtual tour of several cemeteries and find out!

Our speaker, Debra M. Dudek, is Head of Adult and Teen Services at the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook, IL. She holds a post graduate certificate in Genealogical, Palaeographic & Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, and is the author of the World War I Research Guide: Tracing American Military and Non-Combatant Ancestors – Includes a Guide to Canadian Military Research which is now in its second edition. Her book is available as a free e-book download on the World War I Centennial Commission website, and in paperback on Amazon.com.

CGS Quarterly Journal 2019 Fall Edition Now Available To Members

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 18:04:11 GMT

The Latest Chicago Genealogist is Here!

See the online 2019 Fall Edition, Vol. 52, No. 1

To access the electronic version, go to the Chicago Genealogical Society’s website at www.chicagogenealogy.org. Sign into the website and select Members Only Section button on the upper right side. Select The Chicago Genealogist tab. Look for the newest version “Vol 52, No 1 2019” on the top row. Click on it and then you can read & enjoy the newest issue.

Direct link for members: https://chicagogenealogy.org/CGS-Quarterly-Index-and-Copies

Requested paper copies will be mailed once the printing is finished.

Chicago Genealogy Source: A Peek Into the 35,778 files of the Chicago City Council Proceedings from 1833 through 1871

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 01:23:05 GMT

The Illinois State Archives Collection Chicago City Council Proceedings Files, 1833-1871 is located at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago.

Per the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) website:

“ The Proceedings contain all business of the Chicago City Council including, petitions, resolutions, ordinances, remonstrances, acts and orders of the city council; communications with the city council; reports of committees and officers; reports of teachers; physicians' reports on deaths from smallpox and cholera; accounts of treasurers and other city officers; claims against the city; election returns and poll lists; lists of licenses issued; bonds and oaths of officials; commissions, appointments and resignations of officials; tax assessment rolls; and calls for special meetings.”

The website offers a searchable index of the Chicago City Council Proceedings Files at https://www.ilsos.gov/isairad/chicagocouncilsrch.jsp

This is a treasure trove of information that could possibly help with your pre-fire research.

So, what does the documents in these files look like? What kind of information are included? Fifty examples along with transcriptions have been put online for everyone to view. These documents were originally complied into a teaching packet for Illinois teachers. It is a bonus for us genealogists and family historians to view them.

Examples include:

Physician’s Cholera Report

Petition for the Appointment of a German Constable

Petition of Fireman for an Engine House

All fifty documents and transcriptions can be found on the Cyber Drive Illinois website https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/teaching_packages/early_chicago/documents.html

Hopefully, these examples will inspire you to take a look at the Chicago City Council Proceedings Files for your pre-fire research. Happy researching!

CGS Next Program: Tracking Down Your Infamous Ancestors

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 03:35:09 GMT

Our next program will be at the Newberry Library, September 7 at 1:30pm.

Tracking Down Your Infamous Ancestors

More and more people are interested in learning more about “The Black Sheep” of their family! Find out how to become hot on the trail by using photographs, newspapers, court cases both civil and criminal as well as prison, parole, and other state and federal records.

Ray Johnson is a former criminal investigator, author, local historian and tour guide. He was born in Chicago and currently resides in Brookfield, IL. He owns Johnson Research Services which conducts research for other authors, production companies, attorneys, government agencies and family historians. Ray has published three books on Chicago history and is currently working on three more. He also writes a history blog called Chicago History Cop for ChicagoNow, a Tribune Company. He has been featured as an expert on Discovery ID, The History Channel, PBS, The Travel Channel and many local stations. This free program will be at the Newberry Library at 1:30pm.

Chicago Genealogical Society Bus Tour – Only 3 Seats Left

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 15:29:12 GMT

CGS has reopened registration for ONE DAY ONLY, Tuesday, August 20^th, for the remaining 3 seats for the Chicago’s Greatest Waterway - The I & M Canal Bus Tour on August 24, 2019.

Using a luxury bus, the Chicago Genealogical Society will be hosting a genealogically oriented tour of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, August 24, 9:30am – 4:00pm (starting from and ending at the Ogilvie Transportation Center), which will included such stops as the Chicago Portage National Historic Site, the St. James of the Sag Cemetery, Lockport, Locks at Channahon, and the Seneca Grain Elevator. Chicago Historian and CGS board member,Craig Pfannkuche, will be our guide to learn about this fascinating time in Chicago’s history and how it changed our Chicago ancestor’s lives. Register online at https://chicagogenealogy.org/event-3369936.

Note - Online payment only today and no refund.

Eastland Disaster Historical Society Announcement

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 15:09:39 GMT

Eastland Disaster Historical Society announces gift of

invaluable archival collection to Newberry Library, other iconic organizations

The Eastland Disaster Historical Society (EDHS), now in its 21^st year of honoring those affected by Chicago’s deadliest disaster, announces that it will transition from a family-run, not-for-profit organization to a key asset within several iconic Chicago area institutions including the Newberry Library, Chicago Genealogical Society, and the Chicago Maritime Museum.

Agreements with these institutions will ensure ongoing archival access to the comprehensive collection of EDHS family records, historical documents, and artifacts. Together, these materials tell a vivid story about the Eastland Disaster, the 844 people who tragically died in the event, and the impact it had on their families and the city of Chicago at large.

The invaluable collection of materials related to the Eastland Disaster is a one-of-a-kind collection, having been compiled over the course of more than two decades by EDHS research efforts. It includes information that historically has never been available to the public: family histories and photos provided by thousands of generous families across the country; plus unknown, forgotten, or inaccessible historical documents from various entities including the Cook County Coroner’s Office, the Red Cross, and the Western Electric Company. Six other museums throughout the Great Lakes region will also receive important pieces from the collection.

“We are thrilled about this fantastic collection of historical records coming to the Newberry,” declared Matthew Rutherford, Curator of Genealogy and Local History at the Newberry Library. “We are well-situated to provide access, assist researchers as they use the collection, and make it visible to audiences across Chicago and the rest of the country. The records in the Eastland Disaster collection are vital to family and local history, and to the national record as well.”

“The Eastland Disaster was Chicago’s greatest loss-of-life tragedy, taking the lives of 844 people. The iconic institutions with whom we are working are committed to protecting and honoring the work that EDHS started 21 years ago, ensuring that the stories of Chicago’s greatest tragedy will always be preserved and shared for generations in the future,” explains Ted Wachholz, EDHS Executive Director and Chief Historian.

