Illinois State Genealogical Society
2019 Upcoming Webinars 
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January 2019
Hidden Gems in the FamilySearch Wiki
  • Presenter:  Peggy Clemens Lauritzen
  • Date:  January 8, 2019
  • Time:  8:00 PM Central
  • Description: What is a Wiki? It's one of the best-kept secrets of FamilySearch. Let's learn how this powerful and robust tool can bring the world to your fingertips.
  • Registration: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2211404150786424322
 
February 2019
Revelers, Hogkillers and Disobedient Children: Early Illinois Laws
  • Presenter: Judy G. Russell
  • Date:  February 12, 2019
  • Time:  8:00 PM Central
  • Description:   The laws our ancestors lived by tell their own story of life in earlier times, and, from the very first territorial statues, enacted in 1809, the choices made by legislators about what laws were needed give a rich and deep context to family history. Using early Illinois laws as genealogical resources, we are able to tell the stories of a time when the big concerns were Blue Laws, wild animals, and children needing humbling.
  • Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1580559354350300674
 
March 2019
The (Underground) Railroad Runs Through Here – Illinois
  • Presenter: Janice Lovelace
  • Date:  March 12, 2019
  • Time:  8:00 PM Central
  • Description:   Do you have ancestors that might have been involved in the Underground Railroad? How do you find records of those who were involved?
  • Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4315351536373554690
 
April 2019
Using Bureau of Land Management Tract Books
  • Presenter: Michael John Neill
  • Date:  April 9, 2019
  • Time:  8:00 PM Central
  • Description:   This presentation will focus on use of the unindexed tract books created by the Bureau of Land Management as a part of the patent application process. Organized geographically and unindexed, these books can contain clues not listed in the original patent or patent application and include the names of those who began land claims, but did not complete them.
  • Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5478301686537814275
 
May 2019
An Introduction to Researching Your Mexican Ancestors
  • Presenter: Colleen Greene
  • Date:  May 14, 2019
  • Time:  8:00 PM Central
  • Description:   This introductory lecture covers key U.S. records and strategies for identifying when and where your Mexican ancestors immigrated and for identifying their hometown in Mexico. It will also provide an overview of the main Mexican record types available online for tracing those family lines further back in Mexico. Learn how even a non-Spanish speaker can be successful at this research.
  • Registration:  https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2110383221450902275
 
June 2019
From East to West: Ancestral Migration Through Canada
  • Presenter: Kathryn Lake Hogan
  • Date:  June 11, 2019
  • Time:  8:00 PM Central
  • Description:   How did your family get from Europe to the Prairies? Why did your ancestors migrate through Canada? What clues can be found in records to track your ancestor's migration? Why did so many Quebeckers leave the province during the 1800s? What was so appealing about the Prairie Provinces? Explore the reasons that motivated our ancestors to move and start over again. Learn the tchniques and strategies to follow your ancestors from east to west and beyond.
  • Registration:  https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7862376047580017667
 
July 2019
Online German Church Registers, Duplicates and Substitutes
  • Presenter: James M. Beidler
  • Date:  July 9, 2019
  • Time:  8:00 PM Central
  • Description:   No genealogist with German-speaking ancestors avoids using church records, and the good news is that many more of them are coming online in digital form. It's important, however, to know whether you're looking at originals, duplicates or extracts from these records – this presentation will explain the differences.
  • Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8082591733949280259
 
August 2019
The Great Lakes and the Role They Played in the Years of Prohibition
  • Presenter: Jean Wilcox Hibben
  • Date:  August 13, 2019
  • Time:  8:00 PM Central
  • Description:   During Prohibition in the United States, a great many people obtained alcohol from Canada, then moved it to big cities in the U.S. (e.g., Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, etc.). This program will focus on Chicago's illegal importation of booze. If your ancestor lived in or near the Windy City (or any other large cities around the lakes) during the 1920s, there is a possibility that he/she was involved in bootlegging, on some level.
  • Registration:  https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5461110822238445315
 
September 2019
Telling the Story with Maps: Maps of Early Illinois and Where to Find Them
  • Presenter: Ginger Frere
  • Date:  September 10, 2019
  • Time:  8:00 PM Central
  • Description:   As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words." This is also the case with maps. From simple hand-drawn sketches to intricately detailed masterpieces, maps can convey immense detail. They can provide the names of places, distances, topography, geographical features, migration routes, land ownership, boundaries and political jurisdictions. Maps allow us to see the physical relationship between places. Maps can help us answer questions – how did our ancestors get from one place to another?
  • Registration:  https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8652624741277113347
 
October 2019
Researching Your Illinois Catholic Ancestors
  • Presenter:  Lisa Oberg
  • Date:  October 8, 2019
  • Time:  8:00 PM Central
  • Description:   Since Father Jacques Marquette first visited the area that is now Chicago in the late 17th century, Catholic immigrants have been drawn to Illinois. Germans, Poles, Bohemian/Czechs, Italians, and more recently immigrants from Central and South America, have all settled in significant numbers in Illinois, in addition to other ethnic groups. Catholic records can provide invaluable clues for genealogists. This webinar will provide insight into how Catholicism shaped history and discuss how to locate parish records, what you can expect to find, and how to interpret records when you do find them.
  • Registration:  https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2632910729389751555
 
Details on the following programs will be available in January 2019:
 
November 2019
Chicago Research: Planning is the Key to Success
  • Presenter:  Jeanne Lazalere Bloom
  • Date:  November 12, 2019
  • Time:  8:00 PM Central
 
December 2019
Illinois Servitude and Emancipation Records
  • Presenter:  Anita Boyd
  • Date:  December 10, 2019
  • Time:  8:00 PM Central
 
 
The 2019 ISGS Webinar Series is sponsored by Family Search.