WINNEBAGO & BOONE COUNTIES GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

The Winnebago & Boone Counties Genealogical Society (of Illinois) exists to:

• Encourage and support genealogical researchers.
• Promote the discovering and preserving of valued genealogical resources of Winnebago and Boone County, Illinois.
• Through our website, provide resources to help genealogists with an interest in Winnebago or Boone County, Illinois.
• Offer networking opportunities with others who have similar research interests.

All in-person meetings are at the Rockford Public Library - East Branch  6685 East State St, Rockford IL

UPCOMING MEETINGS

WBCGS holds monthly meetings that are open to the public.  We do not have meetings in December and July.
At each meeting, our speaker makes a presentation about a specific topic related to genealogy or a topic of local interest.

Based on the success we've had in using Zoom for our monthly meetings, we plan to continue offering Zoom meetings.  Meeting invitations will be sent to all WBCGS members with an email address. 
​If you’re not a member and are interested in attending a Zoom meeting, please send us an email at [email protected].
You can also contact us at: WBCGS, 1710 Van Stone Dr., Machesney Park IL 61115-2166.

JANUARY MEETING

Saturday, January 4, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. CST
"11 Tips to Help You Transcribe German Church Records"
Speaker: Theresa Berns
Meeting Location: Zoom only - No meeting in-person)
​Zoom registration for this meeting

Some of the tips you will learn are: - Take advantage of the same formatting of church records. - Be aware that spelling was not standardized until the late 19th century. - Know what the word “des” means. - Know how to figure out the names of towns and villages.

Theresa has been interested in languages and cultures from an early age. However, growing up with German and Low German was not enough for her. So, over time, she acquired additional language skills in English, Spanish, and French. After finishing her university degree in translation studies, Theresa mainly translates documents from German into English and vice versa. Most of these are genealogical documents written in Kurrent, Sütterlin, and Fraktur. Being a native German speaker really facilitates deciphering the Old German Script and understanding the essence of the original text, which is crucial when translating.

FEBRUARY MEETING

Saturday, February 1, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. CST
"Using Ancestry for Genealogy Research"
Speaker: Jenny Warner
Meeting Location: RPL East Branch (in-person speaker, but also available via Zoom)
​Zoom registration for this meeting
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Hands on.  Attendees will learn how to use Ancestry.com to find their ancestors. You will learn how to create a tree, upload pictures, attach pictures.

Jenny has been doing genealogy for 43 years. Her mother started she and her sister early, learning about where their family came from and how to research their family history.  She is a member of many Lineage Societies and many Genealogical Societies, holding offices in many of those groups.  
Jenny has given many presentations at public libraries and genealogical societies.  She loves sharing her knowledge of family history and helping people learn about their heritage. 
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MARCH MEETING

Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. CDT
"Using Photography History In Genealogy"
Speaker: Vicki Hahn
Meeting Location: RPL East Branch (in-person speaker, but also available via Zoom)
​Zoom registration for this meeting
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​​​Photographs give a direct insight into the past and the lives of individuals portrayed in them.  They are a perfect way for genealogists to identify ancestors (from the 1850s on) by analyzing physical resemblance, the history of fashions worn, backgrounds, and special occasions depicted. Learn how to help narrow the dates by identifying what photography studios and camera/developing/mounting technologies were used through the history of photography.  Explore how to combine photography with other genealogical techniques, and organization.  Bring a vintage photograph along, and we can try to identify the range of years that it was taken.
Vicki Ruthe Hahn, owner of Stateline Genealogy Club, LLC, is a Retired Librarian with a BA and MLIS from University of Illinois. An experienced, regional Genealogy Presenter and Consultant, she founded the “Stateline Genealogy Club” at Beloit Public Library in 2012, & created the “StatelineGenealogyClub.Wordpress.com" BLOG in 2014.
She has a background in history, anthropology, research, writing, teaching, and clothing history. Vicki sorts out mysteries, rediscovers histories, weaves stories, & helps people with local history and their family genealogy; specializing from Central Illinois to Central Wisconsin.

ISGS Associate Member​

The Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) was formed in 1968 through the cooperative effort and forward thinking of Illinois genealogical society representatives, who envisioned a statewide genealogical organization. ISGS is a not-for-profit, nonsectarian, educational organization.

Visit their website for more info
www.ilgensoc.org