Did you know it's National Novel Writing Month? Also known as NaNoWriMo, November is a month to carve out some time to write. But you don't have to have a novel in mind. Genealogists have great stories: each of our ancestors has at least one tale to tell. Why not use this month to put…
Want to give something back to the genealogy community at large? This weekend, October 20-22, FamilySearch is promoting a "Worldwide Indexing Event" in which you can help index digitized records on FamilySearch. What is indexing, you ask? Through the FamilySearch website, you can view a digitized record or set of records and type out the…
Serious researchers take note: Thanks to the Illinois State Library, you temporarily have free access to hundreds of subscription databases above and beyond the ones available to Cook Memorial card holders. The initiative is called TryIt! Illinois, and it extends only until the the end of November, 2017. Genealogists will love digging into the newspaper…
Attention Genealogists! On Sale Now! Get your tickets now for the Newberry Library Bus Trip on November 9. Cost is $32 for transportation by mini-coach bus, plus an optional $6.50 for a Picnic Basket sack lunch. Tickets can be purchased at the Cook Library Welcome Desk or the Aspen Drive Library reference desk. We will…
When we start our family tree, the going is usually smooth. Ancestors fall into line without too much trouble because we are familiar with them or have heard of them. By personal knowledge, we know who belongs in our tree…or so we think. As we journey farther back in time, relationships become less clear. How…
The Lake County (IL) Genealogical Society will have a Wall of Honor at its Annual Fall Workshop on November 11, 2017 to honor its many members and relatives who have served or are serving our country in the military. This Wall of Honor is for all veterans of all wars of the U.S. and for…
Have you signed up for our first genealogy speaker of the fall season? World War II genealogy expert Jennifer Holik will speak to us next Thursday, September 7 on using Fold3 to research our World War II ancestors. The program will be at Aspen Drive Library starting at 7 p.m. Register now! Fold3 can be…
Are you ready to move from your paper record to a digital system of record keeping? There are many genealogy software programs available and it may be hard to choose the best one for you. Thankfully, professionals and genealogists in the know have put together reviews and comparisons for us. Here are some of the…
The FamilySearch microfilm ordering program is officially coming to an end on September 1, 2017. That's ten days from today. The last day to order microfilm is August 31, 2017. Hopefully you are aware that Cook Library is a FamilySearch Library affiliate, which means that you can request your microfilm to be delivered to Cook…
Have you heard people talking about their membership in the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) or the Mayflower Society and wondered what it was all about? These are just two examples of lineage societies which are an important part of the genealogy world. According to the Lineage Society of America, "A lineage society is…
