Thank you to all the attendees of our virtual Genealogy Club programs who have attended and watched the recordings of our sessions. All of our Genealogy Club programs will remain in a virtual webinar format for the remainder of the 2020 calendar year. We will continue to host bi-monthly sessions to keep you connected to our community of researchers and family history enthusiasts.
As we look at an extended virtual schedule, I have had the honor to connect with top-notch speakers from across the country to provide a high caliber program series that will carry us all through November 2020. Knowing that all of you are healthy, feeling good and staying tuned to the webinars is a great feeling. So thank you so much for continuing to participate in our webinars! Genealogy Club will go on break for Thanksgiving through New Years, so each of you can celebrate the holidays with your nearest and dearest.
While we do not have a date set for hosting in-person genealogy programs in 2021, our library will continue to host two genealogy club programs each month with new lectures and diverse topics to ensure all our patrons have access to high-quality free programs for all levels of research. All our programs will be free and open to the public, and you are welcome to attend or watch whatever programs of your choosing. You can catch the video links for our program by subscribing to the Fountaindale Public Library’s Genealogy Blog service or by joining our Genealogy Club Facebook page.
Upcoming Webinars
Looking forward, our genealogy club will host free weekly Zoom webinars to keep your research on track and keep you connected with our community of genealogy enthusiasts. All these webinars are free and open to the public; no library card is required. All you need to do is register for each event, and we’ll send you a copy of the handout and a link to the webinar. Registration closes one hour before the start of each session.
Here’s what you have to look forward to for the remainder of the 2020 calendar year:
Using Ancestry Trees Safely and Effectively
presented by Suz Bates
Wednesday, September 9, 11 a.m.–noon
Genealogy snail-mail or email is so exciting to find in your mailbox and so much better than bills and clutter. Suz Bates will present how to find these records and get them for your family history archive.
Looking for My Babies: Freedmen Search For Families
presented by Ari Wilkins
Wednesday, September 23, 11 a.m.–noon
African American families were displaced during slavery. In the wake of Emancipation, African Americans from all over the country desperately searched for their missing family members, using such resources as the Freedmen’s Bureau and newspapers. This lecture can provide help in locating records dating from 1863-1910.
Quakers Plain and Simple
presented by Laura Chaplin
Wednesday, October 14, 11 a.m.–noon
From their beginnings in the 17th century, Quakers were meticulous record keepers. Genealogist Laura Street Chaplin will introduce you to Quaker records online and in physical depositories.
Alice Paul: Winning Votes for Women
presented by Leslie Goddard
Wednesday, October 21, 7–8 p.m.
Historian Leslie Goddard brings suffrage leader Alice Paul to life, as this dynamic heroine explains her involvement with organizing and rallying support for the 19th amendment, which gave all American women the vote.
Lincoln and Thanksgiving
presented by Kevin Wood
Wednesday, November 11, 7–8:30 p.m.
Kevin Wood vividly portrays Abraham Lincoln, one of our nation’s most beloved and esteemed historical figures. In this program, Mr. Lincoln tells the story of how our national, annual observance of Thanksgiving came to be established during his presidency.
Introduction to Researching Hispanic Ancestry
presented by Colleen Greene
Wednesday, November 18, 11 a.m.–noon
This overview lecture covers foundation concepts common to those with ancestors from countries colonized by Spain, and key U.S. records and strategies for identifying their Latin American hometown. It also reviews the main online record collections for conducting Hispanic research. Even non-Spanish speakers can be successful in this research.
Please feel free to share information about our genealogy events with your friends and family through social media. Due to the increase in webinar meetings for societies and organizations across the country, it is easy to feel overwhelmed or fatigued by virtual programs. Pace your viewing, cut your TV time, and go out for a nice walk or take in a bit of light exercise before sitting down for a webinar.
If you need some research help or advice, send me an email or book a free two-hour appointment with me by phone or over Zoom. This is a free service you can book ahead of time to suit your schedule. I always look forward to hearing about what you are researching and what goals you wish to accomplish. You can book an appointment by phone at 630.685.4201 or by email at ddudek@fountaindale.org.
For those of you who have joined our Genealogy Club Facebook page, thank you for your wonderful feedback and comments. The kind words you share means the world to us, so please share your thoughts with us whenever possible! We would love to hear what you think about our sessions!
Wishing you all good health and good spirits.