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