Zion Genealogical Society of Lake County (Illinois, USA)Researching Around the World
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Including the Neighboring Lake County Communities of: | Beach Park, Gurnee, North Chicago, Park City, Wadsworth, Waukegan, Wildwood, and Winthrop Harbor
Zion Genealogical Society ~ c/o Zion-Benton Public Library ~ 2400 Gabriel Avenue ~ Zion, IL 60099 |
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Date and Time:2025 Program Schedule and Activities
 Jan 20, 2025 - MondayZOOM Meeting only |
"Colonial Research "
In this presentation you will learn:
Scott Norrick Scott Norrick's passion is connecting people to their past. While providing a list of names, dates and places for ancestors is a start, Scott enjoys helping others discover triumphs and tribulations that defined our ancestors' lives. He does this by assisting clients with breaking down their genealogical brick walls and by helping them document the rich stories of their family history. His areas of expertise include research in the American Midwest along with the immigration to the Midwest from European countries. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and a graduate degree from Northwestern University. With over 30 years of family history research experience, he is familiar with all the latest and time-tested genealogical tools. Through his company Ancestral Past, he welcomes the opportunity to assist others on their genealogy journey. |
| Feb 17, 2025- Monday ZOOM Meeting Only |
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Genealogy Do-Over, A Year of Leaning from my mistakes" When you first got started researching your family history, did you do some things that now are just plain "embarrassing" such as name collecting, not citing sources and more? Well now there's hope since genealogists from beginner to advanced are employing new research methodologies and documentation practices. Follow genealogist Thomas MacEntee as he basically starts his genealogy research from scratch but includes sound research practices and methodologies as well as new templates, tools and the latest technology to create a better body of family history research.
Thomas MacEntee via Zoom What happens when a "tech guy" with a love for history gets laid off during The Great Recession of 2008? You get me, Thomas MacEntee, a genealogy professional who's also a blogger, educator, author, social media connector, marketer, network builder and more.
Thomas was laid off after a 25-year career in the information technology field, so he started his own genealogy-related business called High Definition Genealogy. Currently Thomas shares many of his articles and videos for free at GenealogyBargains.com! I see things differently than most in the genealogy field; I'm almost never content with the status quo. That doesn't mean I chase after change just for the sake of change; but when I see an opportunity to improve something and to bring more people into the genealogy sphere, that's where you'll find me.
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| Mar 17, 2025- Monday In Person and ZOOM Meeting |
"European Research" If you are ready to "cross the pond" in your research, this presentation will provide ideas of where to find records for European records on-line. Includes resources at the well-known sites like FamilySearch and Find My Past, and lesser-known sites.
Caron Brennan Caron Primas Brennan loves history, geography, puzzles and a good mystery, which makes her perfectly suited to genealogy. She belongs to several local and regional genealogy groups as well as being a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild and a Professional Member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She is currently the Registrar for the Anan Harmon Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the Revolution (DAR.) Caron has been teaching at the Newberry Library in Chicago and speaking at local libraries and genealogical societies for over ten years with consistently excellent feedback. |
| Apr 21, 2025- Monday In-Person & ZOOM Meeting |
"Boost Your German Research - Understand Historical Jurisdictions" Teresa has over thirteen years of genealogical research experience focused primarily on German immigrants in Illinois and the Midwest. She specializes in translating German church records written in the old German script and Illinois research.
Residing in the Chicagoland area, she has easy access to many significant research facilities: Cook County Recorder of Deeds; Cook County Circuit Clerk Archives; National Archives-Great Lakes Branch; Newberry Library; Chicago History Museum, just to name a few.
