was held on Saturday February 28, 2009
Hilton Garden Inn
St. Charles, Illinois
| Time | Title/Speaker | Presentation |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM | Registration Browsing in the Vendor Area Beverages and snacks will be available for purchase in the morning. |
|
| 9:00 AM (1A) |
The Witness - An Often Overlooked Source Leland Meitzler |
Use information about witnesses, extended family, and neighbors to grow your family tree.
|
| 9:00 AM (1B) |
Gem at the Crossroads of America Don Litzer |
The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, IN has become a genealogical destination unrivaled by any U.S. public library, and second only to Salt Lake City’s Family History Library in terms of collection size for a genealogically-focused institution. The Genealogy Center’s 40,000 square-foot public area houses a growing collection of more than 350,000 printed volumes, 513,000 microform items, computers providing patrons with access to major subscription databases, and assistance from professional librarians conversant with the collection and genealogical research.
Don leads a multimedia tour of the Genealogy Center, discussing its collection and services, the Center’s collection philosophy, and recommendations for using the Genealogy Center and contributing to its future excellence through donations and photocopy exchanges. |
| 9:00 AM (1C) |
Analyzing 19th Century Photographs in Family History Research Craig L. Pfannkuche |
How to make the most of your research dollar using cost-saving techniques that do not hinder the quality of your research.
|
Break | ||
| 10:30 AM (2A) |
Using Tax Records to Establish Relationships Leland Meitzler |
Tax records have an amazing amount of genealogical information within them. Learn to find and use these records. |
| 10:30 AM (2B) |
The Mysteries of PERSI Don Litzer |
PERSI, the Periodical Source Index, a product of Allen County Public Library’s Genealogy Center since 1987, is a subject index with more than two million entries that is widely recognized as a vital resource for genealogical researchers. PERSI entries link to valuable information in nearly ten thousand genealogical and local history publications, including obscure and difficult-to-research newsletters and periodicals, in English and (Canadian) French. Don will discuss where to find versions of PERSI that are complete and current (or not), how to successfully search PERSI, and how to obtain articles identified in PERSI. |
| 10:30 AM (2C) |
A Critique of Chicago Family History Research Sources Craig L. Pfannkuche |
Get the real story on doing research in Chicago. |
| 11:45 AM | Luncheon served upstairs Roasted Salmon on Vegetable Noodles or Rigatoni Primavera with Grilled Chicken with a Garden Salad and Cheesecake for dessert then Time to visit the Vendors
|
|
| 1:30 PM (3A) |
Chasing Women - Finding the Women in Your Pedigree Leland Meitzler |
Finding the ladies' maiden as well as married names can often be a challenge. Find out more about locating this important information. |
| 1:30 PM (3B) |
Drilling Down For DNA Jeffrey A. Bockman |
Explores a variety of methods to discover the distant cousins whose DNA test results might help to get past a brick wall. Looks at how DNA tests and DNA projects can help to overcome tough research problems. |
| 1:30 PM (3C) |
Finding Your Roots in a Chicago Building Lesley Martin |
An address in a city directory can tell you what street your great-grandparents lived on, but additional sources may help you uncover many more details about their neighborhood and the building they lived in. Did they share a two-flat or have their own bungalow? What church was down the street? How can I find this address on a modern map? This presentation will discuss how to use Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, criss-cross directories, photography files, and other resources available at the Chicago History Museum |
Break | ||
| 3:00 PM (4A) |
Your Ancestor was Not Lost in the Courthouse Fire! Leland Meitzler |
Courthouse fires can be a problem - if they wiped out your ancestor's records. Find out how to locate records that will have survived. |
| 3:00 PM (4B) |
They Came On This Ship Jeffrey A. Bockman |
Looks at passenger lists, immigration records, emigration records, printed indexes and other sources to find the ships that carried your ancestors. Then learn about the ship's history and maybe even find an image of it.
|
He is the author of Give Your Family A Gift That Money Can't Buy, a book that encourages people to record and preserve their family's history. His website is at www.JeffBockman.com.
Don Litzer, Librarian at Allen County Public Library's Genealogy Center, Fort Wayne, Indiana, is a Marathon, Wisconsin native. He holds degrees from Lawrence University (B.A.) and Kent State University (M.L.S.), and has held librarian positions in Wisconsin Rapids, WI and Cincinnati, OH.
Don has researched his German, Polish, Swedish, Swiss, and Bohemian ancestry for over thirty years. He has lectured on beginning Internet genealogy, German research, preservation, Internet networking, PERSI, and the Genealogy Center, and has conducted multi-session beginning genealogy courses.
Lesley Martin, After a varied career in libraries and as a freelance editor, fact checker, and researcher, Lesley Martin joined the Research Center staff at the Chicago History Museum in 1999. Since then, she has assisted thousands of researchers in their quests for information.
Leland Meitzler, founded Heritage Quest in 1985. In 1991 he sold the company but continued to work for several owners as the editor of Heritage Quest Magazine. In January of 2003 the Meitzlers bought back and published Heritage Quest Magazine until February of 2006.
In November of 2003, Joe Edmon and Leland started the extremely popular website, www.GenealogyBlog.com, which continues to be one of the most read genealogy-related blogs on the Internet. Mr. Meitzler took the position of Managing Editor of Everton's Genealogical Helper in May of 2006 and continues to work as a professional genealogist and speaker. Leland is a long-time member of The Association of Professional Genealogists, The New England Historic Genealogical Society, and The National Genealogical Society.
Craig L. Pfannkuche has been the president of Memory Trail Research, Inc. since 1993., the Genealogical Archivist for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Historical Society since 1984, and is on the Board of Directors of both the McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society and the Chicago Genealogical Society. He has presented numerous workshops in history, historical and genealogical research, and archaeological techniques.
