Upcoming Genealogy Webinars/Programs Sponsored By The Wisconsin Historical Society; PDF Registration Form; Fees Required To Participate

Hi Everyone,

One of our librarians made me aware that the Wisconsin Historical Society is sponsoring genealogy webinars as well as on-site genealogy programs .

You know that in the past I have indicated my strong feelings about genealogy webinars as a great tool to advance your genealogy research skills.  I have posted much about webinars being offered from a variety of societies and organizations.

Here is one more resource for you to consider to help your own research.

I did see that registration is required in order to participate in the online webinars or to attend in person the genealogy programs that are being conducted in Madison, WI.

Fees are also required in order to participate.  As is typical with fee structures, members of the Wisconsin Historical Society or the Wisconsin State Genealogy Society receive a discounted fee when they participate.  Non-members of either organization  can also participate in these webinars and programs but usually at the highest fee schedule.

I saw that fee schedules seem to range from the $25 to $35 level for members of the above organizations to a $40 fee for non-members to participate.

Here is the link to the Wisconsin Historical Society part of their website that will provide you with information about these upcoming programs and registration information.

Genealogy Webinars And Programs Sponsored By The Wisconsin Historical Society

There are currently 9 webinars/programs scheduled on the calendar between now and June 2013.  Take a look at the topics.  See if any fit your interests.  It appears registration can be accomplished via  a phone call, an e-mail or a mailed in registration form you can download as a PDF.

Just remember that some of the programs are in webinar format that you connect to online via your computer to participate. Other programs are actually conducted in Madison, WI at what appears to be the site of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

I am still looking over the site, but one thing I have not seen is an “archive” of completed webinars that perhaps might be available to view by anyone at no cost.  They may not exist yet.  Also, they may only be available for members of the Wisconsin Historical Society or members of the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society.

I posed a query with the Wisconsin Historical Society about an “archive” of previously recorded webinars and who can access those if they exist.  They did respond to my query and indicated they currently have only a 2 week window during which presented programs are in the “archive”.  They will be investigating this short window to see if it can be extended for a longer time to include many more presented programs.

The Wisconsin Historical Society just started this webinar/program process in September 2012.  They are learning as they go and will be making the process even better in the future.

Take advantage of these wonderful webinars.  It will make you a better genealogical researcher.

Tony Kierna
Genealogy Coordinator
Schaumburg Township District Library

The DVD Recording Of Our Special Ancestry.com Program From January 19, 2013 Is Now Available To Check Out From Our Audio Visual Collection On The 1st Floor

Hi Everyone!

On January 19, 2013 our library co-hosted a Computer Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois (CAGGNI) genealogy program.  On that day a presentation was made by Loretto (Lou) Szucs and Juliana Smith from Ancestry.com.  The title of the program was “Hidden Gems At Ancestry.com – And How to Find Them!”.

We were given permission by Loretto and Juliana to video record the program.

The recording would then be added to our library collection making the recording available to be checked out locally or via interlibrary loan.

The DVD recording is now available on the 1st floor DVD shelves in Audio Visual to check out from our library.  We created 3 DVD copies of the program.  The call number of the DVD of this special program is DVD 929.1 HID.  The program recording length is 1 hour and 44 minutes.

We had a very large interest in the program.  It was attended by 138 avid genealogy researchers.

Now, for those that may have missed the program or even for those that just want to see an “encore” presentation, the DVD recording is now available to check out from our library.

Enjoy the program!

Tony Kierna
Genealogy Coordinator
Schaumburg Township District Library

RootsTech 2013 Will Take Place March 21 – 23, 2013 In Salt Lake City, UT; See What It Is All About By Viewing Selected Videos From The 2012 Conference On Various Programs; Video Quality Is Excellent; “Big Picture View” Of Technology/Genealogy

Hi Everyone!

Just a reminder that the 2013 version of RootsTech will take place on March 21 to March 23, 2013 in Salt Lake City, UT.

This has proven to be  a wildly successful major genealogical conference that brings together genealogy researchers and genealogy software developers under one roof.

