Our 2027 Genealogy Club schedule is confirmed! Meetings will be held via Zoom at 11 a.m. CST, with one large-scale drop-in event planned for November. The theme of this year’s programming is Finding Family in a Digital Age, which will highlight resources, tools and methodology to expand your genealogy research.

Feel free to share our schedule with your family and genealogy friends. If you have any questions about our programs or need research assistance, you can reach me by phone at 630.685.4201 or by email at ddudek@fountaindale.org.

See you at our next club meeting!

Genealogy Club Meeting Information

Zoom Information

  • Online meetings are held through Zoom. Registration is required.
  • Zoom links and meeting handouts are emailed to registrants one day before the program.
  • Reminder emails are sent one day prior and one hour before the meetings.

Registration Details

  • All of our Genealogy Club meetings are free and open to the public.
  • You can register by phone at 630.685.4176 or online through our events calendar.
  • To register online quickly and easily, type “Genealogy Club” in the search box at the top of our events calendar and adjust the calendar dates to find the club meetings for the entire year.
  • You are not required to enter a library card number during the registration process.
  • Registration for these programs are open now, unless otherwise noted.

Meeting Recordings

We would like to express our gratitude to our speakers for their cooperation in permitting the recording of sessions. These recordings will be accessible on our YouTube channel after each program, ensuring that our homebound and working patrons can benefit from the content. All recordings will be available for streaming the day after the meeting.

Winter Meetings (January–February)

Unique African American Records
Wednesday, January 13, 11 a.m. CST (Zoom)
Presented by Ari Wilkins
Move beyond the more common genealogical records to discover some of the most unusual and underutilized African American records. This lecture will discuss the plethora of information that can be gleaned; where to find these records and how to apply them to your research.

Finding Immigration and Naturalization Records
Wednesday, February 10, 11 a.m. CST (Zoom)
Presented by Lisa Alzo
Every immigrant has a story. This webinar will discuss how to leverage the data in passenger lists, naturalization records and other documents of ethnic-based communities and neighborhoods (such as historic newspapers and oral histories) to uncover key clues about your immigrant ancestors. Learn strategies and techniques to find your elusive ancestor among others with the same name and how to deal with name changes, as well as how to locate missing manifests due to transcription or other database errors. A brief overview of how social history and migration patterns can help you track your ancestors on both sides of the ocean will also be provided.

Spring Meetings (March–May)

Digital Resources in a Genealogical World
Wednesday, March 10, 11 a.m. CST (Zoom)
Presented by Dan Jungclas
Let’s explore what digital resources, new and old, that are available for our family trees. This includes AI and online services, where to find them and how to effectively use and implement them in your genealogical research.

New Case Studies in Census Conflicts: Resolving Contradictions Across the Decades
Wednesday, April 14, 11 a.m. CST (Zoom)
Presented by Cheri Hudson Passey
Census records often contradict one another. Ages change, names vary and places of birth are inconsistent. This session demonstrates how to analyze and reconcile those conflicts through timelines, correlation with other records and case studies that show how to draw conclusions from imperfect evidence.

Avoiding an Ancestor Identity Crisis
Wednesday, May 12, 11 a.m. CST (Zoom)
Presented by Shelly Bishop
How can a person tell if a name in a record or database is really your ancestor? Genealogists are often faced with the challenge of identifying ancestors despite same names, irregular spellings, inconsistent ages, similar places, unknown maiden names, missing vital records, ancestral migration and boundary changes. Shelly Bishop will demonstrate the use of seven strategies to help solve identity problems to keep research on track, the release stated.

Summer Meetings (June–August)

Using FamilySearch Full-Text Search
Wednesday, June 9, 11 a.m. CST (Zoom)
Presented by Dana Ann Palmer
FamilySearch Full-Text Search is an AI-powered search that looks through the entire text of many digitized historical records, including collections that have not been traditionally indexed. Instead of searching only indexed names and dates, it searches AI-generated transcripts of complete documents such as deeds, wills, probate files, court records, church registers and letters.

Family Ties: Preserving Family Histories
Wednesday, July 14, 11 a.m. CST (Zoom)
Presented by Greg Archer
Greg Archer uncovered his Polish family’s remarkable history through meaningful conversations with parents and relatives—listening for the stories that shape identity, resilience and belonging. In this engaging talk, Greg shares how interviewing family members became a powerful way to better understand lineage, heritage and self. You will explore why family stories matter, how to begin thoughtful conversations across generations and simple ways to preserve memories before they’re lost.

The More, the Merrier! Collaborating with Your DNA Cousins
Wednesday, August 11, 11 a.m. CST (Zoom)
Presented by Paula Williams
Do you have DNA matches but you don’t know who they are? Are you looking for ways to get them to answer your messages or get excited about your research? Learn how to make connections with your DNA matches and collaborate effectively!

Fall Meetings (September–October)

Navigating Obstacles to Facial Recognition Success
Wednesday, September 8, 11 a.m. CST (Zoom)
Presented by Tina LaFreniere
Proper digitization of your photos can be the difference between successfully identifying unknown people in your photos and losing their identity to the sands of time. This class delves into the most common issues with digitized photo which can impede proper identification of individuals when using facial recognition.

Finding Your 19th Century Military Ancestors on Fold3
Wednesday, October 13, 11 a.m. CST (Zoom)
Presented with Brian Rhinehart
Fold3 contains a multitude of military records, but are you able to find what you need for your genealogy research? Brian Rhinehart will show you what records are available for your 19th-century military ancestors on this extensive website. You’ll also pick up some search strategies to narrow down what you’re looking for.