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This weeks “Back in the Day” – Bloomington’s Union Station ==>
NEW NEWSLETTER BELOW !
Now Featuring
Jack Keefe’s
Back in the Day
September 26 Ed !
Lisa Louise Cooke – 1:00 pm on Sept 17, 2022
“Three Cool Cases Solved”
This was a wonderful presentation on using tools to identify people and locations.
It is available in the members area until October 17.
Bill Iseminger, 6:30 p.m. November 29, 2022 at the Musuem and livestreamed via YouTube
“From McLean to Mobile” The story of the 94th Illinois Infantry from McLean County
Join us for this presentation jointly sponsored by The McLean County Museum of History, the Bloomington Public Library, and The McLean County Genealogical Society.
William Iseminger, born in Bloomington, has written a book available at the museum and Amazon — From McLean to Mobile: A History of the 94th Illinois Infantry Regiment Volunteers, 1862-1865, “The McLean Regiment.”
His research for the book began many years ago when he transcribed the letters and diaries of two of his great-grandfathers who were in the Regiment — Tubal Wile Iseminger of Heyworth and Harrison H. Clark of Randolph Station. Over the years, he located 8 more diaries and 257 letters from 22 additional soldiers in the 94th, as well as 2 oral histories by soldiers, and other sources.
The presentation will be live at the Museum in the second floor courtroom and also livestreamed via the History Museum’s YouTube Channel.
This link will take you to the Museum YouTube Channel. Once the presentation begins, you should be able to select the live broadcast: https://www.youtube.com/user/mchistorymuseum
New Online Store – (for everyone) offering our publications for immediate download !
Members get 25% off (email us for a coupon code if you have not renewed yet) !
Members may now view several prior presentations at their convenience – see below !
Members have immediate access to all past Gleanings from 1967 – present
Members have access to The History of the Illinois Conference of the Evangelical Church 1837-1937. This searchable .pdf has information on hundreds of ministers !
Everyone has access our Gleanings indexes to research their relatives.
Everyone has access to lots of free information about McLean County, it’s history, and it’s cemeteries. (Resources page)
The MCGS general meetings are FREE to the public. With COVID, our meetings have been taking place via ZOOM. Recent topics have been:
Mimi Davis – New Databases at Bloomington Public Library – Available to members.
Susan Kaufman – Unusual Sources – Available to members.
Tina Beaird – Illinois Digital Resources, Census Sensei – Available to members.
Jane Haldeman – Final Resting Place – The Stones Tell the Story, My Ancestor was a Farmer
Suz Bates – Genealogical Treasures in Cemetery Records – Only until August 19th !!
Upcoming Events (Click for details and ZOOM link):
September 13 – 6:30 pm MCGS Board Meeting – CANCELLED
September 17 – 1:00 pm – Lisa Louise Cooke presents Three Cool Cases Solved. ZOOM details.
November 15 – 6:30 pm. Annual meeting and officier installation. MCMH Courtroom
November 29 – 6:30 pm. Bill Iseminger gives a joint presentation with the Museum and Bloomington Public Library on “The McLean Regiment” in the civil war. In person at the musuem and livestreamed on the History Museum YouTube channel.
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How to Use this Site
For research, we have made our Gleanings indexes availble to the general public. Search them for surname and other information, noting the Gleanings Issue. Then Join or Log in, as members are given access online to all Gleanings issues.
Many FREE resources are available to all. They include: Ancestral chart, family record, street name fun, popular links, our cemetery guide publication with directions and descriptions of McLean County cemeteries !
The McLean County Museum of History offers many attractions and events – some via ZOOM. Click here or on the photo https://mchistory.org for more information.
The MCGS Genealogy Library is on the 2nd floor and offers books and journals from around the country, computers set up with Ancestry and Family Search, and often a volunteer to assist you. Hours of operation are here (https://www.mchistory.org/visit).
On Demand Programs available to Members ! Sign up and learn today !
Tina Beaird Presents “Illinois Digital Resources”
Tina Beaird is owner of Tamarack Genealogy and is a history librarian in the Chicago area.
This program is a “fire hose” of information. Fortunately you can pause the presentation anytime to make notes on the two handouts provided. So much of what is available is digital and Tina shows us where to look to find information that does not automatically pop up as a hint. Two handouts are available. Log in or join now to view this program in the member’s area.
If you missed Tina Beaird’s presentation “Becoming a Census Sensei”, please login or join now to view it in the member’s area under Presentations!
It is a wonderful program and has so much information. I love being able to pause the video to make notes on the handout when I need to process something.
Tina is an author, lecturer, and owner of Tamarack Genealogy. She holds an MLS with a specification in archives preservation and often lectures at conferences both local and national.
National, State, Special, Education, and Indian censuses are discussed !
Susan Kaufman Presents “Unusual Sources”
Susan Kaufman is Senior Manager at the Houston Public Library.
This interesting program presents unusual sources of information that you will not find easily. Have an interest in History? Check out the listing of all Civil War soldiers to receive an artificial limb. This is just one of the many sources Susan illuminates. A downloadable handout is available. Log in or join now to view this program in the member’s area.
Mimi Davis Presents “New Databases at BPL”
Mimi Davis is the Electronic Resources Librarian at the Bloomington Public Library (BPL). Learn about the new Genealogy Databases available.
BPL has two new databases “Heritage Hub” and “Black Life in America” that are rich with genealogical information. BPL cardholders can access these information sources from home. The slide program is available as a downloadable file. Log in or join now to view this program in the member’s area.
Check out our latest Newsletter !
Check out our first Gleanings!
All Gleanings are in the members area!
Non-members can preview the Gleanings here
Click image to left to open preview edition with Table of Contents & Surname Index.
McLean County Poor Farm – new information with a spreadsheet available in the members area.
An article by McLean County Museum of History librarian Bill Kemp on McLean County auctioneers.
We remember Ruth Carpenter, a life member who contributed extensively to MCGS, by reprinting her nursing story. This story highlights the excellent content in past issues of Gleanings.
A look at research methods to add someone to Find a Grave.
Researching a poem written for a local family.
Special thanks to Susie Pope and others for their work on this issue.
Please join and then access thru Members tab.