You can view their website for information about this 2013 RootsTech Conference at:

RootsTech

If you want to know more about what RootsTech in general is all about, visit the following link to a series of 14 Videos produced by RootsTech from their 2012 program.   These are videos of stunning quality!  I think you may want to look at what the videos showcase about what RootsTech is all about.  They may not all be at a very specific research level, they are often at a “larger view” of what technical developments are occurring that connect to genealogical research.

You can really get the “big picture” by looking at any one of the videos.

Take a look at these videos at:

2012 RootsTech Videos

Enjoy the 2012 videos.

Consider going to Salt Lake City, UT to connect with the soon to take place 2013 version of RootsTech!

Tony Kierna
Genealogy Coordinator
Schaumburg Township District Library

 

It Appears “Who Do You Think You Are?” Will Be Resurrected On The Learning Channel (TLC); Dick Eastman Has A Post About The Re-Birth!

Hi Everyone!

It does appear that all good things do come to those that are patient.

I hope you are missing the TV Genealogy show “Who Do You Think You Are?” as much as I am.  This is the time of the season when the episodes were formerly broadcast on NBC before it cancelled the show in May 2012.

Rumors abounded late last year that the show would find a new home on another network.  We all hoped.  But those hopes were dashed.  No new episodes.  No new network.

However, Dick Eastman has a post in his online newsletter that seems to indicate with more certainty than before that the show will see the light of day.  He bases this on the connection of some filming taking place that highlights singer Kelly Clarkson’s ancestral connections.  This is good.  That means new episodes are being created for future airing.

Dick’s post even mentions that it is definitely The Learning Channel (TLC) that will be carrying the episodes.

No air dates are mentioned at this time.  But at least this is positive news.

Here is a link to Dick Eastman’s blog post that makes note of this developing story:

Dick Eastman February 25, 2013 Post Indicating the Return of “Who Do You Think You Are?”

This is great news for all of us that have missed this wonderful and informative program!

Tony Kierna
Genealogy CoordinatorSchaumburg Township District Library

Personal Digital Scanning Tips From The National Archives; Concise And Helpful Guide To Answer Your Questions About Scanning Your Personal Photos

Hi Everyone!

Sometimes knowing what to do with our genealogically valuable photographs is problematic.  We know we need to digitize them, but it can be a daunting task.  Sometimes you just throw a picture on the scanner and know enough to hit the “scan” button or the scan command.  Sure it may give you a digitized image but is it the right way to go using default settings?

I did come across a very nice, informative and concise guide that may help you in your own personal digitization project of scanning your own genealogically valuable photos.  It is about 2 pages in length and sheds light on the mysteries that surrounds the scanning process.  It even touches bases on how to digitize slides.

The guide was put together from our own United States National Archives.

If you are about to embark on digitizing your genealogical photos then you will definitely want to take a look at this guide.  If you want to digitize correctly the first time around then this guide is definitely for you.  Nothing worse than digitizing a 100 pictures only to realize you could have done it better from the start!

If you have already digitized your own photos, take a look at the guide to see if you can improve even more if you will be doing more scanning in the future.

Take a look at the following link that will get you to a PDF guide on digitizing your photos:

National Archives Digitization Scanning Guide

The more we know about correct scanning, file creation and archiving of this data, the better will be able to use it and share it with our other cousins!

In fact, here is another link to the National Archives that is specific to their “Preservation” page from their website.  There are many tips among a variety of media that you may have in your own collection for which you can preserve the media.  Visit the National Archives “Preservation” page at:

United States National Archives “Preservation” Page

I hope the above clarifies the scanning process for you as well as giving you some insights into the preservation process from the National Archives.

Tony Kierna
Genealogy Coordinator
Schaumburg Township District Library

We Have Received Some Recent And Older Genealogical Journals That We Can Add To Our “Freebies” Basket For Our Monthly Genealogy Program; A Big Thank You To Jennifer Holik, Our Recent Speaker, For Bringing The Materials; Inventory Of These Materials Included In This Post

Hi Everyone!

When we have our monthly genealogy program at the library, I often put out a basket that contains old journals, book advertisements and the like that allows the participant to browse through the material and take whatever catches their interest.  That is why we call it our “freebies” basket.

