By Grace Dumelle, Newberry Library

I've just returned from the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, held at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. My head is crammed full of new concepts and approaches, placed there by some of the top practitioners in the field.

The military analogy is an apt one. Courses are held from 8 am to 4:30 pm each day, and homework is assigned. I had one required evening lecture and the option of two others. Mealtimes in the crowded, noisy cafeteria are short: 7-8 am for breakfast, 11:30-1 for lunch, 5-6 pm for dinner. I stayed in a spartan sorority room, so reminiscent of a barracks that I set my cell phone alarm to "Reveille."

The attendees in my "Professional Genealogy" course came from all over the U.S.: Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Washington and Wisconsin. Many were looking to transition from a hobby to a business; some already worked in related professions such as heir searcher, private investigator and librarian.

Elissa Scalise Powell, a Pittsburgh genealogist, was the main instructor. She recently began teaching in Boston University's new certificate program in genealogical research. Elissa brought in many noted lecturers who spoke on their specialties. Patricia Walls Stamm, for instance, has been teaching genealogical courses in St. Louis for 15 years and discussed different methods of adult student learning in her segment on "The Genealogical Teacher." Thomas W. Jones, the co-editor of National Genealogical Society Quarterly, gave a thorough introduction to "Genealogical Editing" and "Evidence Analysis and Proof Arguments."

The Institute is co-sponsored by the Board for Certification of Genealogists, one of the two accrediting bodies for professionals. BCG's rigorous standards of research and conduct were emphasized. Only ten courses are offered each summer, with six alternating in different years. The schedules for 2010-2013 are posted here. Registration begins in January. If you're ready for an intense week of little sleep, intellectual overload, chatting up strangers AND you can do this all without any alcoholic beverages (Samford University is Baptist-affliated), IHGR is for you!

This article in the Las Vegas Sun describes how the Newberry's volumes of the New-York Evening Post solved an indexing mystery.  Sometimes we only have indexes to rely on, but when the original source is available, it's usually worthwhile to check it too.  Thanks to crack researcher Jonathan Bloom for making the Newberry's resources available to this long-distance researcher. 

Thanks to the effort of our volunteer Heather Blair, we've now finished mapping the Freedmen's Bureau Field Offices using Google Maps.  You can find the map here.

This map covers field offices in the District of Columbia and in 14 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.  Each entry contains a link to NARA's microfilm guide to the records.  The pop-up box for each entry also gives the Newberry call number if we hold the records for that office in our collection.

As described in this article, the Field Office records have great genealogical and historical value.  They are well worth the effort to search them if your ancestors were freedmen living in one of these areas.   

Hello, Genealogy News readers. I'm excited to be taking over as Curator of Genealogy and Local History.  Jack definitely leaves big shoes to fill, and he will be greatly missed by everyone around the Library and in Chicago's genealogy community.  We wish him well in Ann Arbor, and we'll hold him to his promise not to be a stranger.

Some of you know me, but many of you don't, so let me introduce myself.  I've been a reference librarian in local and family history at the Newberry since 2004, and I've spent thousands of hours helping folks at our genealogy reference desk.  I've also responded to the 600+ genealogy reference emails and letters we receive every year.  I've spoken to several local genealogy societies, and I've also presented at the Illinois State Genealogical Society and the Polish Genealogical Societies of America conferences.  I speak on a variety of topics, but areas of special interest include Polish ancestry, adoption search, and Social Security records.

My ancestry is Scottish and Dutch, and I've traced several of my lines back to the late 18th century and one to the early 17th century.  My interest in genealogy and Chicago history began years ago when my grandmother shared with me stories of her childhood in Chicago in the 1910's and 1920's.  Even though I was raised in Florida, her tales contained so many vivid details about Chicago that I fell in love with the city from afar.  As an adult, I moved here and have never regretted it.

Thanks for reading the blog and supporting us.  Keep tuned as we plan to have many more exciting articles and programs in the days ahead.  If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog or anything we're doing at the Newberry, feel free to contact me at rutherfordm@newberry.org

Hello, blog readers. This is my last post on the Genealogy News, as I'm moving on from my position at the Newberry Library. My wife has accepted a job at the University of Michigan, so we are moving to Ann Arbor. I'll be working in the field of child care and freelance historical research in the near term.

I've worked at the Newberry Library for 10 years, and it's been an great experience. I've been lucky to work with a great group of staff, volunteers and patrons. I learned a great deal from my interactions with researchers at the reference desk and absorbed a lot of expertise from my colleagues.  It's also been amazing to see the technological transformation over these years.

I'm happy to announce that Matt Rutherford has been appointed as Curator of Genealogy and Local History. Although I'm sad to leave, it's good to know that genealogists will continue to be assisted by an excellent staff here.

I hope to continue to write about genealogy occasionally on the companion blog to my book.

Signing off-
Jack Simpson

The  Abbot-Sengstacke family papers, which document the personal lives and business affairs of the family that published the Chicago Defender,  have been donated to the Chicago Public Library, reports the Sun-Times.  There is more information about the papers (and selected digitized artifacts) at the University of Chicago "Mapping the Stacks" website.

The following event has been rescheduled from June 3rd to November 3rd!

Using Non-Population Census Schedules
Think you've searched the census? Have you searched for your ancestor in the agriculture and manufacturing censuses? Or maybe they'll show up in a mortality census.

Presented by: Matt Rutherford
Tuesday, November 3, 9:30 am
Elgin Genealogical Society, Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove, Elgin, IL.

The reading rooms of the Newberry Library will be closed on Saturday, May 23 for the Memorial Day holiday.