Agreements have been reached for the gifts of the EDHS collection. The accompanying transition of EDHS becoming a key asset within these organizations will begin this month.

Chicago’s Greatest Loss-of-Life Tragedy

The S.S. Eastland, known as the "Speed Queen of the Great Lakes," was part of a fleet of five excursion boats assigned to take Western Electric employees, families, and friends across Lake Michigan to Michigan City, Indiana, for a day of fun and fellowship. But the festivities were short-lived and quickly turned tragic.

On July 24, 1915, the Eastland, docked at the Clark Street Bridge, never left the Chicago River. Tragedy struck as the ship rolled into the river at the wharf's edge. More than 2,500 passengers and crew members were on board that day; 844 people lost their lives, including 22 entire families, far surpassing the lives lost in the Chicago fire of 1871. This year commemorates the 104^th anniversary of the sinking of the S.S. Eastland.

About EDHS

The Eastland Disaster Historical Society (EDHS) is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization co-founded by Susan Decker and Barbara Decker Wachholz, the granddaughters (and only grandchildren) of brave Eastland Disaster survivor Borghild Amelia Aanstad. The Eastland Disaster Historical Society was founded to preserve and share the names, faces, and stories of thousands of ordinary people who were affected by the tragedy, connecting people today to the history of the tragedy and its victims, survivors, and heroes. More information can be found at EastlandDisaster.org.

Chicago Genealogy Source: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Obituary Index

Sun, 04 Aug 2019 20:53:23 GMT

If you are not having any luck finding your Chicago Ancestor’s obituary, try the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Obituary Index. This index includes many newspapers around the state but also includes the Chicago Daily News which has not been digitized and many suburbs of Chicago (Aurora, Joliet, Elmhurst, Evanston, Harvard, Oak Park, St. Charles) to name a few.

This is NOT a complete index. Per Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum website: The Obituary Index was created from the work of researchers who have researched at their library using the Newspaper Collection. When a researcher found an obituary, they would fill out an obituary form so the staff could print off the obituary. These obituary forms were collected and developed into this obituary index.

Chicago example – You are searching for an obituary for Kathryn Noesen who possibly died in Chicago. No obituary was found searching the Chicago Tribune online. A search of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Obituary Index found an entry “Noesen, Kathryn, Obit Source - Chicago Daily News, Jan. 19, 1916, p. 21, c. 3.” Now you know there is an obituary. You can locate the obituary yourself or you can submit a request for a copy to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

The obituary index and details on how to order an obituary can be found on their website

https://www2.illinois.gov/alplm/library/collections/newspaper/Pages/obit-index.aspx

Again, this is not a complete index of all the obituaries from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Newspaper Collection but it sure is worth checking. Happy researching!

Chicago Genealogy Source: Locating Your Ancestor’s Chicago Catholic Parish

Tue, 16 Jul 2019 20:05:33 GMT

So you learned the Chicago Catholic Church Records from 1833 – 1925 are online at Family Search https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1452409. Some of the collection has been indexed but many records are still only viewed by browsing the collection. There are over 295,000 images available. The records are listed by parish.

These are great sources but what if you don’t know which parish your ancestors attended. The Archdiocese of Chicago website under genealogy resources https://archives.archchicago.org/geneology-resources provides a copy in pdf format of the book by Jack Bochar Locations of Chicago Roman Catholic Churches, 1850-1900. The book has detailed maps of parish locations in Chicago by date. To use this book, locate your ancestors first using city directories and then plot their address(es) on the map based on the time period. (Reminder - Chicago street numbering changes were in 1909 and 1911 and street name changes occured). It is recommended to trace their location over a period of time recording each address in case they moved around a lot. You will be able to see which parishes were in the neighborhood. Then you can browse those parish records. If you don’t have luck with the closest parish, then expand your area and look at the next several parishes. Happy researching!

CGS Quarterly Journal 2019 Summer Edition Now Available To Members

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 16:11:55 GMT

CGS Members - The Latest Chicago Genealogist is Here!

See the online 2019 Summer Edition, Vol. 51, No. 4

To access the electronic version, go to the Chicago Genealogical Society’s new website at www.chicagogenealogy.org. Sign into the website and select Members Only Section button on the upper right side. Select The Chicago Genealogist tab. Scroll down to the newest version “Vol 51, No 4 2019.” Click on it and then you can read & enjoy the newest issue.

Direct link for members: https://chicagogenealogy.org/CGS-Quarterly-Index-and-Copies

Requested paper copies will be mailed once the printing is finished.

Eastland Documentary – Special Invitation to CGS Members

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 00:11:45 GMT

Special Screening

Sunday, July 14, 2019

1-2:30 p.m.

York Theatre in Elmhurst, IL

Eastland: Chicago's Deadliest Day Documentary is the dramatic story of how hundreds of immigrant factory workers and their families, setting out for leisurely summer cruise, died aboard a heavily loaded steamship that tipped over while still tied to the dock in downtown Chicago... and how the rich and powerful who were responsible got away with it.

The Eastland Disaster Historical Society is graciously offering CGS Members an opportunity to attend this Special Screening by registering for FREE tickets before they are available to the general public. This will be your opportunity to see "Eastland" on the big screen in surround sound! Seating is very limited, with tickets available only to current CGS using the following link: http://www.eastlanddisaster.org/documentary then click on “Ticket information here.”

Note – you do NOT have to obtain a membership to EDHS. The link will let you register for FREE.

The tickets are available to the general public starting this Friday, June 28^th, so reserve your tickets today!

Thank you to the EDHS for this opportunity. Another great value and benefits for CGS membership!

Registration is Open for the Upcoming CGS Bus Tour

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 02:23:02 GMT

Our next Genealogical Oriented Bus Tour is coming up on August 24: Chicago’s Greatest Waterway - The I & M Canal.

Using a luxury bus, the Chicago Genealogical Society will be hosting a genealogically oriented tour of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, August 24, 9:30am – 4:00pm (starting from and ending at the Ogilvie Transportation Center), which will included such stops as the Chicago Portage National Historic Site, the St. James of the Sag Cemetery, Lockport, Locks at Channahon, the Seneca Grain Elevator, and the Fox River Aqueduct in Ottawa among many other places in a beautiful summer setting. Chicago Historian and CGS board member, Craig Pfannkuche, will be our guide to learn about this fascinating time in Chicago’s history and how it changed our Chicago ancestor’s lives. See registration details and tour cost under events on our website https://chicagogenealogy.org/event-3369936

Volunteer Opportunity at The National Archives at Chicago

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 20:05:38 GMT

The National Archives at Chicago is looking for volunteers to assist patrons with family history research in our Public Access Computer Room. Primary responsibilities include introducing new genealogists and first time patrons to resources available through the National Archives at Chicago and answering genealogical questions. Using your own experience, teach patrons to navigate family history sources and help them work through “brick walls” in their research. This is an excellent opportunity to network with other genealogists and expand your own research.

