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**
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
Oak Woods Cemetery Walk
Chicago’s Oak Woods Cemetery was founded in 1854 and covers about 184 acres. It is full of Chicago history and is the final resting place for several known people. Our Chicago Genealogical Society is offering a private cemetery walk through this historical cemetery, located at 1035 East 67th Steet.
Our cemetery walk guide will be Adam Selzer. Adam is a tour guide, author, and historian in Chicago and New York. The author of more than 20 books, including Graceland Cemetery: Chicago Stories, Symbols, and Secrets. His tours are informative, hilarious, and endlessly fascinating. Check out his website https://mysteriouschicago.com/
Registration is required via the CGS website and will close Saturday, July 5, at noon CST. No refund after July 5, 2025, at noon. The online payment service fee of $1.50 will be deducted from refunds prior to July 4. Tour size is limited to 35. A waitlist will be available if needed. Attendees will receive an email 24 hours before the walk detailing information on the meeting spot.
Both CGS members and non-members are welcome.
Cost: $15 CGS members $25 non-members (limited spots)
Member Gravestone Photo Request
***CGS Members*** The CGS Cemetery Committee is offering to take gravestone photos for members at the Oak Woods 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 everyone. 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). The CGS Cemetery Committee cannot do gravestone location research for you. Photo requests will be taken between May 1 and June 30. Send your request by June 30th to CGS email info@chicagogenealogy.org Attn: Oak Woods Cemetery Gravestone Photo Request.
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.
Learn tips for beginning research in an unfamiliar geographic area through the example of the Scroggins and Dimick families in Southern Illinois.
Cari A. Taplin is related to Roy Rogers. Or at least that’s what her family told her. As a result, finding her true heritage has been her focus since the year 2000. She is a native of Wood County, Ohio but now lives in Longmont, Colorado. Cari holds the Certified Genealogist® credential and has served in a wide variety of volunteer and leadership positions for state, local, and national societies. As the owner of GenealogyPANTS, she provides speaking services. She also lends help and shares her expertise as an administrator on the highly popular Facebook Group “The Genealogy Squad.” Cari currently works for Ancestry ProGenealogists. Cari’s personal research focuses on midwestern and Great Lakes states. When she’s not working on her genealogy, she is a wife, and a mother of two young adults.
The Webinar will be recorded and available on the CGS website in the members only section for 30 days.
**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.
National Hellenic Museum Tour: Reaching for the American Dream
A guided private tour for the Chicago Genealogical Society of the Museum including the exhibit, Reaching for the American Dream: An Immigration Story. The exhibit explores the Greek immigrant journey to America during the early 1900s. The tour also includes the Frank S. Kamberos Oral History Center, the Gus and Mary Stathis Library & Resource Center, and the National Hellenic Museum’s Archival Collections.
Registered attendees will meet at the National Hellenic Museum, 333 South Halsted Street, Chicago, IL, at the main entrance @ 11:00am. Location information can be found on the Museum website www.nationalhellenicmuseum.org.
Cost: Free CGS members $7.00 non-members
**Registration will open in August**
Registration closes on November 8, 2025, at 11:00am. No refund after November 8, 2025, at 11:00am. The online payment service fee of $1.50 will be deducted from refunds.
Chicago Genealogical Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Address: PO Box 1160, Chicago, IL 60690-1160
