The talk explores ways in which visualizing the locations of households of particular surnames in Catholic records, valuations, census records and records of births, marriages and deaths can help with genealogy and local history, providing vivid examples of just how local some names are and how impossibly widespread others can be. All the records covered are free online and form part the basis of almost all nineteenth-century Irish research.
In addition, some of the focus will be on maps of the geographic areas used to collect the records. The talk will give some of the technical background involved in creating the maps, but will mostly focus on their use and on how they shed light on the surnames and the families.
Our speaker, John Grenham, was Project Manager with the Irish Genealogical Project from 1991 to 1995 and later went on to develop and market his own genealogical software, 'Grenham’s Irish Recordfinder'. In 2005, he was the first Genealogist-in-Residence at Dublin City Library. He was awarded a fellowship of The Irish Genealogical Research Society in 2007 and of the Genealogical Society of Ireland in 2010 and Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI) in 2021. He is the author of Tracing your Irish Ancestors (5th ed. Dublin, Baltimore MD, 2019) the standard reference guide for Irish genealogy, The Atlantic Coast of Ireland (2014), Clans and Families of Ireland (1995), and An Illustrated History of Ireland (1997), among other works. He wrote the "Irish Roots" column in The Irish Times from 2009 to 2016, has developed heritage databases with Dublin City Library and Archive and the National Archives of Ireland, and ran the Irish Ancestors website in conjunction with The Irish Times until 2016. In partnership with his son Eoin, he now runs the successor website at www.johngrenham.com.
He was an external member of the National Library of Ireland Genealogy and Heraldry Committee from 2011 to 2021. He has been a member of the full NLI board since 2021 and also chairs the Genealogy and Heraldry Committee.
The Webinar will be recorded and available on the CGS website in the members only section.
Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website under Events. Registration will close 1 hour prior to the event. The meet-up will take place virtually via ZOOM. All people registered will receive an email the morning of the event with log-in instructions and a link. This information is not to be shared.
Note: This webinar is FREE for CGS members. Non-Members can register for the event for $10. No refunds.
Open Mic Meet-Up - CGS Members Only Event
Join us to share your discovery or watch and listen to others share their successes. You have a research problem? Come and ask the group. Maybe someone will have a suggestion to further your research. A great opportunity to learn!
This meet-up will have a host to run the Zoom and to give the opportunity for everyone to share as time permits. If you plan to share a discovery or problem, please keep it to 5 minutes or less to allows others to also share.
**This Meet-Up is not recorded"
Picture from Library of Congress
You’ve seen them on the news - genetic genealogists, sometimes called “DNA Search Angels” are identifying remains, solving crimes, helping adoptees to identify their biological parents and family medical history, clearing up family stories, identifying the surnames of ancestors whose last name was always “____” in your tree, and breaking down brick walls that withstood traditional genealogical methods.
Join Kate Penney Howard, as she gives a brief overview of how genetic genealogy works, and she’ll share some highlights from adoption and brick wall cases. Attendees will also receive a reference guide explaining how YOU can apply these techniques to your own genealogical research.
Our speaker, Kate Penney Howard, former resident of Hyde Park, is a genetic genealogist, specializing in brick wall work, HighRoH, and endogamy.
She has presented at Rootstech, East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference, Illinois Genealogical Society, the International Congress on Medieval Studies, NAAP/RTK’s Untangling Our Roots, and the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Future speaking engagements include Rootstech 2025 and Ohio Genealogical Society 2025, as well as local library & genealogical society presentations.
Kate studied vocal music and earned a Master of Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis in 2011, and has been pastor of North Christian Church since her ordination in 2012.
Swedish American Museum Tour: We are America
A one hour guided private tour for the Chicago Genealogical Society of the Museum's new core exhibit, We Are America. (second floor). We Are America tells the story of Swedish immigration to Chicago. Attendees will encounter environmental displays, artifacts, images, interactives, and kid-friendly elements. They will learn about the lives Swedish immigrants built in the U.S., from employment to recreation to religion to home life, and even about Swedish-American businesses and clubs that still form an integral part of Chicago today. We Are America also invites the group to compare the Swedish immigration story with others from Chicago, and to reflect on their own histories and experiences. The tour also includes the Brunk Children's Museum of Immigration (3rd floor).
Registered attendees will meet at the Swedish American Museum, 5211 North Foster (Clark and Foster), Chicago, IL, at the main entrance @ 11:00am. Parking and transportation options can be found on the Museum website under visit/hours and admission.
Both CGS members and non-members are welcome.
Cost: Free CGS members $5.00 non-members
Registration closes on March 19, 2025, at 11:00am. No refund after March 19, 2025, at 11:00am. The online payment service fee of $1.50 will be deducted from refunds.
Everyone has heard of Ancestry, but there are some other big databases for genealogy research. They all share search capabilities as well as have their own unique merits. Learn “the good, the bad and the ugly” about the Big Four – Ancestry, FamilySearch, FindMyPast and MyHeritage. Learning about these databases will help you target your research. All of them have Library editions (free access) in addition to their subscriptions.
Our speaker, Caron Primas Brennan, loves history, biography, puzzles, and a good mystery, which makes her perfectly suited to genealogy research! She belongs to several local and regional genealogy groups as well as being a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild and a Professional Member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She is currently the Registrar for the Anan Harmon Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the Revolution (DAR). Caron has been teaching at the Newberry Library in Chicago and speaking at local libraries and genealogical societies for over ten years with consistently excellent feedback.