We are seeking individuals with the following traits: patience, research skills, and willingness to share information; basic internet and computer skills; and knowledge of Ancestry.com, Fold3.com, and FamilySearch.org. Training on National Archives specific resources will be provided, and we can arrange for a new volunteer to shadow a current volunteer for the first few weeks of volunteer service.

The National Archives at Chicago is located at 7358 S. Pulaski in Chicago and is open to the public Monday to Friday from 8AM to 4PM. Ideally, volunteers commit to helping on a weekly basis, but people willing to commit to as little as one day a month will be considered.

Professional genealogists would not be able to work for pay while volunteering with the National Archives.

Interested candidates should contact Sarah at 773-948-9001 or Chicago.archives@nara.gov.

CGS Next Program - Adoption Searches Past and Present

Tue, 28 May 2019 00:25:45 GMT

Join us this Saturday, June 1^st for our next program at the Newberry Library at 1:30pm

Adoption Searches Past and Present. Our speaker will be Matt Rutherford. Having an adopted ancestor can often be one of the most frustrating and challenging aspects of genealogy research. In times past, records of adoptions weren't as well kept as they are today, making searching for the link between birthparents and adoptees difficult. And, in modern times, adoption searches are often hindered by legal barriers. We'll discuss techniques & tips for researching American adoptions in all time periods.

Matt Rutherford, MLIS, is Curator of Genealogy and Local History at the Newberry Library will be our speaker.

Note - we will start our program with our annual meeting and voting of the 2019-2020 officers.

Did you miss the Eastland Disaster Webinar?

Wed, 22 May 2019 02:39:57 GMT

Did you miss the opportunity to watch the The Eastland Disaster: An Unparalleded Tragedy webinar last Sunday?

You are in luck if you are a Chicago Genealogical Society member. The recording has been posted in the members only section for you to watch on your own schedule. Not a Chicago Genealogical Society member? Join today and view this great webinar.

Sign-Up Today for CGS Special Webinar on the Eastland Disaster

Mon, 13 May 2019 17:44:49 GMT

The Eastland Disaster Historical Society wants to make sure every CGS member has the opportunity to learn more about the Eastland Disaster. So, they have graciously offered to do a webinar to complement the in-person presentation that was done on May 4 for those members that were not able to attend. The webinar is scheduled for May 19, 2019, at 4:00pm CDT. Registration required using link below.

Early on the morning of Saturday, July 24, 1915, a light rain fell yet the air was filled with anticipation and excitement. Thousands gathered along the Chicago River for Western Electric's fifth annual employee picnic. More than 7,000 tickets had been purchased for the day‐long festivities. But the day quickly turned tragic, resulting in Chicago's greatest loss‐of-life tragedy. Find out what happened during a presentation given by the Eastland Disaster Historical Society.

Come learn the answers to the following questions: Why was the picnic so highly anticipated? What happened? How did it happen? What was the impact? What was the response? Was it avoidable? Who was held accountable? What damages were awarded? What amount of relief funds were raised? Discover more about the Eastland Disaster Historical Society at http://www.eastlanddisaster.org/

Please register for CGS Webinar #4 The Eastland Disaster on May 19, 2019 4:00 PM CDT at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7231917182789123597

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Brought to you by GoToWebinar®

Webinars Made Easy®

CGS Next Program -The Eastland Disaster: An Unparalleled Tragedy

Fri, 26 Apr 2019 03:37:23 GMT

Welcome to CGS’s New Website

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 16:51:30 GMT

We are excited to launch our new website. There has been a lot of planning, customizing, reviewing and hard work by the committee to make this happen. We have our features from the old website included with an updated look and several new features. Check out what is new:

New Home Page with Current News and Upcoming Events

You will find a list of upcoming events and current society news. There is also the current Facebook page post.

Members Only Section

The Chicago Genealogist – All volumnes full title index with volumnes 1-39 CARLI link and volumnes 40 to current on our website.

Vital Records from Chicago Newspapers 1833 – 1848 index and members can look up the article by year.

Past CGS Newsletters – 2006 to current

CGS Cemetery Book Publications

Chicago recorded webinars that members can watch as many times as they want.

We have many more items to add to the members only section, so stay tuned.

Member Profile

As a current member, you will be receiving an email soon to set-up your member profile to be able to access the members only section. We will be loading up your membership information. You will be able to set-up your privacy settings and add your surname data to share with other members if you like.

Purple Hearts Reunited Special Event

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 16:55:03 GMT

Purple Hearts Reunited Special Event: Experience a Return Ceremony + Honor our Researchers + Receive our Brick Wall Research Tips.

Join us and the Genealogy Interest Group of the St. Andrew Society of Illinois (GIG-SASIL) on March 2^nd for a special program featuring the charitable foundation, Purple Hearts Reunited (PHR), whose mission is "to return lost or stolen military medals of valor to veterans or their families, in order to honor their sacrifice to the nation." Since 2016, twenty research volunteers from our and GIG-SASIL's groups have been identifying the veterans of now over 100 lost purple hearts, writing the veterans' biographies and finding either the veteran or their living next of kin so PHR can return these lost medals. Come to this moving program to experience a PHR Return Ceremony where a local family will welcome their hero's lost purple heart back home where it belongs. Help PHR honor our 20 research volunteers. And receive advice on how these volunteers used some interesting research techniques to get past some pretty incredible genealogical brick walls.

This special event is free and will be at the Newberry Library on March 2, at 1:30pm.

CGS Next Webinar: Using Yearbooks for Genealogy - Sign-up Today!

Sun, 03 Feb 2019 18:00:00 GMT

Learn how to use yearbooks as sources for genealogical information, for insights into personalities, and for historical and social context.

Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, CG® is a full-time professional researcher with over fifteen (15) years of experience. She specializes in forensic genealogy, problem solving, multi-generational family histories, Chicago and Cook County research. Jeanne researched the Chicago ancestry for many episodes of the television series, Who Do You Think You Are? andappeared in the Jason Sudeikis and Julie Bowen episodes.

