This is a list of the programs presented at our General Meetings. The General Meetings are held at the Naperville Municipal Center and are open to the public.
Northern Illinois was the last part of Illinois to be settled. Learn about the lives of the Potawatomi who lived here at the time settlers arrived, how the land was surveyed for purchase, the first non-indigenous people to arrive, and…
Learn the reasons for emigration from Scotland to the U.S. and Canada and how it was influenced by events on both sides of the Atlantic. Learn where the emigrants settled, what records they created and what tools are available for…
A Revolutionary War ancestor can be a goldmine of information if you know where to look. This lecture aims to examine types of service, compiled military service records, pension applications, settled accounts, and where other documents can be found. Craig…
A case study identifying the mother of my adopted great-grandmother, born Helen Marley Johnson. Although no single record identifies her mother, indirect evidence and DNA testing make the case. Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD, is a professional genealogist specializing in DNA…
The program is for people who have not already used AI tools but want to learn about them and how to start using them, AND for those who are already using the tools to share ideas about how to be…
Do you have a unique family artifact that led you to seek discoveries about your ancestral roots? Did you discover a document or a photo that helped you solve a brick wall? Do you have a cherished heirloom that tells…
Over 46 million Americans have some German ancestry. The largest German immigration wave to America was 1848-1900, and the majority of those that came then settled in America’s Midwest. This presentation will examine the reasons why so many Germans were…
The gates to many research “brick walls” may often be opened by a thorough analysis of the records. Using examples of typical research documents, this presentation will demonstrate how clues for further research are often found “between the lines.” Maureen…
Contextual records are everywhere, not just in the National Archives! Once you have established what units your service member was in and where they served, it is time to explore unit-level records. In this program, you’ll explore: The second part…
All the records DID NOT burn. Have you ever wondered what dad or grandpa did in the war? What happened to your uncle, who died? What was training and combat like? How did Grandpa get wounded? What happened to the…