Tuesday, February 10, 2009

St. Clair County Illinois Quarterly #4 of 2008

Like most ambitious state and regional publications, the St. Clair County Genealogical Society Quarterly welcomes actual articles, but still subsists largely on a diet of transcribed records. Why not write up your southwestern Illinois ancestors for them?

In issue #4 of 2008:

"Extracts from Death Register Book II, 2 January 1886 - 6 July 1886, tr. Melinda Cahill and Diane Walsh

"Marriage Index 1911," tr. Judy Phelps

"Document Conservation," an information-packed one-page summary of a recent society meeting where former Belleville Public Library archivist Patricia Hamilton spoke.

"Military Discharges 'L'," tr. Art Rubeck and Sheila Kronenberger

"Plan, Analyze, Begin Again: A Davis Family Example," by Diane Walsh. At the Salt Lake Institute last month I complained a bit about the lack of information about how to do research planning beyond the stage of brainstorming and list-making; this article is the beginning of an answer, as the quarterly editor takes us through an actual research situation and shows how to respond to new information, when to focus on the task at hand and when to draw back and make a note of an alternative path to perhaps be followed later.

2 comments:

Patti Hobbs said...

Would they want southwest Illinois ancestors that didn't live in St. Clair County? The research planning article sounds interesting. Your post makes me wish I had St. Clair County ancestors.

Harold Henderson said...

Gee, Patti, if we were on the radio I would say, verrry sloowly, what a good question that is, while I scrabbled frantically to find my latest quarterly. Best to write editor Diane Walsh, CG, at rengen@compu-type.net and ask specifically. (If you visit the society's extensive web site you will REALLY REALLY wish you had ancestors there.) At worst, she might be able to suggest alternatives.