Jeanne lectures frequently at conferences, workshops, and institutes and writes articles for scholarly journals and society publications.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts [History] from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a second-year certificate from the University of Chicago's publishing program. She is a trustee and a former president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists.

Please register for CGS Webinar # Using Yearbooks for Genealogy on Feb 10, 2019 4:00 PM CST at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8887874052022313986

If These Walls Could Talk: Incorporating Stories of Places to Enhance Your Family Narrative

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 21:30:00 GMT

Join the Chicago Genealogical Society for our next program on Saturday, February 2, 2019, at the Newberry Library. Our speaker will be Barry Love. As genealogists we strive to feel connected with our ancestors. By piecing together clues about their lives, we try to build a story about who they were and how they lived. Those clues may mention a specific place where an ancestor lived or worked.

We can use research methods familiar to genealogists to add enriching details about those places and companies to our family narratives. These seemingly tangential stories add context, create a better sense of time and place, and can make our family narratives far more complete and compelling.

Digging into the history of the century-old Eversharp mechanical pencil factory in Roscoe Village uncovered surprising links to key people and events in Chicago, the nation, and the world. Come learn about this research journey, and see some of the documents and artifacts discovered along the way.

Barry Love serves on the boards of the Chicago Genealogical Society, Roscoe Village Neighbors, and the condo association in the Pencil Factory Lofts. Barry also leads walking tours of Roscoe Village as a collaborator with the nonprofit Chicago for Chicagoans. He loves opportunities to connect his passions for genealogy and Chicago neighborhood history.

This program is free and will be at the Newberry Library at 1:30pm. Join us!

CGS Webinar: Genealogy Road Trips

Wed, 05 Dec 2018 17:00:00 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society announces January Webinar “Genealogy Road Trips” on Sunday January 13 at 4:00pm CDT. There are several ways to explore your family history on a genealogy vacation. You can spend your time on a local day trip to neighborhoods where your ancestors lived and worked. Alternatively, you can visit for a few days overnight the domestic places your ancestors raised their families and immerse yourself in the culture and history of those areas. Finally, you can take a trip to your ancestors' original homeland, independently or with a genealogy tour group, even if you are not sure exactly where your ancestors were born. CGS's Julie Benson, a travel aficionado, will share with you tips on how to get the most out of your local, domestic and/or international Genealogy Road Trips.

Please register for CGS Webinar Series #2 - Genealogy Road Trips on Jan 13, 2019 4:00 PM CST at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7801168435188566530

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Social History for Genealogists

Sat, 10 Nov 2018 16:30:00 GMT

Adding Context: Social History for Genealogists will be the Chicago Genealogical Society next program on Saturday, December 1^st. Our speaker will be Ginger Frere.

Learn how to add depth and greater human interest to your family stories by including the social settings in which your ancestors lived. We will discuss the value of adding social context to family stories, review samples of narratives where context is provided, and look at some published social histories to determine where and how to find materials of interest to genealogists.

Ginger Frere, MLIS, MBA, is a professional researcher who provides a variety of research services to authors, professional historians, film makers and individuals interested in genealogy. Her primary research interests include Chicago history and the creation of online tools for genealogists. She was one of the driving forces behind the development of ChicagoAncestors.org.

This free program will be at the Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago, at 1:30pm

Valid and Unsound Assumptions: What Was She Thinking?

Sun, 21 Oct 2018 16:30:00 GMT

Join the Chicago Genealogical Society for our next program on Saturday, November 3^rd at 1:30pm at the Newberry Library with speaker Jeanne Larzelere Bloom, CG. The program will be Valid and Unsound Assumptions: What Was She Thinking? The search for the deceased husband of Elizabeth Larzelere enumerated in 1820 with four young children leads to unexpected results and to new questions. Come learn about this research journey.

As a case manager for the American History Company, Jeanne works on identifying family members that can provide Family Reference Samples (mtDNA, Y-DNA, and autosomal DNA) to aid in the possible identification of unaccounted for soldiers from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War and to determine the Primary Next of Kin and the Secondary Next of Kin of the servicemen. She has worked on over 400 cases with a success rate of over 95 percent.

Jeanne researched the Chicago ancestry for many episodes of the television series, Who Do You Think You Are? and appeared in the Jason Sudeikis and Julie Bowen episodes.

Jeanne lectures frequently at conferences, workshops, and institutes and writes articles for scholarly journals and society publications.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts [History] from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a second-year certificate from the University of Chicago’s publishing program. She is a trustee and a former president of the Board for Certification of Genealogists.

The words Certified Genealogist and CG are registered trademarks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluation, and the board name is registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Family History Day at the Harold Washington Library

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 16:30:00 GMT

Saturday, October 20, 2018 will be Family History Day at the Harold Washington Library. The Chicago Genealogical Society partners with Chicago Public Library for a full day of genealogy learning. There will be four lectures in the auditorium:

- An Introduction to Wikitree

- I Did My DNA test, now what?

- Guide to Overseas Research

- Adoption searches: past and present

Also, the multi-purpose rooms will be staffed with genealogists and librarians to answer your research questions as well as expo tables. Cost is free. Please join us at 400 South State Street, Chicago, on October 20^th!

Here is the link to the HWL History and Genealogy page, which includes all of the events: https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/events/search/local_start=2018-10-20%20TO%202018-10-20&fq=types:(53f20436e04c1e3b1c00d09d)

Registration Open for Chicago Genealogical Society’s Fall Bus Tour

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 20:38:15 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society is offering a genealogical bus tour on Saturday, October 6, 2018. What is a genealogical bus tour? It is a genealogically related special full day tour with a focus on a Chicago topic for genealogists and family historians interested in researching Chicago family history.

The tour attendees are moved from site to site in a luxury motor coach and with several opportunities to get off the bus for walks to explore up close specific locations of tour interests. The bus will be ready for boarding promptly at 9:30 a.m. on October 6th and will depart from the northwest corner of the Ogilvie Transportation Center (Madison and Clinton Streets) in Chicago. The bus returns by 4:00pm to the same location.

Our tour guide is retired history teacher, Craig Pfannkuche. If you have never been on one of our bus tours with Craig as our guide, you don’t know what you are missing. If you have been on one of our tours already, you are usually the first to register. Craig is a terrific tour guide sharing his incredible knowledge of Chicago history and genealogy research every minute of the tour. Ok – we do let him eat lunch.

