General Information...
Our general meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month, except the months of June, July, August and December.
Meetings are held at the Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights. We begin a 7:00pm with a Round-Table discussion. We encourage people to bring their research problems, achievements or interesting tips to share with each other. The main portion of the meeting begins promptly at 7:30pm. Donations are always welcome!
meetings for the current year...
September 15, 2009 - So, You've Found Your German Town of Origin -- Now What??- Teresa Steinkamp McMillin is a professional genealogist who specializes in German and Midwest American research, as well as reading German script. She has been interested in genealogy since she was a child and has been actively researching her German ancestry for the past nine years, as well as her husband's Chicago Irish. She has attended the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research and has taken college-level German courses. She was the 2007 recipient of the National Genealogical Society's Home Study Course, which she has completed. Teresa is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, as well as many local genealogical societies. She is the webmaster for the Northwest Suburban Council of Genealogists.
October 20, 2009 - Scottish Research: Beyond the Basics - Maureen Brady, a former school librarian and computer educator, has almost twenty-five years experience with family history research and is now a professional genealogist. She has traced her own Scottish roots back to the end of the 17th century and beyond, and has also pursued Chicago area, the trans-Allegheny U.S., Irish and Swedish research. She is the co-director and trainer for the Crystal Lake (IL) Family History Center.
November 17, 2009 - The All New Family Tree Maker Explained - Dan Wertz , a CPA, has held numerous financial management positions in the Chicago metro area. Dan has been actively involved in the pursuit of genealogy and his family tree since 1987. His paternal line has been traced as far back as 1530 in Bretten, Baden, Germany. His immigrant ancestor came to America in 1732 and built his final home in Quincy, PA in 1747. Dan has been an avid user of the software program, Family Tree Maker, since the “DOS” days. His passion is learning to leverage new software tools and guiding others to do the same. He has attended numerous local workshops over the past several years. Dan holds memberships in the Northwest Suburban Council of Genealogists (NWSCG) (as past President and Vice President/ Membership Chair), the Computer Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois (CAGG-NI) (as past Vice President/Program Chair), the Lake County (IL) Genealogical Society, and the Illinois State Genealogical Society, the Ohio Genealogical Society and the German Interest Group - Wisconsin.
Happy Holidays!!!!
January 19, 2010 - On the Road Again: Planning for a Research Trip - Member Panel. Come hear a panel of Northwest Suburban Council of Genealogist’ members talk about their experiences with research trips. What things should you do in advance of the trip? What are the things to avoid doing? Highlights will include preparing for a large research library, a small town archive or courthouse, a trip overseas and pointers on incorporating technology into your trip, if that’s your thing. Questions and input will be taken from the floor.
February 9, 2010 - Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places - Ginger Frere, is a librarian at the Newberry Library of Chicago, noted for its genealogical holdings and services. Ginger's basic theme is that people don't always get married where you expect, and therefore the marriage records are harder to find. In particular, people elope to places where restrictions on marriage are easier than those at home. The classic place for this phenomenon is Scotland's Gretna Green, where historically it was easier to marry than in England. Gretna Green is now a generic term for easy marriage locales. There were other reasons for not getting married in the home church, such as ease of transportation to other places, tradition, availability of a church of ones preference, trendiness, and/or anonymity.
March 16, 2010 - Non-Federal Civil War Sources for Family History Research - Craig Pfannkuche, is on the Board of Directors for the McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society and the Chicago Genealogical Society. He has received his Bachelor and Master of Arts from Northern Illinois University. He is the Genealogical Archivist for the Chicago and Northwestern Railway Historical Society. He is also mentioned as a railroad resource person in the book “The Source.” Craig not only has given workshops and conference presentations, he has published many articles. The most recent “Death on the Oregon Trail” in TRACER magazine for the McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society.
April 20, 2010 - Naturalization: Its History and Records - Kathryn Barrett, is a genealogy researcher, teacher and lecturer at the local, regional and national level using her 35 years of genealogy experience. Kathryn has been a volunteer at the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) at the Great Lakes Regional Center for more than 15 years. Kathryn is a professional member of the National Genealogical Society (NGS), the Federation of Genealogical Society (FGS), and the Wisconsin State Historical Society. The recipients of Kathryn’s presentations include various genealogical societies, libraries, conferences, and other special interest groups. Kathryn has recently organized a local homeowner association genealogical group and makes monthly presentations on a wide variety of genealogical topics.
May 18, 2010 - In Search of French-Canadians in America and Canada - Michelle Bray Wilson, began her genealogical research in the fall of 2007 when a family tree created in the 1930s came into her hands. She has since worked on-line and with other researchers to locate over 400 direct ancestors. Michelle is the secretary for the Computer-Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois and a member of the French-Canadian and Acadian Genealogists of Wisconsin. She traces her own French-Canadian ancestry to the Red Lake Falls area of Minnesota and from there to the Montreal and lle d’Orleans areas of Quebec.