Teresa has invested in a quality education. She is a multi-year attendee of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR). She regularly attends genealogical conferences, both locally and nationally. To assist with her focus on German research, she has completed two years of college-level German and continues to study the language. Speaker: Teresa Steinkamp McMillin
Meyer's Gazetteer is great for determining jurisdictions as of 1912. Germany was not a country until 1871. In the centuries leading up to that, land areas were constantly changing owners, names, and boundaries. One must understand who controlled a given area to find all possible records. Topics included in this lecture are:
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| May 19, 2025- Monday In-Person and ZOOM Meeting |
"European and US Newspapers and Directories"
Newspapers and directories may be the key to finding ancestors. Find stories, BMDs, including children births/deaths between censuses. Directories give occupations, place of birth, death and family relationships. They help locate important church records. Emphasis on European records. List of 75 newspapers and directory websites from both US and Europe. Speaker: Jacqueline Krieps Schattner - In-Person and Zoom Jacqueline Krieps Schattner is a passionate genealogist, educator and author, who has actively researched her ancestors since 1996. Her love for family history began during her childhood, while spending summers and holidays with her grandparents and great-grandparents. Finding herself a little bored, she asked these adults to tell her stories about when they were a little boy or girl. Today, Jacquie is dedicated to preserving these stories and sharing her knowledge with others through teaching genealogy classes at high schools, libraries, and genealogy groups nationwide. She is an active member of several genealogy societies and has written books on her own family history, which are available on Amazon. This year's project will be a book on her mother's paternal family. Jacquie is a retired school secretary, happily married for 40+ years, mother of three children and proud grandmother of six adorable grandchildren. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of Illinois and currently resides in Palatine, IL.
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| June 16, 2025- Monday In-Person |
"Problem Solving Workshop"
Who Do You Think You Are? Where Did You Come From? How Do You Find Your Family History? Speaker: Zion Genealogical Society
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| July 28, 2024 No Meeting Christmas in July for members only |
"Christmas in July"
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| Aug 18, 2025- Monday In-Person & ZOOM Meeting |
"Introduction to the Family History Guide" Family
Speaker: Bob Taylor Bob Taylor
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| Sept 15, 2025- Monday In-Person & ZOOM Meeting |
"Little Egypt: Southern Illinois Research"
After the American Revolution, the counties of southern Illinois were opened to settlement inland from the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Those early settlers very often migrated from across the Appalachian range and along the Ohio River, most often moving from Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and southern Indiana. They were followed by miners from the British Isles seeking the better opportunities this newly opened land offered. This presentation will look at the settlement of "Little Egypt" and discuss resources and strategies for successful research in this region of Illinois. Maureen Brady, a former school librarian and computer educator, has forty years experience with family history research. She has traced her Scottish roots back to the end of the 17th century and beyond, and has also pursued Chicago and the Midwest, the trans-Allegheny U.S., Quebecois, Irish and Swedish research. Maureen has made numerous presentations to genealogical societies, libraries, conferences and workshops throughout the U. S., as well as presenting for the Brigham Young University Library family history webinar series. She is a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and a life member of the Aberdeen and Northeast Scotland Family History Society and the Ohio, Chicago and McHenry County (Illinois) Genealogical Societies. Maureen is also active in the Kentucky, Middle Tennessee and Lake County (Illinois) Genealogical Societies, the British Interest Group of Wisconsin & Illinois, and the Chicago Scots Scottish Genealogical Society. |
| Oct 20,2025 - Monday In-Person & ZOOM Meeting |
"Full Text Search at FamilySearch" This presentation discusses the full text search at FamilySearch Labs of US land and probate records. The following will be included:
Speaker: Michael John Neill
Michael John Neill has been actively engaged in genealogical research for over thirty years. He writes the popular "Genealogy Tip of the Day" which is hosted on www.genealogytipoftheday.com. Michael has lead research trips to the Family History Library and the Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He gives lectures on a variety of genealogical topics and concentrates on research in the Midwestern and upper Southern regions of the United States and several countries in Western Europe. Michael is a former community college mathematics instructor and has a master's degree in mathematics.
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| Nov 17, 2025- Monday In-Person & ZOOM Meeting |
"Navigating the Empire State of Genealogy Research"
Jenny Warner I hold offices in many genealogical societies and local lineage groups and I have given many presentations at public libraries and genealogical societies. Just recently I did a presentation for Family Tree University. I love sharing my knowledge of family history. I also like helping people learn about their heritage. I'm a Genealogical Speaker, I speak on many topics including lineage societies.
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| Dec 2025 |
NO MEETING - HAPPY HOLIDAYS
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