So what is the genealogical topic for the October 6, 2018 Bus Tour?

Rosehill Cemetery Mausoleum and Graceland Cemetery Tour

“Burial” in an above ground niche is becoming more and more popular. The Rosehill Cemetery Mausoleum has been on site at the Western Ave side of the cemetery for many years and has undergone a number of beautiful renovations and expansions. A walk through the quiet, colorful and historic halls among the many rooms containing both the remains and cremains of many of Chicago’s most well-known leaders such as the Shedd family, is a fantastic thing for family history researchers to do.

A walk through an “older fashioned” but still especially beautiful Graceland Cemetery where a large number of historic Chicagoans from John Kinzie and John Peter Altgeld to George Pullman and the Palmers are buried is a superb way to come “in touch” with the city’s interesting past will take place in the afternoon.

Seats are limited on the coach bus and reservations are required. First come, first reserved. Fee based on member/non-member and optional lunch. See reservation form to mail in or pay online. Information link http://www.chicagogenealogy.org/rosehill-cemetery-mausoleum-and-graceland-cemetery-tour/. Reservations are due by September 29. No refund after September 29. We will depart from the northwest corner of the Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago (on Madison Street between Canal and Clinton Streets) at 9:30am on October 6th.

Meet Up for CGS Gravestone Photo Project

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 16:30:00 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society announced in the spring a special gravestone photo project for members. We offered to take pictures of family gravestones in Chicago and Cook County, Illinois. Members could request up to three gravestones. The requests have been complied and the top two cemeteries have been selected for a “Meet Up” to complete the requests.

On June 30, we will be meeting at 9:00am to take pictures at ST. BONIFACE CEMETERY, 4901 N Clark Street, Chicago. Around 10:00am we will be meeting at CALVARY CEMETERY, 301 Chicago Avenue, Evanston. The two cemeteries are about three miles apart.

We will meet inside the front gates. The requests will already be researched providing gravesite locations. Volunteers will need to find the gravestones and take pictures. Bring a smart phone or digital camera. Don’t have either, come anyway and help locate gravestones. Volunteers who take the gravestone photos will be given instructions to send the photos to CGS and then the CGS project coordinator will make sure the member who requested the photo receives it.

So come join us on June 30^th at 9:00am to volunteer!

CGS Webinar: Using Family Photos to Learn About Your Ancestors

Mon, 04 Jun 2018 16:30:00 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society announces first Chicago webinar “Using Family Photos to Learn About Your Ancestors” on Sunday June 10 at 4:00pm CDT.

Join Chicago Historian, Craig Pfannkuche, to learn about using photos to learn about your ancestors. We will discuss how to date photos, identify photographers using city directories and locate neighborhoods where your ancestors lived and their socio-economic standing. All photo examples will be CHICAGO photos.

Please register for this FREE CGS Webinar at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2164771660502052867

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. There is a limit to how many people can attend so register and make sure you join the webinar early that day.

Chicago in 1893 and the Columbian Exposition

Tue, 15 May 2018 20:23:45 GMT

Chicago Genealogical Society’s next program, June 2^nd - Chicago in 1893 and the Columbian Exposition.

People came from all over the world to explore the wondrous Columbian Exposition in Chicago in the summer of 1893, but what else might visitors’ take the time to see or do during their visit? Like Paul Harvey, Donna Primas will tell you “the rest of the story” about city life and the most popular and amazing attractions that vied for tourist dollars (or quarters) circa 1893 Chicago.

Our speaker, Donna Primas, has been giving tours of Chicago in Spanish and English since 1983. In recent years she has been combining tour commentary with fantastic visuals to produce intriguing presentations that give a feel of time and place while revealing little-known stories of Chicago history. She will help us genealogists better visualize life just before the turn of the past century in Chicago!

This FREE program will be held at the Newberry Library at 60 West Walton, Chicago, and begin at 1:30 p.m.

Please note: We will begin the June program with the Society’s Annual General Membership Meeting with the Election of Officers.

Using Railroad Records in Family History Research

Mon, 23 Apr 2018 16:30:00 GMT

As the Age of Canals absorbed huge numbers of Irish and other laborers in that time, such was also true to an even greater extent in the “Age of Railroads.” Rights of way, cuts and fills, and ditches and tunnels were excavated most often by sheer muscle power. Ties were hand laid and spikes to hold the rails in place were manually hammered home. A massive infrastructure of stations, water and coaling towers, round houses, section houses and a vast array of other supporting structures were built and maintained by hand. Rail cars were hand built of wood. Miles of wooden trestles were erected and maintained. Armies of section hands inspected and maintained many thousands of miles of track. Agents, telegraphers and signal maintainers worked to keep trains running on time. Swarms of crossing guards kept watch over street and road crossings. An almost uncountable number of clerks and office workers filled out bills of lading and handled ticket finances. Engine wipers, oilers, hostlers, coalers, ash pan dumpers, water tenders, wick trimmers, carpenters, painters, wheel knockers, and a wide variety of blacksmiths and other metal specialists worked behind a train’s engineer, fireman, conductor, and two or three brakemen to get it over the line. Switchmen in huge numbers aligned switches to get trains to the correct destinations. Clearly, railroads were the largest employer in the nation of workers, both male and female, of any industry outside of agriculture in the 1850 – 1930 period.

Railroad companies were meticulous record keepers. Large amounts of family history data were collected by the numerous railroad companies which spun their web of rails across the nation. These records cover work done by millions of working men and women even up to the present day. Much of this material survives and is a potential treasure of family history data to researchers.

You are invited to attend the Chicago Genealogical Society’s next program on Saturday, May 5, to learn about using Railroad Records in family history research Our speaker, Craig Pfannkuche, Genealogical Archivist for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Historical Society, will discuss the type of such records which exist, how they meet genealogical research needs and how to access them by using the archives of the Chicago and North Western Historical Society as an example.

This FREE program will be held at the Newberry Library at 60 West Walton, Chicago, and begin at 1:30 p.m on Saturday, May 5^th.

Where are Your Chicago Ancestors Buried?

Thu, 12 Apr 2018 20:26:50 GMT

Calvary Cemetery up in Evanston? Bohemian National Cemetery on the North side? Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park? Queen of Heaven Cemetery out in Hillside on the edge of Cook County? Have you located the gravestone? Do you have a picture and transcription? If not, the Chicago Genealogical Society can help!

