WBCGS

WINNEBAGO & BOONE COUNTIES GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

The Winnebago & Boone Counties Genealogical Society exists to:

Encourage and support genealogical researchers.
Promote the discovering, collecting, indexing, and preserving of valued genealogical resources of Winnebago and Boone Counties.
Encourage publication of county material and family histories.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

WBCGS holds monthly meetings that are open to the public. We do not have meetings in December, January, and July.
Each month, one of our Members or an outside speaker makes a presentation about a specific topic related to genealogy or research.

NEW! WE ARE RESTARTING IN-PERSON MEETINGS WITH OUR AUGUST 2022 MEETING!
Based on the success we've had in using Zoom for our monthly meetings, we plan to continue offering the Zoom option for all meetings going forward. Meeting invitations will be sent to all WBCGS members with an email address.
If you’re not a member and are interested in attending, please send us an email at wbcgensociety@gmail.com. You can also contact us at:
WBCGS, PO Box 10166, Loves Park IL 61131-0166.

AUGUST MEETING

Thursday, August 4, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.
“Rockford's Industrial History, 1850-1930"
Speaker: Gary W. Anderson
Meeting Location: Spring Creek United Church of Christ, 4500 Spring Creek Road, Rockford IL

Gary Anderson is Founder and Principal Architect of Studio GWA. They were recently selected by the City of Rockford to perform a Multiple Property Survey on 90 industrial buildings located throughout Rockford. “The purpose of the survey was to take inventory of our remaining industrial buildings that have contributed to our growth and prosperity as a community.” You can read more about the survey on the company’s blog here.

SEPTEMBER MEETING

Saturday, September 10, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. “After You’re Gone – Future-Proofing Your Genealogy Research” with Thomas MacEntee (pre-recorded)
Meeting Location: Spring Creek United Church of Christ, 4500 Spring Creek Road, Rockford IL

Have you ever considered what will happen to your years of genealogy research once you're gone? Learn how to ensure that your hard work carries on. Through a combination of planning, common sense, and new technologies, we'll review how to create an action plan for preserving your genealogy research.

What happens when a “tech guy” with a love for history gets laid off during The Great Recession of 2008? You get Thomas MacEntee, a genealogy professional based in the United States who is also a blogger, educator, author, social media connector, online community builder and more. Thomas has over 42 years of experience researching family history.
Thomas was laid off after a 25-year career in the information technology field, so he started his own genealogy-related business called High Definition Genealogy. Currently Thomas shares many of his articles and videos for free at the popular Genealogy Bargains website!
Thomas describes himself as a lifelong learner with a background in a multitude of topics who has finally figured out what he does best: teach, inspire, instigate, and serve as a curator and go-to-guy for concept nurturing and inspiration. Thomas is a big believer in success, and that we all succeed when we help each other find success.

OCTOBER MEETING

Saturday, October 1, 2022 at 1:30 p.m.
“Researching Genealogy at Newberry Library"
Speaker: Matthew Rutherford
Meeting Location: Spring Creek United Church of Christ, 4500 Spring Creek Road, Rockford IL

The Newberry Library is one of Chicago's genealogy research treasures. This one-hour session surveys the Newberry's genealogy collections, including city directories, military records, historical newspapers, databases, digital resources, passenger lists, maps, and special collections.

Matt Rutherford, Curator of Genealogy and Local History at the Newberry, demonstrates how to use the catalog and online finding aids in order to prepare for a visit to the library.

ISGS Associate Member