Perhaps we had an older edition of the journal Ancestry.  Or maybe we even had some older versions of Heritage Quest.  Maybe even some older versions of Internet Genealogy or the like.  Perhaps the participant was not aware of these journals or items and might want to actually read through one to gauge what it is or was about.  Maybe that would trigger the participant to subscribe to a current journal or look in our collection for past issues to read.  This basket offered the opportunity to find material like this that you were welcome to take and become familiar with.

The basket over the last year has looked a little empty and undernourished!!

Translation:  We were not getting any new material given to us to showcase in the basket!

Jennifer Holik, our recent guest speaker for our February 12, 2013 Genealogy Program brought a large, heavy box of new material that we can now feed to our undernourished “Freebies” basket.

Jennifer, I don’t know how you carried it from your car and delivered it to our 2nd floor meeting room.  Man, that was heavy!!

You truly are skilled in the intelligentsia of genealogy as well as the physicality of genealogy to lug that box of material as far as you did!

We offer you a big “Thank You” for giving us this material to share and recycle to other genealogists that might have a direct interest in some of the material you provided.

Rather than just put this box out with all of its materials, I actually went through the material and did a “simple” inventory of what was all there.  That way I could give an advance “heads up” as to what will be in our “freebies” basket at our next program on Tuesday evening, March 12, 2013.

Here is all of what is in the new “freebies” material in no particular order:

• NGS Magazine – 3 issues – Oct/Dec 2009, Apr/Jun 2009, Jan/Mar 2010.
• Beginner’s Guide to Genealogical Research from the Southern California Genealogical Society
• GSNJ Newsletter (Genealogical Society of New Jersey) – 6 issues – Spring 2010, Summer 2010, Fall and Winter 2010, Spring/Summer 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2011
• Show Me State Genealogical News (Missouri State Genealogical Society) – 2 issues – Summer 2011, Fall 2011
• Indiana Genealogist (Indian Genealogy Society) – 3 issues – June 2010, Sep 2010, Dec 2010
• The Review (DuPage County Genealogical Society Quarterly) – 2 issues – Feb 2012 and May 2012
• Crossroads (Utah Genealogical Society) – 2 issues – Dec 2010, Autumn 2011
• California Nugget (California Genealogical Society) – 4 issues – Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010
• Gleamings (McClean County Genealogical Society, IL) – 4 issues – Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010
• Saga of Southern Illinois (Genealogical Society of Southern Illinois) – 2 issues – Fall 1991, Jan/Mar 2006
• Journal (Missouri State Genealogical Society) – 5 issues – All 4 for 2011, 1st issue for 2012
• The Professional’s Voice (Association of Professional Genealogists) – 4 issues – Dec 2009, Sep 2010, Dec 2010, Dec 2011
• Illinois State Genealogical Society Quarterly - 3 issues – Summer 2011, Fall 2011, Winter 2011
• New England Ancestors (New England Historic and Genealogy Society) – 3 issues – Holiday 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009
• American Ancestors (New England, New York and Beyond) – 3 issues – Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Summer 2011
• Family Tree Magazine – 10 issues – Sep 2009, March 2010, August 2010, Jan 2011, Mar 2011, Jul 2011, Sep 2011, Dec 2011, Jan 2012, Mar/Apr 2012
• National Genealogical Society Quarterly – 3 issues – June 2009, Sep 2009, Dec 2009
• Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey (Genealogical Society of New Jersey) – 8 issues – 2010 List of Articles, 2011 List of Articles, Jan 2010, May 2010, Sep 2010, Jan 2011, May 2011, Sep 2011
• The Searcher (Southern California Genealogical Society) – 1 issue – Winter 2012
• Austin Families Association of America Newsletter – 11 issues – Mar 2009, Oct 2009, Feb 2010, May 2010, Nov 2010, Aug 2010, Feb 2011, May 2011, Aug 2011, Nov 2011, Feb 2012

Wow!  That is a big list.  I did want to itemize the material and provide a preview in case anyone sees something from the list that might interest them.

All of the above material will be in its own box on a table in the room where our March 12, 2013 program will take place.