The Chicago Genealogical Society is offering a special gravestone photo project for members only. Let us take pictures of your family gravestones in Cook County, Illinois. Members can request up to three gravestones. Requests are due by May 31, 2018. Requests will be compiled and the cemetery with the most requests will be selected first for photographs on June 30^th 9:00am – 11:00am. Other requests will be photographed as volunteers are able to complete. Depending on the number of requests received, it may not be possible for volunteers to complete every one. Also, volunteers may not be successful in finding the requested graves. If the grave is located, you will be emailed photo(s) of the grave along with a transcription and a photo of the cemetery gate and/or cemetery sign. If you mark the person as a veteran, CGS will put a small U.S. Flag beside the grave stone.

Start reviewing your research and see what gravestones you are missing. Don’t delay! Complete the request form and send it in!

Not a member, join CGS and see what we are all about. Join online at http://www.chicagogenealogy.org/membership-chicago-genealogical-society/or complete the membership form and mail it in.

The Newberry Library: Genealogy Collections and Tools

Thu, 29 Mar 2018 16:30:00 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society’s next program will be on Saturday April 7^th at 1:30pm. Our program The Newberry Library: Genealogy Collections and Tools.

The Newberry acquires and preserves a broad array of books, manuscripts, maps, and other materials relating to the civilizations of Europe and the Americas. They focus on collecting original or primary source materials – such as manuscripts and early editions of printed books and maps – that will be preserved and made available for generations. In doing so, they aspire to enhance the great collection strengths that have been built by curators, librarians, other scholars, and donors throughout the library’s history.

The Newberry has been collecting genealogy and local history materials since 1887. Staff at the Genealogy and Local History desk can help you explore the Newberry’s rich collections of family histories; local histories; censuses, probate, deed, court, tax, and cemetery records; military rosters; periodicals; genealogical guides; and reference works.

Our Speaker, Matt Rutherford, MLIS, is Curator of Genealogy and Local History at the Newberry. In addition to managing the Newberry’s renowned genealogy collection, Matt has also answered thousands of questions on a wide range of genealogy topics. He has spoken at the Illinois State Genealogical Society and the Conference on Illinois History, as well as several local genealogy societies, including the North Suburban Genealogical Society, the Genealogical Forum of Elmhurst, and the Illinois St. Andrew Society. In addition, Matt teaches seminars on a variety of genealogy topics, including beginning genealogy, researching at the Newberry, researching pre-fire Chicago, adoption searches, non-population census schedules, the history of the federal census, and the Social Security Death Index. He is the co-author of A Bibliography of African American History at the Newberry Library (2005).

This FREE program will be held at the Newberry Library at 60 West Walton, Chicago, and begin at 1:30 p.m.

CGS Gravestone Photo Project

Thu, 08 Mar 2018 21:29:11 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society announces a special gravestone photo project for members only. Let us take pictures of your family gravestones in Cook County, Illinois. Members can request up to three gravestones. Requests are due by May 31, 2018. Requests will be compiled and the cemetery with the most requests will be selected first for photographs on June 30^th 9:00am – 11:00am. Other requests will be photographed as volunteers are able to complete. Depending on the number of requests received, it may not be possible for volunteers to complete every one. Also, volunteers may not be successful in finding the requested graves. If the grave is located, you will be emailed photo(s) of the grave along with a transcription and a photo of the cemetery gate and/or cemetery sign. If you mark the person as a veteran, CGS will put a small U.S. Flag beside the grave stone.

Start reviewing your research and see what gravestones you are missing. Don’t delay! Complete the request form and send it in!

Not a member, join CGS and see what we are all about. Join online at http://www.chicagogenealogy.org/membership-chicago-genealogical-society/or complete the membership form and mail it in.

The Chicago Genealogical Society Meets South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society

Fri, 23 Feb 2018 21:31:28 GMT

Our next program is March 3^rd and we are on the road. We will be visiting the South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society (SSGHS) at Hazel Crest Municipal Center, 3000 West 170th Place, Hazel Crest, and having a joint program. Enter the door by the flagpole. The meeting will be held in the Village Boardroom. Program, tour and research time are all free. Society’s website http://ssghs.org/wp/

10:00am – “Show and Tell” program. Bring an item of your ancestors or a special document you have found and would like to share. Or come and hear what other people have found. It could help break down your brick wall.

11:00am – Tour of the Society’s non-circulating library with many regional sources and learn about the Pullman Collection. The SSGHS was organized in 1968 and focuses on south Cook and east Will Counties.

11:30am – Stay and research in the library. Open until 4:00pm.

Hope to see you on March 3rd!

Welcome Home WWII Hero Sergeant Frank R. Owens

Mon, 12 Feb 2018 17:30:00 GMT

If you follow our CGS Blog, you probably know that since 2014 several CGS Members have volunteered their research expertise to the charitable foundation Purple Hearts Reunited (“PHR”) that rescues lost purple heart medals and returns them to the veteran and/or family. On Wednesday, February 7, 2018, PHR’s founder, Major Zachariah Fike, and CGS Board Member and PHR Valor Research Director, Marsha Peterson-Maass, returned a WWII veteran’s lost purple heart medal to his great-nephew in Chicago’s West Loop. Please join us in thanking our CGS Members’ considerable efforts in helping many families to welcome lost valor back into their family. PHR’s tribute to this veteran follows.

Welcome home WWII hero Sergeant Frank R. Owens!

Frank was born in Tampico, Illinois in 1922 to parents John Henry and Myrtle A. (Rasmussen) Owens.

He served with the now-famous 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division that among other things, helped in the liberation of Paris in August 1944 and fought in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.

The 109th Infantry paid with human life and blood as they won battle honors at Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, the Rhineland and Central Europe and they were honored with the Luxemburg Croix de Guerre and the French Croix de Guerre for action at Colmar.

Frank received two Purple Hearts during his service and was unfortunately killed in action on 16 December 1944 at Bastogne. He is buried in the Luxembourg American Cemetery.

After welcoming this valor back into the family, Frank’s great-nephew said,

“In a world where we’re all seemingly against each other for one reason or the other, this makes me believe in good people doing good things for each again. We need this right now.”

