This year’s Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) conference promises to be big, with a variety of speakers and topics over a day and a half, a banquet dinner, and a youth workshop!  The conference will be held Friday and Saturday, October 19 and 20, 2012 at the Best Western Clock Tower Resort & Conference Center in Rockford, Illinois.

John Philip Colletta, PhD, is the featured speaker and has some great presentations in store for conference attendees:

  • Is Any Body There? – Tracking Ancestral Remains (presented at dinner on Friday)
  • Breaking Through Brick Walls: Use Your HEAD!
  • Our National Archives: The Astounding Institution & How to Use It
  • Discovering the REAL Stories of Your Immigrant Ancestors

Other speakers include:  Thomas MacEntee, Dr. Daniel Hubbard, Jeanne Larzalere Bloom, Dr. Gary K. Hargin, Oriene Springstroh, Larry Pepper, David McDonald, and Kathy Carey.

The conference begins on Friday, October 19, at 12pm, with two sets of lectures in the afternoon, time to browse the exhibit hall, and enjoy dinner with fellow genealogists.  Activities resume on Saturday, October 20, at 8am with four blocks of lectures throughout the day and lunch.  You have the option to attend one or both days.  Registration is as follows:

ISGS Members
Friday, October 19 – Sessions/dinner/speaker $43
Friday, October 19 – Dinner/speaker ONLY (no Friday sessions) $28
Saturday, October 20 – Sessions/lunch $40
Non-Members
Friday, October 19 – Sessions/dinner/speaker $50
Friday, October 19 – Dinner/speaker ONLY (no Friday sessions) $30
Saturday, October 20 – Sessions/lunch $50

To learn more about the lectures, presenters, or to register, visit the conference page at the ISGS website.

In addition, ISGS is hosting its second annual youth workshop on Saturday, October 20.  The workshop for children, grades 1st-4th will be held from 9:30am to 11am; children grades 5th-12th will be held from 1pm to 4pm.  For more information or to register, visit the youth workshop page at the ISGS website.