ISGS War of 1812 Pension Match Challenge

The following is from the Illinois State Genealogical Society.

ISGS War of 1812 Pension Match Challenge 
ISGS Announces the $10,000 War of 1812 Pension Match Challenge

The Illinois State Genealogical Society is proud to support the Federation of Genealogical Societies' "Preserve The Pensions" campaign, with the goal of raising $3.7 million to digitize the War of 1812 Pension Application Files held at the National Archives and make them freely accessible online. The digitized pension files will be available for free on Fold3.com - see http://go.fold3.com/1812pensions/ to view the files that are available so far.

In recognition of the importance of this digitization effort, the Illinois Genealogical Society has issued theISGS $10,000 War of 1812 Pension Match Challenge. ISGS will MATCH any donation up to the first $10,000 that is made before January 31, 2015.

• This means that if you donate $100, ISGS will match your contribution for a total of $200! 
• The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) has agreed to MATCH the combined contribution (up to $20,000) for a total of $400.
• In addition, Ancestry.com will also match the combined contributions for a total of $800!

Any contribution you make will actually be EIGHT-FOLD!  Any size contribution is welcome! A $100 contribution equals about 1776 pages of Pension files digitized as part of the "Preserve the Pensions" project.

War of 1812 Pension Application Files - A Valuable Resource The National Archives has over 180,000 of these pension application files, containing more than 7.2 million pages. These files are among the files most frequently requested by genealogy and family history researchers. Pension application files contain valuable information - not just about the day-to-day life of the applicant while in military service, but also information on the applicant's widow, family members and even neighbors. Illinois and the War of 1812 Often referred to as "The Forgotten War" or "America's Second Revolutionary War," the War of 1812 was a defining event for what was then the Illinois territory and helped lead to statehood for Illinois in 1818. For more information on Illinois and the War of 1812, see the Illinois War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee website at http://illinoiswarof1812bicentennial.org/. Remember, donations of any size will help - even a $10 donation means 80 more pages of War of 1812 Pension Application files will be digitized as part of the Preserve the Pensions project.

How To Donate to the ISGS $10,000 War of 1812 Pension Match Challenge

Donate online using the link below or send a check (made payable to Illinois State Genealogical Society - please indicate "War of 1812" on the memo line) to: Illinois State Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 10195, Springfield, IL 62791-0195. You may also click here to make your donation using our online form.

FamilySearch Indexing Newsletter

The following is from FamilySearch.

FamilySearch Indexing Newsletter

New Indexing Program: Group and Project Selection We are getting closer to the launch of the new indexing program! The beta test is well underway, and when it’s complete, the launch will not be far behind! Here are a few more features you can look forward to when the program becomes available. Read the full story. Worldwide Indexing Event Did you participate in this event? You made a difference! Read this article to learn what was accomplished in just one single day. Read the full story. Need Help? Try Sharing a Batch! Read the tips here. Learn to Like the Referee Read the tips here. Say Hello to Pedro When he indexes, Pedro feels that the people whose names he records are near him, and he feels the urgency of the work even more intensely. Find out more. Experience the FamilySearch Party! Have you found and read stories about your ancestors, learned about their lives, and maybe even learned what makes you who you are? Find out more. Thank You "The Internet and the amazing army of indexers makes my research possible. I'm so grateful I don't have to fly all over the world to find my ancestors. Thank you!" - Heather FamilySearch Indexing Statistics 1,203,837,024 Total Records Completed 361 Current Projects 100,230,888 Total Records Completed in 2014 235,432 Contributors in 2014

ISGS 2014 Fall Conference - Registration Now Open!

The following is from the Illinois State Genealogical Society.

ISGS 2014 Fall Conference - Registration Now Open!
 

Two days filled with genealogy education, nationally-known speakers, meals, and the opportunity to network with other genealogists and family historians! Featured speakers include:

 

J. Mark Lowe, CG^SM, FUGA 

Full-time professional researcher & educator, formerly APG President. You will find him researching for clients including Who Do You Think You Are?, African American Lives or Biography’s uneXplained. 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony Burroughs, FUGA, Author

A founder and CEO of The Center for Black Genealogy. He is author of Black Roots: A Beginners Guide to Tracing the African American Family Tree and is Vice-President of the Illinois State Genealogical Society.

 

 

 

 

 

Patricia Walls Stamm, CG^SM, CGL^SM 

Serves as NGS Education Manager and research trip leader for Washington, DC and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Pat also teaches at St. Louis Community College and is an IGHR course coordinator. She lectures at various state and national conferences. 