Anna Elisabeth Mohrmann immigrated from Germany to Ohio in 1864 and quickly married. But her husband was not the man she had intended to marry. For years her origins in Germany and her parentage were a mystery. Learn how one record broke through her brick wall pointing to where she was born. Careful analysis then led to learning the names of her parents and grandparents.
Our speaker, Pamela Guye Holland, lives in Swampscott, Massachusetts, and has been researching family roots found in Ireland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and Germany for over twenty years. Pam works for Research Services at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) and as the US-based genealogist in the Green Room at https://youririshheritage.com/. Her research specialties are Irish and Genetic Genealogy. Her website is www.GenealogyByPamHolland.com.
Business owners, land speculators, and communities wishing to grow all turned to various forms of advertising to entice people to migrate to the Midwestern territories and states. This presentation examines how newspaper advertising, pamphlets, gazetteers, and books were aimed at prospective migrants from the eastern parts of the U.S. and prospective immigrants from Europe to get them to come and work, buy land, and settle in the Midwest. We'll look at what kinds of messages these ads used in order to make hard work and pioneer living seem attractive and how to find messages your migrating ancestors might have seen.
Annette Burke Lyttle, CG® owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. She speaks on a variety of genealogical topics at the international, national, state, and local levels and loves helping people uncover and share their family stories. Annette is a course coordinator for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the British Institute. She is a published writer whose research interests include Quaker ancestors and ancestral migrations in the US. She is past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists and editor of The Florida Genealogist.
**Note this is our Annual Members Meeting**
Alien registration forms constitute an important federal immigration record series rich in genealogical details that was recently transferred from US Citizenship and Immigration Services to the National Archives Electronic Records Division. Join us to learn about why non-naturalized residents filed these forms just after the 1940 Census and what information we might find in them about family members; we will then practice using a free database to identify and request these useful records.
Our speaker, Ryan Johnson, MAT completed the National Genealogical Society's Advanced Skills in Genealogy Course and researches for clients in the Midwest. As the great-grandchild of eight 20th century US immigrants, he has special research interests in French Canada, Sweden, Italy, France, and the Baltic states.
**Special Tech Tuesday Webinar**
Unleash the power of visual analysis with LucidChart, your online companion for crafting diagrams, charts, mind maps, and illustrations. This tool transforms your research and ideas into dynamic visuals that are adaptable and shareable. In my upcoming talk, I'll guide you through the ins and outs of LucidChart, demonstrating how you can create personalized diagrams, including family trees and timelines, that resonate with your needs.
Our speaker, Jamie Lee McManus Mayhew, is a genealogist and speaker. She began researching with her mother as her first mentor over five decades ago. She started her business, California Cousins, in 2010 and began speaking to genealogy enthusiasts. She is currently the president of the Association of Professional Genealogists Writers Special Interest Group (SIG), a board member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild, a FamilySearch Center leader, and a member of many societies.
If you research in Illinois, you don’t want to miss the resources held in the seven regional archive repositories of IRAD. From vital records to city directories, probate to local histories, each site has its own unique set of records. Learn tips and tricks for getting the most out of your visit, whether long-distance or on site. Come see some of the gems already gleaned from the vast resources of this amazing Illinois asset.
Genealogy and the recording of family history has always been a passion for Luana Darby. She began organizing photos, documents, and information on her grandmother’s family in 1977 and has researched for others since 1985, working as a professional genealogist since 1995. She specializes in Palatine German, US and Canadian, and western European research She frequently travels to Europe for genealogical research on site in archives located in Germany, Poland and France.
Luana has a bachelor’s degree in Family History from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. In addition to her education at BYU and SJSU, Luana is an Accredited Genealogist®.
She is a frequent lecturer at local and national conferences and institutes, including the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, the British Institute, RootsTech and through Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
Luana is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the National Genealogical Society. She has served as past president and director of the Utah Genealogical Association and director at the Association of Professional Genealogists. She currently serves as the Utah State Society DAR 2nd Vice Regent and has served as a past State Registrar, and as a commissioner on the ICAPGen accreditation board.
Luana worked on the research team of Relative Race, BYU TV’s reality competition show, seasons 3 and 4. She loves her ancestors and the chance to solve genealogical mysteries.
The Webinar will be recorded and available on the CGS website in the members only section for 90 days.
Many family historians find Fold3 to be a bit intimidating. Since it’s indispensable in doing Military Records research and has so many other hidden gems to offer, why not develop some Fold3 Flair for yourself? Learning Fold3 will benefit you in countless ways!
Laura Street Chaplin, a seasoned genealogist with over 40 years of experience, has conducted extensive research while living throughout the Midwest, including Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio. Her passion for family history began in college and evolved into a dedicated hobby, attending workshops, traveling nationwide for research, taking community college courses and lots more. Laura’s journey was propelled by her Quaker grandparents and her father, researchers who provided a head start. As a young mother she compiled a book on her mother’s family, tracing her German immigrant ancestor’s current descendants. In 2013, Laura established Willowtree Research Genealogy Services and obtained her Boston University Genealogical Research certificate, Laura leverages her wealth of knowledge and experience to assist others in discovering their family heritage, providing fulfillment and excitement along the way.
Chicago Genealogical Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Address: PO Box 1160, Chicago, IL 60690-1160