You are encouraged to browse through all of this material and help yourself to anything in the box that catches your eye.

Once again, a very big thank you to Jennifer Holik for lugging this heavy box of material to make available to all of you that attend our monthly program.

Maybe there is something of note for you in the above.

Maybe there is nothing.

But at least it gets the chance to recycle through and catch someone’s eye pertinent to their own genealogical interests.

Tony Kierna
Genealogy Coordinator
Schaumburg Township District Library

Germans to America Index, 1850-1897; Famine Irish Passenger Index, 1846-1851; Italians to America Index, 1855-1900; Russians To America Index, 1834-1897; Available Within Databases At FamilySearch; Links To Databases Included

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday I provided information that was like a stab in the heart when I indicated that the images of Birth, Marriage and Death data from Cook County, IL were no longer available to see from FamilySearch.

Well, maybe today I can alleviate some of that pain you may be experiencing by letting you know that there are some key pieces of genealogical material that are available from within FamilySearch that you may not be aware of.

Years ago when we were searching for ancestors in passenger records we often had a choice of two routes.  One, look at microfilm records of passenger records with the hope of making a discovery.  Or two, take a look at some printed editions of transcribed passenger records that were contained in multi-volume sets that often only resided in libraries specializing in genealogical materials.

These multi-volume passenger record editions were often for a certain ethnic area of research such as Germans, Italians, Russian or Famine Irish.

I am happy to let you know that these “print” multi-volume sets are now residing as searchable indexed databases within FamilySearch.

Ann M. made me aware of these and I am happy to share some “good” news after having reported the “bad” news yesterday of images no longer being available.

The following sets of passenger records data are now available within FamilySearch:

Germans to America Index, 1850-1897

Famine Irish Passenger Index, 1846-1851

Italians to America Index,  1855-1900

Russians to America Index,  1834-1897

To access them, go to the home page of FamilySearch at FamilySearch, select “United States” from all of the world choices, and type in your choice in the search box of one of the above if you just want to limit your search exclusively to any one database.  If you just do a global search across all of the data, you will still make discoveries but you will have to screen through the hits to find those specifically for the above databases.

I personally used Germans to America at the Wheaton Public Library about 10 years ago.  The set had 54 volumes at that time.  The entire set was one big index broken out into various years.  If you did not a specific year, you just browsed the index book by book looking for a surname of interest.  If the person’s surname was spelled as you thought and it was transcribed that way, lo and behold, you would have found them.  With that information you could have taken the ship information, the port information and the date and actually try to see the microfilm image from wherever you could view that associated microfilm.

I have to remind those that started their research in the day of the “internet” that researching using print materials mentioned above was often done in the manner described!!  There was no “search box” on a screen.  There was a printed index and the books were all scattered about as we went through them one by one looking for the name of that elusive immigrant!

Here we are today when the giant sets of volumes are now available at your fingertips via FamilySearch.

So as they say “The Lord Giveth, and the Lord Taketh Away”.

Today, I am happy we score one for “Giveth” to make up for yesterday’s “Taketh”.

If you want to go directly to any of the 4 databases follow the following links that will get you there:

Germans to America Index, 1850-1897 At FamilySearch

Famine Irish Passenger Index, 1846-1851 At FamilySearch

Italians to America Index, 1855-1900 At FamilySearch

Russians to America Index,  1834-1897 At FamilySearch

These were great and unique resources pre-internet databases.  Now, they are within the reach of your fingers.

Enjoy searching through the material.  There is some great information you can obtain if you find who you are looking forward.  Read the descriptions of the data contained in the databases.  Take it all in!

Tony Kierna
Genealogy Coordinator
Schaumburg Township District Library

Digital Copies Of “The Chicago Genealogist” From 1969 To 2007 Are Available Online; Browseable And Searchable; Free To Access; Made Available From The Chicago Genealogical Society

Hi Everyone!

I just became aware that the journal of the Chicago Genealogical Society titled Chicago Genealogist is now available digitally online for issues created from 1969 to 2007.  The journal is created quarterly.  The years that are available span Volumes 1 to 39 of the publication.

