Gail Ryan

“We all have much to learn from our fellow writers,” says Barbara Brabec, who will lead this class and answer your questions. After a brief introduction about her current writing endeavors, she will ask for a show of hands to…

The Illinois State Archives was established in 1921 and is housed in the Margaret Cross Norton building in Springfield, IL. The State Archives serves as the depository of public records of Illinois state and local governmental agencies which possess permanent…

Widen your search for birth dates and locations as well as naturalizations from a variety of underutilized resources such as military rosters, consulate applications, voter registrations, canceled passports, frakturs, and much more. This lecture focuses on both digital and physical…

March program update - Join us for Part 2 of “What the Heck Does That Say?: Overcoming the Challenge of Difficult Handwriting” by Pam Vestal. Pam is back in March to complete our handwriting workshop. Don’t worry if you missed…

One of the biggest hurdles to overcome in genealogy is the seemingly illegible handwriting in our ancestors’ records. Whether you struggle to navigate colonial penmanship that doesn’t even look like English or wrestle with contemporary documents that are poorly written,…

If your genealogy research is stuck or you’ve “lost” your ancestor, stop actually looking for that particular ancestor. Instead, turn your attention to the events happening around them and the social issues that could have been influencing their life and the decisions…

Once you have identified the location for a family event, you have an opening to create a rich, detailed life portrait for your ancestor. Location research allows genealogists to learn the details surrounding their family, helping to give context and…

Dean Jobb will speak about his book The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer. Before Jack the Ripper, before The Devil in the White City’s H.H. Holmes, the world's deadliest serial killer…