Join us on the 2nd Thursday of the month
at 7:00 PM (Central)
General meetings are free and open to the public.
Our January, February, and March meetings are held online via Zoom (registration required). All other general meetings are in person. We do not meet in July, August, or December. Members can access the recordings and handouts from past meetings HERE (member login required).
NEW in-person meeting location for 2025!
Grace United Methodist Church – Fellowship Hall (Lower Level)
(300 E Gartner Rd, Naperville, IL)
2025 FVGS Program Schedule download available HERE
ONLINE-January 09, 2025 Meeting: Ancestors, AI and Prompt Engineering: Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Genealogy by Margaret M. McMahon, PhD
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 more effective and expand their use. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has already been used in the realm of genealogy, with major success in indexing records as well as colorizing and animating photographs. Learn from Dr. Margaret M. McMahon, a computer science, engineering, and cybersecurity professor, how AI products can assist you in your genealogical endeavors. Find out how to use AI in your research and writing, as well as its limitations.
Margaret M. McMahon, PhD has always collected family stories. She earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering and has amassed decades of experience as a flight test and systems engineer, and as a professional educator, teaching graduate and undergraduate students. Her experience includes speaking at international technical conferences.
When her son was born, family lines became more relevant, so she focused her engineering and educational skills and talents on her newfound passion to combine family stories with factual records. She researches, lectures, and writes about genealogy and military history and is the author of numerous books on those subjects. She is the Unofficial Historian for the 51st Pioneer Infantry Regiment. She has given over 130 lectures as an invited speaker at societies, libraries, and local conferences and was a presenter for RootsTech Connect. She is a graduate of the ProGen Study Group 46.
She is the author of “Researching U.S. WWI Military Members, Military Organizations and Overseas Noncombatants: A Research Guide for Historians and Genealogists,” “A Guide to the U.S. Pioneer Infantry Regiments in WWI,” “From Timeline to Young Readers Book,” and other books.
A Week of Genealogy Blog and information about her and her books can be found at: https://aweekofgenealogy.com.
ONLINE-February 13, 2025 Meeting: The Helen Marley Story by Blaine Bettinger, PhD, JD
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 evidence. In 2007, he started The Genetic Genealogist (www.thegeneticgenealogist.com), one of the earliest blogs on the topic. Blaine is the author of The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy and co-author with Debbie Parker Wayne of the award-winning Genetic Genealogy in Practice, the world’s first genetic genealogy workbook. He also co-authored “Genetics for Genealogy” with Judy Russell in 2018’s Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice & Standards (ProGen PPS) (Elizabeth Shown Mills, Author and Editor).
Blaine is or has been an instructor for genetic genealogy courses at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), and Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research. Blaine is a graduate of ProGen Study Group 21, a trustee for the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, and a member of the DNAngels Board of Directors since 2022 (President since January 2023), and a member of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) “Investigative Genetic Genealogy Working Group” since 2019. He is also the founder in 2017 of Genetic Genealogy Tips & Techniques, a very active Facebook group with more than 75,000 members.
ONLINE-March 13, 2025 Meeting: Researching Your Revolutionary War Ancestor by Craig Scott, MA, CG, FUGA
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 Scott, MA, CG, FUGA, is the author of The ‘Lost Pensions’: Settled Accounts of the Act of 6 April 1838 (Revised) and Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury, Inventory 14 (Revised). His most recent work is Understanding Revolutionary War and Invalid Pension Ledgers, 1818 – 1872, and the Payment Vouchers They Represent. He has authored seventeen books and several articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy, and other genealogical publications. He is the President and CEO of Heritage Books, Inc., a genealogical publishing firm with over 10,000 titles in print. A professional genealogical and historical researcher for more than thirty-eight years, he specializes in military records, problem-solving, Quakers, and publishing. He is a Company of Military Historians member and on the National Genealogical Society Quarterly editorial board. He is a former Director of the Association of Professional Genealogists. He is the Vice-President of the APG Writer’s SIG. He has coordinated research tracks at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, Samford University, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. He is currently the SLIG Guided Research and Consultation Track Coordinator, helping students solve brickwall problems. He is the host of the YouTube@ Just Genealogy channel. He is a recipient of the Grahame T. Smallwood, Jr. Award and the UGA Silver Tray Award. He became a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association in 2014.