The journals are viewable in browse mode.  Just flip through the material page by page and read about what genealogical research life was like “back in the day” in the 1970s when our world was not accessed at our fingertips as we do today with the internet.

The journals are also searchable.  Use a keyword.  Use a surname.  You can limit your search to one particular journal.  Or, you can actually search across all of the data.  Consider searching for a surname if you have Chicago ancestral connections because these journals often published information about projects the society did.  Names associated with these projects were simply printed as part of the reporting article.  Remember, think pre-internet!  Just as you search the internet today and discover names of your ancestors, the printed media back in the 1970s was still the method to make these discoveries.

Check out these digitized journals from the local Chicago Genealogical Society.  You can browse through the material at:

Chicago Genealogist Digitized Issues, Volumes 1 To 39, From 1969 To 2007

I actually did a “test search” using POLISH as my search term across all of the issues in the digitized collection.  The search worked wonderfully and I received many “hits”.  Great news!  The “hits” are all color-coded in a light blue for easy finding in the actual text page.  In the left side-bar of the search page is a list of the individual pages for that particular journal.  Any “hit” for your search will cause the page of the journal on the left side to be highlighted in red, giving you a clue your search term is contained within that page.  You can just look at the left side for all “red” pages, click on that page and then look on the right side for the “blue” highlighted hit in the text of the page itself.

The total number of hits is identified at the top where all the pages are listed for that particular journal containing the hits.  You can also click on a “next hit” tab at the top of this listing of pages section.  Or, you can just scroll down the list looking for the “red” for that page containing a hit.

Don’t forget to be aware of the total number of hits within the journal so you do not forget to look at the remainder after viewing the first page with the hit!

This is great!

Here is a link to a sample page of a hit for me using POLISH as a search term:

Search Result Using POLISH Keyword From Digital Chicago Genealogist Material

Now you have the capability to tap into these digitized journals in today’s search environment to see if maybe an ancestor of yours from Chicago might have been identified in one of the older journals of the Chicago Genealogical Society.

The materials have been made available through a cooperative effort with Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois Digital Collections site (CARLI).

Thank you Chicago Genealogical Society and CARLI for “highlighting” the found search term hits!

Newer issues of the journal are available through membership in the society.  Newer issues are also available through local libraries that are also members themselves of the society and receive the journal for their collections.

A big “high-five” to the Chicago Genealogical Society for making this voluminous amount of printed material spanning 38 years available to all genealogical researchers.

Happy hunting among all of these issues!

Tony Kierna
Genealogy Coordinator
Schaumburg Township District Library

Images For Cook County, Illinois Birth, Marriage, Death Records etc. No Longer Available At FamilySearch.org; New Agreement Established Between FamilySearch And Cook County, IL; Description Of Change Provided By FamilySearch Included

Hi Everyone!

Yikes!  I do have some bad news to relay to all of you, especially for those of you that have had a lot of focus on Cook County, IL Birth, Marriage and Death Records that were routinely available as images at FamilySearch.

It is with a heavy heart that I must relay to you that the images are no longer available through Family Search and the databases they showed at the FamilySearch site for Cook County, IL records.

You can still search by the surname for these records and then see a transcription-like description of the information contained in the record.  BUT THE IMAGE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO VIEW FOR FREE FROM WITHIN FAMILYSEARCH!

Ann M., one of our frequent attendees at our program shared this with me.  I thought that can’t be true.  However, looking at the material I sadly saw that only the descriptive index item of information is available with no ability to see the image.

I did look at one of the text descriptions of one of the database files for Cook County, IL information.  FamilySearch, I give them credit for this, did provide an explanation and some guidelines on alternatives on what to do for the researcher who uses these records.

Here is a FamilySearch provided description of what transpired between FamilySearch and Cook County, IL that changed the availability of these fabulous images we all so loved.  The description from FamilySearch follows in Italics after the separator line:

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Image Visibility

Due to the provisions and guidelines of a newly revised contract with Cook County,  FamilySearch has removed all images for Illinois, Cook County vital records from its historical records collections online; free indexes to the collections will remain.

