Footnote.com, a partner with the National Archives, announced that it will digitize and create a searchable database for all publicly available U.S. Federal Censuses (1790 to 1930).

In addition to making these records more accessible, Footnote.com is allowing its members to add their own contributions. Users can:

* Add comments or stories about a person
* Upload and attach photos or documents related to that person
* Generate a Footnote Page for any individual that features stories, a photo gallery, timeline and map
* Identify relatives found in the census by clicking the "I'm Related" button

For more details, check out the Footnote Blog. Footnote.com is a subscription database available at the Newberry Library.

Interested in learning how to research your family history?
Visit the Newberry Library this Saturday to get started.

At 9:30 a.m. on November 7th, Matt Rutherford, Curator of Genealogy and Local History, will introduce novices to the basics of research with an informal orientation. No reservations are necessary. The session will meet in the Towner Fellows' Lounge on the second floor of the Newberry Library.

Happy Halloween!  As you roast pumpkin seeds and await your trick-or-treaters, you might enjoy this Chicago Tribune article featuring Halloween and heritage societies.  The article focuses on Dr. Kimberly Nagy, whose genealogy research led her to a position as an officer in the heritage society Associated Daughters of Early American Witches.

Were your ancestors farmers or manufacturers?  Might they have died in a census year?  Were they ever confined to an asylum?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to be using the federal census nonpopulation schedules.  Come join Matt Rutherford, Curator of Genealogy and Local History, on Tuesday, November 3rd, at 9:30 am, when he describes the value of nonpopulation census schedules to your research.  The talk will be held at the Gail Borden Public Library District, 270 N. Grove Ave., in Elgin.  For further information contact the Elgin Genealogical Society.

Saturday, November 14, from 10am - 4:00pm
Arlington Heights Memorial Library
500 N. Dunton Ave.
Arlington Heights

Free - Registration required

Grace Dumelle and Ginger Frere will co-present four sessions during a free full day on Chicago genealogy. Session 1, "The Early Years", will cover the records generated in our early years - birth, baptismal and school records, for starters. Session 2, "Adult Years", will center on marriage, divorce, property and occupational records. Session 3, "End of Life", will include discussion of death, cemetery, probate and inquest records. The last session of the day will be "Stump the Experts". Bring your Chicago genealogy "stumpers" to this session!

Grace Dumelle will offer copies of her book, Finding Your Chicago Ancestors, and other Lake Claremont Press titles.

By Grace Dumelle, Newberry Library

I'd like to recommend reciprocal library cards. Most Illinois residents (and some Indiana and Wisconsin ones also) can get a Chicago library card, which entitles them to a great buffet of databases accessible from home (ProQuest Historical Tribune, ProQuest Chicago Defender, Sanborn Maps of Illinois, WorldCat, ArchiveGrid....).

If you're not a Chicago Resident, check the Chicago Public Library's website to see if your local library participates in this program.  

Grace Dumelle, Newberry staff member and author of Finding Your Chicago Ancestors, will speak on "Uncovering Your Past in Land Records" on Monday, October 26th.  Grace will describe the two types of indexing systems you need to know to use land records in any U.S. county, including Cook, Lake, and DuPage.  Join her at the Frankfort Public Library, 21119 Pfeiffer Road, Frankfort, at 7:00 pm. Grace will also be offering copies of her book for sale. For more information, contact Melissa Rice, Head of Adult Services, 815-534-6173.

Join Newberry reference librarian Ginger Frere, on Wednesday, October 21st, at the Wheaton Public Library at 6:30 pm for her talk "Searching Library Catalogs and Databases."  Ginger will use demonstrate successful searching techniques and tips that will enhance your online research.   

The Wheaton Public Library is located at 225 N. Cross Street in Wheaton.  For more information, contact the DuPage County (IL) Genealogical Society.