DNA: A Power Tool in the Genealogist's Tool Box

Thu, 01 Feb 2018 21:35:39 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society will be having their February program this Saturday, February 3^rd. We are meeting at the Swedish American Museum, 5211 North Clark Street in Chicago at 1:30pm. Our speaker will be Karen Stanbary, CG. DNA test results are so much more than ethnicity pie charts. Using real-life case examples, Karen will explore the practical applicability of DNA tests to everyday genealogical problems. This program is FREE.

Karen Stanbary, CG, holds the Certified Genealogist credential. She lectures locally and nationally on the use of DNA test results in genealogical problem-solving, always within the framework of the Genealogical Proof Standard. She is a Trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists and chairs that organization's Genetic Genealogy Standards committee.

Join us at the Swedish American Museum, 5211 North Clark, Chicago at 1:30pm for this program. Our program is free and there is complimentary parking at Foster and Ashland museum parking lot, Pay to Park on both Foster and Clark or CTA Foster Bus 92 and Clark bus 22. Check out the museum’s website for more details on the location and transportation. http://swedishamericanmuseum.org/2.0/

You may wish to come early and visit their outstanding exhibit “The Dream of America: Swedish Immigration” which follows immigrants from the journey to the new world to building a life and community in Chicago. Note: exhibit fee is Adults $4; Children/students/seniors $3. The museum is open 11:00am to 4:00pm on February 3.

Hope to see you Saturday!

Slaughter House: Chicago's Union Stock Yard and The World It Made

Wed, 29 Nov 2017 21:40:07 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society invites you to attend our first Saturday of the month program this Saturday, December 2nd. Our speaker will be Dominic A. Pacyga, author of “Slaughter House: Chicago's Union Stock Yard and The World It Made.”

Chicago Stock Yard and Transit Co was the meatpacking district in Chicago for more than a century. It opened 152 years ago on 25 December 1865 and was operated by a group of railroad companies.

Slaughterhouse tells the story of the Union Stock Yard, chronicling the rise and fall of an industrial district that, for better or worse, served as the public face of Chicago for decades. Dominic A. Pacyga is a guide like no other—he grew up in the shadow of the stockyards, spent summers in their hog house and cattle yards, and maintains a long-standing connection with the working-class neighborhoods around them. Pacyga takes you through the packinghouses as only an insider can, covering the rough and toxic life inside the plants and their lasting effects on the world outside. He shows how the yards shaped the surrounding neighborhoods and controlled the livelihoods of thousands of families.

Dominic A. Pacyga is professor of history in the Department of Humanities, History, and Social Sciences at Columbia College Chicago. He is the 2014 Mieczyslaw Haiman Award winner for exceptional and sustained contribution to the study of Polish-Americans. He has authored or coauthored six books concerning Chicago’s history. Slaughterhouse being his newest book in 2015.

The program will be at the Newberry Library, 60 West Walton, Chicago, and begin at 1:30 p.m. The program is free.

We hope you can join us!

The Story of Camp Douglas

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 20:42:16 GMT

The Chicago Genealogical Society invites you to attend our first Saturday of the month program this Saturday, November 4th. Our speaker will be David L. Keller, author of “The Story of Camp Douglas, Chicago's Forgotten Civil War Prison.”

Built in 1861 Chicago, Camp Douglas was the largest Union Army prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate soldiers taken prisoner during the American Civil War. The book was written from the 19th Century mind-set and 20/20 hind sight. Camp life is told through the diaries, journals, and letters of prisoners from the camp. It was described as “80 acres of hell”. Don’t miss this compelling story.

David Keller is a long time resident of Chicago and an amateur historian. Retired since 2002, he devotes much of his time to volunteer activities including the Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago History Museum and American Youth Soccer Organization. David’s interest in Camp Douglas comes from his interest in the Civil War, Civil War Prison Camps and 19th century Chicago history. The founder of the Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation http://www.campdouglas.org/, Mr. Keller is in demand as a speaker on the Civil War and Camp Douglas and has written two books, The Story of Camp Douglas, Chicago’s Forgotten Civil War Prison and Robert Anderson Bagby, Civil War Diary (Annotated) 1863-1865.

The program will be at the Newberry Library, 60 West Walton, Chicago, and begin at 1:30 p.m. The program is free.

We hope you can join us!

Does Your Mapping App Have A Setting For 1872?

Mon, 25 Sep 2017 20:45:29 GMT

PELTZER’S 1872 ATLAS OF CHICAGO

Chicago property records are a superb place to find family history data. In those records, a researcher can find information about when a family member purchased property, the economic condition of the family, legal actions concerning the family, sales to, possibly, other family members, pre-1917 death information (filing of probates), and, occasionally, evidence of criminal activity. Those interested in researching such records from after 1871 can find the “grantor-grantee” (seller-buyer) records at the office of the Cook County Recorder of Deeds.

To access such records, one needs to have a LEGAL address for the property (for example – Lot 3, Block 9 of Benson’s subdivision of Weber’s addition to Chicago in Section 16 of Town 43 North, Range 14 East of the 3rd PM). To find such an address, one needs to consult a property either the modern Sidwelll maps

(Chicago Public Library, 4th floor) or an older property atlas.

A magnificent property atlas of Chicago in 1872 is now readily available for at home researchers of Chicago and Chicago family history researchers. Following the destruction of Chicago property records (with the exception of those held by the Chicago Title Company) by the 1871 Chicago Fire, a good mapping of city property lines was sorely needed. Otto Peltzer, a German immigrant who came to Chicago in 1853 and, beginning as a draftsman in the Cook County Recorder’s Office, rose to become Chief of Maps at the Recorder’s office between 1860 and 1876, decided to use his own personal collection of data to produce those much needed maps.

The result of his work was the “PELTZER’S ATLAS OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO” which he published in 1872. This set contains beautifully done maps showing each piece of property in the city, as well as lot numbers, subdivision legal descriptions, and exquisitely drawn maps of all of the parks in the city. The maps in the set show all streets and alleys using the NAMES OF THE STREETS AS THEY WERE NAMED IN 1872! Railroads and station sites are also drawn on the maps.

A “World Cat” search brings up only three sites where this atlas set can be viewed: the Newberry Library, the University of Illinois Chicago, and the University of Illinois Champaign. Peltzer ordered the printing of only 100 copies of his atlas set (selling in 1872 for $400 each or about $8,000 today). They are an extremely rare atlas set.

The Chicago & North Western (Railroad) Historical Society owned a set of those maps but had them auctioned off to help with the raising funds for an enlarged and permanent C&NW Historical Society railroad archives on the property of the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL. The staff at the archives of the Chicago & North Western Historical Society (www.cnwhs.org) scanned all the pages in each of the four volumes before sending the set to auction.