IN PERSON-April 10, 2025 Meeting: Scottish Emigration to North America: Before, During and After the Rebellions by Paul Milner
**NEW 2025 IN-PERSON MEETING LOCATION**
Grace United Methodist Church – Fellowship Hall (Lower Level)
300 E Gartner Rd, Naperville, IL 60540
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 tracing your Scottish ancestors.
Paul Milner, a native of northern England, a professional genealogist and international lecturer. He teaches week-long English and Scottish research tracks at the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR), Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), and the British Institute. Paul is a recipient of UGA Fellow Award (2018) and the David S. Vogels Jr Award from FGS (2019). He is the author of six publications providing how-to guidance for English and Scottish researchers. Paul has specialized in British Isles genealogical research for over 35 years. Paul is currently the book review editor for the BIGWILL newsletter and retired review editor of the FGS FORUM. He is currently on the board of the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History (ISBGFH), the past president of the British Interest Group of Wisconsin and Illinois (BIGWILL), and a past board member of the APG, FGS and GSG. Paul focuses on British Isles resources and methodology on his blog at www.milnergenealogy.com
IN PERSON-May 8, 2025 Meeting: Taming the Wilderness of Northern Illinois by Pat Camalliere
**NEW 2025 IN-PERSON MEETING LOCATION**
Grace United Methodist Church – Fellowship Hall (Lower Level)
300 E Gartner Rd, Naperville, IL 60540
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 the importance of Northern Illinois to settlement of everything west of the eastern seaboard. Author and local amateur historian Pat Camalliere, author of The Mystery at Black Partridge Woods, which takes place in this time period, will share what she believes to be a fascinating topic. Copies of her historical novels will be available for signing and purchase.
Pat Camalliere is the author of The Cora Tozzi Historical Mystery Series. Camalliere has lived in the Chicago area all her life and became intrigued by the unusual, sometimes mysterious region along the Des Plaines River Valley and Sag Valley in the Southwest suburbs of Cook, DuPage and Will Counties in the Greater Chicagoland area. Wanting to share that fascination with others, she began writing historical mysteries set in this locale, finding that a hint of the paranormal fit perfectly into the setting for the stories she wanted to tell. Her books relate a mystery from the past to a mystery in the present, while enlightening readers with details in both time periods through storytelling that surprises even lifelong residents.
Staying Alive Is a Lot of Work: Me and My Cancer is her first memoir. After forty years as a health care administrator and a cancer survivor herself, Camalliere wrote the memoir to help others having a similar experience.
Camalliere holds a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Xavier College. She lives with her husband in Lemont, Illinois, serves on the board of the Lemont Public Library District, and oversees the archives of the Lemont Area Historical Society. She writes a blog on local history and speaks to organizations and book clubs on a variety of topics related to local history, her cancer experience, and writing. She is a lifelong avid reader and enjoys classical choral singing. Visit her website, www.Patcamallierebooks.com, or contact her for speaking engagements, interviews, or at any time at [email protected].
IN PERSON-June 12, 2025 Meeting: Advanced Polish Genealogy by Jason Kruski
**NEW 2025 IN-PERSON MEETING LOCATION**
Grace United Methodist Church – Fellowship Hall (Lower Level)
300 E Gartner Rd, Naperville, IL 60540
Genealogist and author Jason Kruski will give you the tools that you need in order to take your family tree backward in time in Poland to learn more about the lives of your ancestors. He will discuss a wide variety of records that are available for research, including the internet databases and tools that are out there for use. Genealogy in Poland can be challenging, but thanks to all of the recent advances in the field, it has never been easier.