As part of our new agreement, FamilySearch will receive an additional 4.7 million records for FamilySearch patrons from the over 9 million free indexed records in the Cook County collection. The following collections are affected by the change:

• Illinois, Cook County Birth Certificates, 1878-1922
• Illinois, Cook County Birth Registers, 1871-1915
• Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1922
• Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1920

Original images can be ordered or viewed through the following mediums.

1.  Microfilm and microfiche from the Family History Library are available via Online Film Ordering in most parts of the world. The film number is included in the source information found on the index of the record. https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Ordering_Microfilm_or_Microfiche  

2.  Illinois, Cook County web site http://cookcountygenealogy.com/  (pay site)

3.  Request a digital copy of items found in the Family History Library  catalog services from the Family History Library (photoduplication). Include source information found on the index of the record in your request.    https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Photoduplication_Services

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There you go.  We enjoyed the images we had previously been able to access.  But alas, since Cook County, IL has a “paysite” for this information, it seems that it was only a matter of time until that permission was no longer granted to FamilySearch to allow the images to be posted and available for free from FamilySearch.

Your alternative might simply be to access the images for cost from the Cook County, IL paysite for this information.

I don’t think the pain of losing these images has set in with me at this time!

Granted, the indexed information is all there but it was so nice and helpful to be able to look at the image, especially when you know that so many transcription errors can exist from the original to the indexed item.  Other clues could also be garnered from the image for the various components of the records that might not have been included in the transcription process, such as a doctor’s name, a funeral home’s name, a church’s name.  These were often great clues to see in the image that were not extracted into the indexed item.

Oh well, we can’t cry over spilled milk! (Actually, I think we can for a little while, but then we have to move on!).

I wish I had better news to report to you.

But it is what it is!

Next time you access the Illinois, Cook County data at FamilySearch you will see no images.  Now you know why.

Tony Kierna
Genealogy Coordinator
Schaumburg Township District Library

Swedish American Museum Of Chicago Offers Recurring Swedish Genealogy Research Assistance On Each 4th Saturday Of The Month; Research Help Also Available Each Wednesday Afternoon From Noon To 3 PM; Free For Members Of The Museum, $10 Fee For Non-Members; Link To Full February 2013 Newsletter Included

Hi Everyone!

I received a recent e-mail newsletter from the Swedish American Museum of Chicago.

One part of the newsletter noted that the museum is offering recurring genealogy help sessions on each 4th Saturday of the month.  For those that are members of the museum, the service is free; for those that are non-members but would still like to obtain some Swedish genealogical assistance, the fee is $10.

Research help is also being offered on Wednesday afternoons from Noon to 3 PM.  This service is also free for members and will cost $10 for non-members.

Here are the details contained from the e-mail I received regarding the genealogy help that is being offered that follows in Italics after the break line:

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The Nordic Family Genealogy Center hosts genealogy sessions from 10 a.m. to noon on the fourth Saturday of most months. Check the Swedish American Museum’s website for specific dates and topics. Annual membership: $20 for Museum members; non-members pay $10 per session.

  The Genealogy Center is also open for individual research Wednesday afternoons between noon and 3:00 p.m. Individual assistance is provided by experienced members of the Nordic Family Genealogy Center. There is no charge for Museum members: non-members pay $10 per visit. Reservations recommended and can be made by calling 773.728.8111.

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In fact, the genealogy program being offered on Saturday, February 23, 2013, from 10 AM to Noon is titled “Fermented Herring For Anyone?”.  This genealogy session will be exploring fermented herring-a delicacy from Northern Sweden, among other food traditions. This session will be led by Kerstin Nicholson. If possible, bring your laptop computer and family information to class.

If you have Swedish ancestral research needs and you live in the area, you might want to consider connecting with the Swedish American Museum in Chicago for help as well as just to be aware of all of the activities the museum is offering both for Swedish genealogy and for Swedish cultural information.

All of the contact information for the museum is above as well as in the full newsletter link below.

Here is a link to the full contents of the newsletter material I received from the Swedish American Museum of Chicago:

February 2013 Events At The Swedish American Museum Of Chicago

Tony Kierna
Genealogy Coordinator
Schaumburg Township District Library