Genealogist to share tips on researching Chicago-area Jewish ancestors
"Resources for Jewish Genealogy in Chicagoland-What's New" will be the topic of a presentation by genealogist Mike Karsen at the Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois. His presentation will begin at 2 p.m. at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road, Northbrook, Ill.
The JGSI meeting facilities at Temple Beth-El will open at 12:30 p.m. for those who want to use or borrow genealogy library materials, get help with genealogy websites or ask genealogical questions from genealogy expert volunteers before the main program begins at 2 p.m. For more information, see https://jgsi.org/event-3163808 or phone 312-666-0100.
At this meeting, which is free and open to the public, Mike Karsen will deliver his annual update covering various resources available to discover your Jewish roots in Chicagoland. He will include a wide range of records and research resources, including cemeteries, death certificates, death notices/obits, marriage records, birth records, and city directories. How to locate your ancestor's naturalization records, which are essential for any genealogical researcher, will also be covered along with some uniquely Jewish resources. Today, with so many records available online, you hardly have to leave your home to research your Chicago roots. Case studies will be utilized to demonstrate the research process.
A professional speaker, Mike Karsen is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and is a past president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois. He has presented over 300 talks on genealogy topics locally, nationally, and internationally, including for the Newberry Library and the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. Mike is the author of the JewishGen website's "Guide to Jewish Genealogy in Chicagoland" and has published articles on genealogy.
The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping members collect, preserve, and perpetuate the records and history of their ancestors. JGSI is a resource for the worldwide Jewish community to research their Chicago-area roots.
The JGSI motto is "Members Helping Members Since 1981." The group has more than 320 members.
JGSI members also have access to useful and informative online family history research resources, including a members forum, more than 50 video recordings of past speakers' presentations, the free searchable JGSI Jewish Chicago Database, monthly JGSI E-News, quarterly Morasha JGSI newsletter, and much more.
Monthly meetings feature informative speakers as well as access to a research library and expert volunteer genealogy help desk.
The JGSI library has more than 800 volumes of interest to Jewish family historians. Many are available for borrowing by JGSI members for a limited time. All are available for perusing from 12:30 to 1:55 p.m. at each regular monthly meeting.
At each regular JGSI meeting, the help desk operates from 12:30 to 1:55 p.m. Member volunteers access online databases and answer genealogical questions one-on-one for members and visitors as time allows.