Jason Kruski is a genealogist, author, and public speaker as well as a middle school history teacher. He is the author of A Guide to Chicago and Midwestern Polish-American Genealogy. He is a sixth generation Chicagoan and has conducted extensive research using a wide variety of sources to build his family tree. He speaks about topics in genealogy today including genetic genealogy, stories in Polish genealogy, and beginning to advanced Polish-American genealogical research. He is also a professional genealogical researcher specializing in Polish-American genealogy. Here is the link to his website: https://www.kruskigenealogy.com/
IN PERSON-September 11, 2025 Meeting: Bringing the Past to Life: Incorporating Genealogy into the High School Curriculum by Michael Andrews
**NEW 2025 IN-PERSON MEETING LOCATION**
Grace United Methodist Church – Fellowship Hall (Lower Level)
300 E Gartner Rd, Naperville, IL 60540
This presentation will describe my Humanities course—how it started, how it has evolved, and how we use family history as a vehicle to develop rigorous academic skills such as research, composition, project creation, and oral presentation. The course culminates with a documentary project that allows the students to tell the stories they have uncovered throughout the semester.
Michael Andrews has been an English teacher and soccer coach at Prospect High School since 2003. He has also been an avid genealogist for nearly two decades. At Prospect he teaches a Humanities course for high school seniors that incorporates a semester-long family history project. The project’s goal is to allow students to explore their own personal histories, and teach them to think, research, and create like actual historians.
IN PERSON-October 9, 2025 Meeting: Tracing the Jacob B. Haas Family – Writing a Three-Generation Narrative by Heather Robb
**NEW 2025 IN-PERSON MEETING LOCATION**
Grace United Methodist Church – Fellowship Hall (Lower Level)
300 E Gartner Rd, Naperville, IL 60540
Researching our family history can be an exciting journey, but transforming that research into a compelling narrative to share with others can feel overwhelming. The challenge of deciding where to begin, structuring the story, and balancing engaging storytelling with historical accuracy can sometimes prevent us from even starting.
This lecture will offer a step-by-step guide on how to approach our family history writing, using a direct line from the Jacob B. Haas family originally of Vermilion County, Illinois, as an example. By exploring their shared occupations across generations and their migration across multiple states, we will demonstrate practical methods for organizing research and crafting a narrative that is both factual and engaging.
Heather Robb holds a master’s degree in Genealogical Studies from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. She also has a bachelor’s degree in History and has done graduate studies in Public History, where she developed an interest in museum studies and architectural history. She is a graduate of the Boston University Genealogy Certificate Program and holds a Professional Learning Certificate (PLCGS) in American records from the International Institute for Genealogical Studies. She is a qualified genealogist (QG) through the Register of Qualified Genealogists based in the United Kingdom and is currently working on her Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) portfolio.
She has worked in the archive and artifacts department at the Airborne Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville, North Carolina and has served as genealogical researcher for Purple Hearts Reunited for the last six years. She was a military spouse for the duration of her husband’s military career and found fulfilment in organizing events and activities with several organizations for military spouses at various duty stations.
Heather specializes in military records research and house histories. She also does multigenerational genealogy research to help extend family lines backward and forward. She loves being involved in genealogy education and has served as a coordinator for the ProGen study program as well as a facilitator with Boston University’s genealogy certificate program. She enjoys continuing her American genealogy education by attending national and state conferences as well as genealogical institutes like GRIP, IGHR, SLIG and TIGR and AppGen.
IN PERSON-November 13, 2025 Meeting + FVGS Board Election: Heirloom Show & Tell by FVGS Members and Guests
**NEW 2025 IN-PERSON MEETING LOCATION**
Grace United Methodist Church – Fellowship Hall (Lower Level)
300 E Gartner Rd, Naperville, IL 60540
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 part of your family history? We’d love to hear about it!
Bring your family heirloom, photo, document, or other interesting item, and share the story behind it with other genealogy enthusiasts. Members and guests can participate in the ‘Show & Tell’ event. Be ready to share your family artifacts and take a minute (or three) to tell a story about it. If your item is too large to carry, you can still tell us about it and maybe show a picture if you have one.
Even if you don’t bring anything, we know you’ll enjoy seeing the heirlooms and hearing their stories. Come for the refreshments and stay for the great conversation with others who share your love for family history. We hope you will join us for this fun and inspiring event!