Judi Kramer

Join us to on October 31, 2024 at 10:00 Via Zoom to participate in “Sharing Our Family History – An Idea Swap”

The winter holidays and celebrations present opportunities for us to share our family history finds. The
challenge is to engage family members and get them excited! Listening to and sharing ideas can be a
real boost to your creative approach to sharing your research! Mary Huey, First Vice President will
moderate this share and tell session. Tell us what worked and maybe even what didn’t work. Do you
have a new idea that you want to try? Let us be your sounding board. All ideas welcome and
appreciated.

Mary Huey turned a mild curiosity in her husband’s family history into a fulfilling hobby during
the Covid shutdown in 2020 and continues to enjoy finding the answers to the puzzles of family history.
The exchange of ideas and research technique as a participant in the Lake County Genealogical Society
stimulates her quest and keeps “the little gray cells” happy.

Join us on September 26, 2024 at 10:00 via Zoom to hear Lisa A. Alzo present “Ten Things Every Eastern European Genealogist Should Know.”

Learn how to maximize your Eastern European genealogy research with the ten key things to know before you even begin. Topics to be addressed: Tips for planting your family tree online, determining names and places, pinpointing places, the best online databases for getting what you need and practices for citing sources and recording information, and what to expect when you cross the pond.

Lisa A. Alzo, M.F.A., is a freelance writer, instructor, and internationally recognized
lecturer, specializing in Eastern European genealogical research and creative nonfiction
writing. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Nonfiction Writing from the
University of Pittsburgh in 1997. Lisa is the author of eleven books, including The
Family Tree Polish, Czech and Slovak Genealogy Guide, and the award-winning Three
Slovak Women, and hundreds of magazine articles.  Lisa is a contributing editor for
Family Tree Magazine and was a frequent contributor for Internet Genealogy. She also
developed the Eastern European Research Certificate Program for the International
Institute of Genealogical Studies and works as an online educator and writing coach.
Lisa is a frequently invited speaker for national conferences, genealogical and historical
societies, and webinars. An avid genealogist for more than 30 years, Lisa also
chronicles her family history adventures on her blog, The Accidental Genealogist
https://www.theaccidentalgenealogist.  Visit https://www.lisaalzo.com for more information.

Join us on June 27, 2024 to hear Bernard N. Meisner, Ph.D., CCM present “Pushes, Pulls, and Records: The Waves of German Immigrants to the United States.”

Pushes, Pulls, and Records; The Waves of German Immigrants to the United States: German immigration to the United States can be grouped into four waves, based on time period. The waves can be differentiated by the pushes and pulls that drove the immigrations, and the types of records produced during each wave. Learn the factors that may have drawn your German speaking ancestors to the United States, and the most likely records where they can be found.

Join us on Thursday, May 30, 2024 as Steve Szabados helps us find our roots in naturalization records.

Steve Szabados grew up in Central Illinois and is a retired project manager living in the Chicago Suburbs. He received a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and a Master’s in Business Administration from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.

Steve Szabados is a genealogy lecturer and author. He has been researching his ancestors since 2000 and has traced ancestors back to the 1600s in New England, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and the 1730s in Poland, Germany, Bohemia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia. He has given numerous presentations to genealogical groups and libraries in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. He has also published aver fifteen genealogy books. His mission is to share his passion for Family History with as many people as he can. He is a former board member of the Polish Genealogical Society of America, and he is a genealogy volunteer at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library. Steve also is the genealogy columnist for the Polish American Journal.

Join us on April 25, 2024 via Zoom to hear Shelly Bishop present “Avoiding an Ancestor Identity Crisis”.  I’m sure we have all been in this situation as we research our ancestors, so we can surely use Shelly’s insight and help.

Shelley Bishop is a genealogical researcher, writer, and speaker with a passion for finding ancestors and interpreting the records that reveal their stories. Her business, Buckeye Family Trees, specializes in researching Ohio ancestors using a wide array of online resources as well as in-person work at the Ohio History Connection Archives, other repositories, and local courthouses. A graduate of the ProGen Study Program, she continually hones her skills at genealogical institutes and conferences. Shelley is President of the Great Lakes Chapter APG.

Please join us on March 28, 2024 via Zoom to learn more about deeds from Bill Eddleman.  His presentation is titles “This Indenture Made This — Finding Ancestors in Deeds.”

Bill is the Coordinator at the  Cape Girardeau Research Center

Please join us on November 30, 2023 to hear Jane Neff Rollins give guidance on “Sensitive Subjects in Genealogy: How Much to Reveal; How Much to Conceal.”

A genealogically sensitive subject is anything about an individual or family that might have been kept secret, or if mentioned, hushed up. How do you walk the fine line between accuracy and sensitivity when writing or talking about sensitive subjects like divorce, out-of-wedlock births, spousal abuse, or suicide? Learn how documents may reveal unexpected secrets to you and questions to ask yourself when deciding whether to reveal or maintain the secret. Ms. Rollins will discuss how she has handled each with examples from her own family research.  David Laskin, best-selling author of the book, The Family, called this presentation “spellbinding,” in this article in The Forward: http://forward.com/articles/204417/a-report-from-the-jewish-genealogists-summer-ca/?p=all.

Jane Neff Rollins is a professional genealogist at Sherlock Combs Genealogy,^® who works primarily with clients whose roots were in the former Russian Empire. Jane has lectured at conferences sponsored by the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, National Genealogical Society, and Federation of Genealogical Societies, among others. Her genealogical writing has appeared in Avotaynu, FGS Forum, NGS Magazine, Pennsylvania Legacies, and Crossroads.

Please join us on October 26, 2023 to hear Linda Alford Worsham help us Learn how to use cluster genealogy in searching for maiden names.