For those with a strong interest in Chicago history and genealogy, a copy of this atlas is an essential part of one’s Chicago collection. The Chicago & North Western Historical Society is selling a disc containing all four volumes of the Peltzer atlas.

To learn more and to order, visit http://www.cnwhs.org/shopping/

Blog and Recent blog posts gadgets

(Past member) — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 12:33:42 GMT

Using the blog gadget, you can add a blog to your Wild Apricot site to provide timely updates and information to your membership.

By using Recent blog posts, you can display a list of the most recent blog posts, with links to the full posts. The list will include the date of each post and the name of the poster – with the name linking to their profile if available.

For instructions on inserting, moving, and deleting gadgets, see Gadgets.

WA blog settings and setting up restrictions

(Past member) — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 11:36:13 GMT

You can create as many different blogs as you wish. You can limit access to a blog by placing it on a restricted page. If you make the page public, you can still use the blog gadget settings to control functionality for visitors and members.

You can read more about setting up blogs on our Blog help page.

If you are looking on more information on how to use blog, you can find it here.

Here's a blog entry with comments

(Past member) — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 10:37:37 GMT

This is another sample blog entry. Depending on your readers' access permissions, they can comment on your posts, and reply to comments.

You can learn more about setting up blog pages on our Blog help page.

Chicago Genealogical Society News

CGS Members -- the new Winter 2026 Chicago Genealogist is Here!

CGS Members -- the Fall 2025 Chicago Genealogist is Here!

CGS Members: The Summer 2025 Chicago Genealogist is Here!

Would You Like to Write Your Family History?

For CGS Members: The Winter 2025 Chicago Genealogist is now available

Would You Like to Volunteer with CGS?

CGS Members: The Fall 2024 Chicago Genealogist is now available

CGS Members: The Summer 2024 Chicago Genealogist is Here!

Chicago Genealogical Society Announces the Return of a Popular Membership Service

Member Gravestone Photo Request

For CGS Members: The Winter 2024 Chicago Genealogist is Here

Would you like to tell your family history story?

CGS Members: The Fall 2023 Chicago Genealogist is now available

CGS Members: The Summer 2023 Chicago Genealogist is now available

CGS Members: The Spring 2023 Chicago Genealogist is Here!

CGS Members: The Winter 2023 Chicago Genealogist is Here!

**To Be Rescheduled** Special DNA Doubleheader - Two Webinars in One Afternoon

CGS Members: The Fall 2022 issue of The Chicago Genealogist is here!

In Memoriam

Chicago Genealogical Society Announces DNA Doubleheader!

How to Begin Using Instagram + Learning Some Basic Features

CGS Members: The latest Chicago Genealogist is now available!

CGS Members Only Project

CGS Members: The Latest Chicago Genealogist is Here!

Chicago Genealogy Source: Clear-Ridge Historical Society

Chicago Genealogy Source: Chicago Building Permits Digital Collection 1872-1954

CGS Members: The Latest Chicago Genealogist is Here!

The Chicago Genealogical Society’s Special Military Afternoon is coming up this Saturday!

Chicago Genealogy Source: Chicago City Government Records Guide

For a Limited Time! CGS Journal Special Edition

CGS EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

Special Edition 150th Anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire 1871-2021 Quarterly Issue

Announcing a Special Military Afternoon at CGS

How to Use Pinterest For Genealogy Research

CGS’s Recommendations for Commemorating The 150th Anniversary of The Great Chicago Fire on October 8, 2021

Chicago Genealogy Source: Evangelical Lutheran Church of St Paul, Austin (Chicago) Records

Good Read - Chicago’s Great Fire: The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City

Zoom Backgrounds

Summer Issue of the Chicago Genealogist is Here!

Visiting Chicago City Hall for Vital and Deed Records

Chicago Genealogy Source: Is your Chicago Ancestor’s house a historically significant building today?

Special Joint Webinar with the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society of Chicago (AAGHSC)

The Latest Issue of the Chicago Genealogist is Here

Chicago History Museum - Know Before You Go

Moved! Downtown Cook County Vital Records Office

Goodbye 2020 – Hello 2021

CGS January 2021 Webinar

Chicago Genealogical Society Announces New Ancestor Certificate - Eastland Disaster Certificates

CGS Announces November Webinar - Identity Puzzles: How to Make Sure You're Following the Right Character

CGS October Webinar - Cartographic Tales of Chicago History

Chicago Genealogy Source: Suburban Digital Newspaper Collections

Chicago Genealogical Society Announces New Donated Collection

CGS Webinar - The Art of Negative-Space Research: Women

Chicago Genealogy Source: Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society

Commemoration of 105th Anniversary of the Eastland Disaster

CGS Members Only Summer 2020 Project

CGS Virtual Meet-Up – “Ask the Expert” About Eastland Disaster Genealogical Records

CGS Quarterly Journal Summer 2020 Edition Now Available to Members

CGS Virtual Meet-Up – “Ask the Expert” About Chicago Property Records

CGS Webinar - Travels with My Sister: Genealogical Journeys

2020 Chicago Family History Research Sites Guide is Here!

CGS Webinar - Where Did Grandpa Go? Using Maps to Solve Genealogical Problems

CGS Program Notes Index Published

CGS Quarterly Journal Spring 2020 Edition Now Available to Members

UPDATE - House Bill 4210 of the 101st Illinois General Assembly

House Bill 4210 of the Illinois 101st General Assembly – Your Help is Needed!

Finding a Grave in the Chicago Catholic Cemeteries is Now Easier Than Ever

Registration Open for Upcoming Tours

Chicago Genealogy Source: W.A. Haggard’s Undertaker Records 1895-1916

CGS Quarterly Journal Winter 2020 Edition Now Available To Members

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CGS Next Program: Mayflower and other Lineage Societies: What are they? Why would I join one? How do I join?

Chicago Genealogy Source: Online Chicago Telephone Directory Collection

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CGS Next Program: The Chicago “L” -- Chicago’s Biggest “Mover & Shaker”

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CGS Next Program: Stories in Stone: Decoding the Sentiment behind Cemetery Symbolism

CGS Quarterly Journal 2019 Fall Edition Now Available To Members

To Be Rescheduled Special DNA Doubleheader - Two Webinars in One Afternoon