Looking back, looking forward
Nobody will ever accuse The Legal Genealogist of being saintly, but boy is this a time of sainted locations!
Looking back on this past weekend, I owe a great big shout out to the St. Clair County Genealogical Society (SCCGS) in Belleville, Illinois, for hosting me as one of their speakers in their Out of the Ordinary – Out of the Box conference on Saturday, August 2.
The conference was absolutely electric: dozens and dozens of genealogists at all levels, asking great questions after every one of the presentations. It was such fun, and I’m most grateful to have been included along with Illinois expert genealogist Diane Walsh CG and Missouri archivist Dennis Northcutt in this top-notch session.
Anyone with ancestors from Illinois should take a look at SCCGS and its resources. St. Clair County dates back to 1790. It was the first county in Illinois, carved out of what was then still the Northwest Territory. The society has a wide variety of research help available, an active and dynamic membership, a super logo (you see it here to the left — the St. Clair County Courthouse, dating back to 1861), and an up-to-date website with lots of resources. Membership is only $25 a year — a steal at that price, given the members-only benefits.
And on a very personal level, I owe a great big “thank you” to SCCGS member Nancy Guenther and her husband Greg, who ended up meeting my very-delayed flight well after midnight. It sure was nice to see their smiling faces when that plane finally landed.
Looking forward to this coming weekend, I am headed south to the St. Mary’s County Genealogical Society in Maryland for A Day of Genealogy on August 9th at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center in California. (The town, not the state!)
Registration opens at 8 a.m., the program starts at 9 a.m. and we’re going to look at everything from DNA testing to tax lists to chasing the family black sheep through the records. It’s only $25 for members and $35 for non-members — and there will be cookies. How much better does it get?
You can get information about this one-day conference at the website of the St. Mary’s County Genealogical Society, and can register online.
And while you’re there on the website, read up about this society too — another active, dynamic group with great member benefits.
Hope you can join me on Saturday!
Thank you for the tip about the St. Clair Genealogical Society! I’m helping a friend research his ancestor was the Methodist Minister in Belleville. I found him in the local history of St. Clair County, but maybe there’s even more about the family through the genealogical society.
Outstanding, Adriana — hope you find what you need with help from the SCCGS!
I attended the St. Clair County conference this past weekend and really enjoyed your talks. They were so informative and memorable with so many stories to illustrate your topic. I learned so many new things and can’t wait to put what I have learned into action! Thanks again!
Thanks so much for your kind words, Vickie! You folks were such a wonderful audience!