General Information...
Our general meetings are usually held on the first Saturday of each month, except the months of June, July, August and December.
Meetings are now held at:
Arlington Heights Senior Center
1801 W. Central Road
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Doors open at 9:30am 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 10:00am. Donations are always welcome!
meetings for the current year...
August 27, 2011 - Who Sank Grandpa's Boat? - Dan Niemiec, the Italian genealogy expert for Fra Noi, is the co-founder, co-chair and webmaster of the Italian genealogy group, POINTers In Person, Chicago-North chapter. He has given presentations to local and national genealogy conferences and societies. His Italian ancestral lines have been traced to the mid-late-1600s, and his Polish lines to the mid-1700s. By tracing descendant lines, he has found over 62,000 relatives, the result of seventeen years of original research. To subsidize his genealogy, he works full-time as a computer network administrator in Mundelein, Illinois.
October 1, 2011 - World War II and Women, Too - 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) – Great Lakes Regional Center for more than 15 years. Kathryn is a professional member of the National Genealogical Society (NGS), the Federation of Genealogical Societies (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.
November 5, 2011 - Polished Gems: Property Records, Cook County, Illinois - Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, CG(sm), is a full-time professional researcher specializing in Chicago and Cook County research, problem solving, and multi-generational family histories. She conducts research projects for government agencies, attorneys, authors, newspapers, heir-search firms, professional genealogists, family researchers. Her clients are international and include Australia, Canada, England, France, Ireland, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. On behalf of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force, Jeanne searches and identifies family members of unaccounted for servicemen from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Jeanne writes articles for scholarly journals and society publications and is a frequent lecturer at conferences, workshops, and institutes. She served as the editor of a book and a newsletter. Jeanne holds a Bachelor of Arts [History] from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a second-year certificate from the University of Chicago's publishing program. She is a trustee and Treasurer of the Board for Certification of Genealogists.
Happy Holidays!!!!
January 7, 2012 - Organizing and Writing Your Family History - Steve Szabados, is a retired project manager with a Bachelor of Science degree and a MBA who started researching his ancestors in 2004. He has given numerous presentations to groups in Illinois and Wisconsin and wants to share his passion for Family History . He is a member of the Polish Genealogical Society of America, Illinois State Genealogical Society and also a genealogy volunteer at the Arlington Heights Library. His roots are Polish and Hungarian plus he has also had success researching Slovenian and Bohemian records.
February 4, 2012 - Investigating Resources at ChicagoAncestors.org- Sandra Trapp, has been researching her family, her husband's and her son-in-law's families for thirteen years. She is a member of multiple genealogical organizations and an officer of some. She has presented genealogical programs at various locations in the area. She is the resource chairman for the Family History Center in Naperville.
*** March 3, 2012 *** - Focus Groups- Come early this month and join one of our 4 focus groups to help advance your genealogy research. Beginning at 9:00 a.m. we will offer the following focus groups: Northwest Suburban Research; German Research; Polish; Software. Facilitators will be available in each group. Bring your research problems, insights, etc. and join the group that entices you. No pre-registration is necessary.
March 3, 2012 - A Brief History of Germans in Poland and Russia- Walter Marzinke, describes himself as an amateur European history buff. He is a naturalized American, born in Poland during World War II, to German parents who had been resettled from Russia. Today this area would be known as Ukraine. Walter's family immigrated to Canada in 1950 and eventually Walter moved to the United States. He has made numerous trips to Germany, Ukraine, and his last visit was to Poland. Walter is a member of NWSCG and active in numerous German, Russian and Polish genealogy groups. Besides English, he is fluent in German since this was the language used in his parents' home during his childhood years.
April 7, 2012 - Searching for Great Grandpa - Find Your Union Soldier - Jerry Allen, grew up on a farm in LaCrosse County, Wisconsin, with a predominantly Norwegian heritage. He attended the University of Wisconsin – LaCrosse (BS – Mathematics and Physics) and the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (MS - Mathematics). Jerry currently works as a pension consultant in downtown Chicago. Jerry and his wife, Ellen, live in Cary, Illinois. Although not a professional historian, Jerry has had a life-long interest in history with a special interest in the Civil War and American Indian Conflicts. He is a member of various Civil War Round Tables and a past president of the Civil War Round Table of Chicago and the Northern Illinois Civil War Round Table.
May 5, 2012 - Finding Online Newspapers - Sarah A. V. Kirby, When you cross an aerospace engineer (a.k.a. rocket scientist) with a teacher, librarian, and genealogist, you get a wide range of knowledge and a depth of experience rarely equaled. Sarah uses this to your advantage to present her topics in everyday language with enthusiasm and excellence. Sarah has been researching her family since 1994 and has had a surname website since 1997. After obtaining her MLIS (Masters in Library and Information Science) in 2003, she began moving towards professional genealogy. She is currently a member of APG, NGS, the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and several other local and regional societies. Miss Kirby has been on the APG's Publications Advisory Committee since early 2007.