 

 

 

 

 

LaDonna Garner, M.A., CG^SM 

Consultant in Southeast Missouri. Her M.A. is in Historic Preservation focusing in nonprofits and cemetery preservation. Currently she is the African-American SIG Chair, St. Louis Genealogical Society; Small Conference Committee, Board for Certification of Genealogists, and Webmaster, Jefferson County Genealogical Society. 

 

 

 

Gwyneth Podeschi, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library

Gwen Podeschi is a Reference Librarian in the Printed and Published Department of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. As well as the public service responsibilities associated with this position, she currently serves as Chair of the Library’s Book Discussion Committee and is currently the library’s liaison to the Board of the Illinois State Genealogical Society. 

 

 

 

 

Conference Brochure

 

Click here to download the Conference Brochure (PDF).

 

Program: Click here for full program details.

 

Dates: Friday, October 24th and Saturday, October 25th, 2014

 

Location: Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis Shiloh/O’Fallon
360 Regency Park Drive, O'Fallon, IL, 62269

Telephone: 1 (888) 853-6895

http://www.stlouisofallonil.hgi.com

Conference Rate: $109 per night, 1 King or 2 Queen beds (if reserved by September 26th, 2014). Breakfast is NOT included at this rate. Mention "ISGS14" when making your room reservation.

 

Registration - Online and By Mail

• Click here to register and pay online.
• Click here to download printable registration form and mail in with your check
  (opens in PDF).

 

Early Bird Registration (postmarked by October 1, 2014)*

 

Selection	ISGS Members	Non-Members
Entire Conference Friday Sessions with Banquet; Satuday Sessions (Saturday lunch included)	$110	$125
Friday & Saturday Sessions Only (Saturday lunch included)	$70	$80
Friday Sessions Only with Banquet	$55	$65
Friday Sessions Only	$15	$20
Friday Banquet Only	$40	$45
Friday Banquet & Saturday Sessions (Saturday lunch included)	$95	$110
Saturday Breakfast Buffet	$15	$15
Saturday Sessions Only (Saturday lunch included)	$55	$65

 

 

Not a member of ISGS? Click here to join now! Individual membership is $30 a year.

 

* If postmarked after October 1, 2014, or at the door.

 

Meals

 

Friday Banquet Dinner Choices:

• Regency Chicken
• Roasted Pork Loin
• Vegetarian Option: Vegetable Napoleon

Saturday Breakfast Buffet:

• Three Cheese Scrambled Eggs
• Country Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
• Bacon Strips & Sausage Links
• Seasonal Fresh Fruit
• Assorted Breakfast Pastries
• Hash Browns 

Saturday Luncheon Choices: (included with price of Saturday only or Friday & Saturday sessions)

• Alder Chicken Salad
• Teriyaki Beef Salad
• Vegetarian Option: Caesar Salad

 

Note: Meals cannot be guaranteed with late registration. No refunds made after October 1, 2014. 

FamilySearch New Collections Update 15 August 2014

The following is from FamilySearch.

FamilySearch Adds More Than 5.1 Million Indexed Records and Images to Brazil, New Zealand, and the United States FamilySearch has added more than 5.1 million indexed records and images to collections from Brazil, New Zealand, and the United States. Notable collection updates include the 375,900 indexedrecords from the Brazil, São Paulo, Immigration Cards, 1902–1980, collection; the 1,152,816 indexed records and images from the U.S., BillionGraves Index, collection; and the 3,560,424 indexed records from U.S., New York, Passenger Lists, 1820–1891, collection . See the table below for the full list of updates. Search these diverse collections and more than 3.5 billion other records for free at FamilySearch.org. Searchable historic records are made available on FamilySearch.org through the help of thousands of volunteers from around the world. These volunteers transcribe (index) information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online. More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the large number of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about volunteering to help provide free access to the worldís historic genealogical records online at FamilySearch.org. FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources for free at FamilySearch.org or through more than 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Collection Indexed Records Digital Images Comments Brazil, São Paulo, Immigration Cards, 1902–1980 375,900 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection. New Zealand, Auckland, Albertland Index, 1862–1962 20,415 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection. U.S., BillionGraves Index 576,408 576,408 Added indexed records and images to an existing collection. U.S., Mississippi, State Archives, Various Records, 1820–1951 0 139 Added images to an existing collection. U.S., New York, Passenger Lists, 1820–1891 3,560,424 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection. U.S., Montana, Pondera County Records, 1910–2012 21,120 0 Added indexed records to an existing collection.

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