The Illinois Newspaper Project (INP) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library has received a grant of $324,189 from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), to digitize 100,000 pages of historical Illinois newspapers, as part of the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP), a partnership between the NEH and the Library of Congress. The Illinois Newspaper Project has been an NDNP partner since 2009, and has contributed over 600,000 pages of digitized newspaper content to Chronicling America, the digital newspaper collection of the Library of Congress. All Illinois newspapers digitized by the INP are also freely available on the Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections (IDNC)  website, which includes additional newspapers digitized thanks to other grants and generous patron donations.

The 2025-2027 grant will focus on Illinois newspapers that document the history of relations between Native American communities and settlers, from the early 19th century to the mid-20th century. The INP will partner with other Illinois cultural heritage repositories including the Newberry Library. Celestina Savonius-Wroth (head of the History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library) and William Schlaack (Digital Reformatting Coordinator for Preservation Services) will lead the project. In addition to the project leads, the Illinois Newspaper Project team includes Jessie Knoles, Geoffrey Ross, and Chris Prom.

In addition to revealing the celebrity guests to be featured in the new season, Gates also made a promise that “Finding Your Roots” would not be among the PBS programming disappearing from the airwaves in light of Congress’ recent decision to recapture over $1 billion in federal funds for public broadcasting, including the American Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), National Public Radio (NPR) and hundreds of local and regional radio and TV stations.

The is a press release written by the folks at the (U.S.) National Archives and Records Administration:

Emmett Till Records Release Many new records—now digitized—were released today regarding the tragic murder of Emmett Till. They are available here. This release is in response to the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018.  This release consists of materials from the Justice Department (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the United States Commission on Civil Rights. This is an initial release of federal records related to the case. Records created during later federal investigations are not included, and will be part of later releases. The National Archives partners with the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board to review many civil rights related records.  This month marks 70 years since this tragic, watershed moment in American history. Our thoughts are with the Till family. Memorandum to Assistant Attorney General Warren Olney III, page 1  NAID: 603432 Hawaii - The 50th State Despite protests from Native Hawaiians, Hawaii was annexed by the U.S. on August 12, 1898, after the passing of the Newlands Resolution, making it a U.S. territory. More than 60 years later, on August 21, 1959, President Eisenhower signed the Hawaii Admission Act admitting Hawaii as the 50th state. Visit the National Archives online to learn more and view many of the historical documents created on Hawaii’s path to statehood. Statement on Hawaii statehood by Secretary of the Interior Fred A. Seaton. NAID: 16607081 Off the Record at the Clinton Presidential Library Join the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, in Little Rock, AR, on August 26, 2025, at 6 p.m. CT, to welcome Stephanie S. Street to the latest session of “Off the Record.” Stephanie will be pulling back the curtain on her time in the West Wing — sharing personal stories, behind-the-scenes moments, and what it was really like to help shape the schedule, strategy, leadership, and legacy of a presidency.  Register here for your tickets to this free, in-person event. Dr. Oz and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Visit the National Archives The National Archives welcomed Dr. Mehmet Oz and staff from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, to view America’s Founding Documents in the historical Rotunda and Lincoln autopsy documents in the “National Vault.” Dr. Oz and the CMS team tour the National Archives Museum.  View the photos on X.

The Cattaraugus County Museum’s annual “Summer at the Stone House” event series will conclude its 2025 season on Thursday, Aug. 28, with a presentation by an expert in genealogical research.

The talk, titled “Between the Census Years,” will be given by Jeanette Sheliga, an educator, blogger, lecturer and librarian from Lockport.

“In addition to city directories and newspapers, there are many other records that you may find your ancestors listed in to help bridge the gap between censuses. This presentation will explore numerous sources such as: maps, voter lists, church records, membership directories, local government proceedings and more,” Sheliga explained.

Sheliga began genealogical lecturing in 2011 and soon after formed the North Tonawanda Library Genealogy Club, which she managed for 10 years. In 2013, she became a board member for the Niagara County Genealogical Society. She is also the society vice president, NGS Delegate and the program chairperson. 

Sheliga is a member of many lineage societies, including the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, First Families of Pennsylvania, National Society Descendants of American Farmers and the National Society of Mayflower Descendants. 

In addition, in the fall of 2020, she became the Virtual Genealogical Society’s (VGA) corresponding secretary and was elected to become a member of the board of directors for the Western New York Genealogical Society (WNYGS). While serving on the board for WNYGS, she became a contributing editor for the WNYGS’s quarterly publication, The Journal and was selected as the programming chair.

For more information on Sheliga, visit jeanettesgenealogy.com.

The program will begin at 7 p.m. and will take place under a tent on the museum lawn, rain or shine. Some seating will be available, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs if they wish. This event is free and open to the public.

The program will be livestreamed on the museum’s YouTube channel for those who are unable to attend in person. A link to the livestream will be posted on the museum’s Facebook page closer to the date of the event.

The Cattaraugus County Museum is located in the Stone House, 9824 Route 16, in Machias.

For more information, visit www.cattco.org/museum or call 716-353-8200.

Handel Hendrix House is seeking a Project Archivist to work on a fixed-term, part-time basis (0.8 FTE). The role is based in London with a salary of £24,000 per annum (pro rata of £30,000). The archivist will catalogue, research, conserve, and oversee the digitisation of approximately 1,000 items from the Anim Records archive, which includes material relating to Jimi Hendrix, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and other groups from the 1960s and 1970s.

Applicants should hold an appropriate qualification in archive management (such as a Level 7 ARA archives apprenticeship) and have experience of conservation, storage, cataloguing, and public access standards. Experience of working with the public, managing budgets, and liaising with contractors is also required.

Closing date: Friday 5 September 2025

See full details at https://handelhendrix.org/work-for-us/project-archivist. 

For the first time in six years, the Saskatchewan Genealogy Society (SGS) is hosting a conference that will include topics such as artificial intelligence and using DNA to support research.

“Past Meets Future” is the name of this year’s conference, which the Moose Jaw and Regina branches are co-hosting at the Atlas Hotel at 4177 Albert Street in Regina on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Early bird registration is $100 and must be paid by Friday, Aug. 29, while regular registration is $125 and must be paid by Monday, Sept. 15. The registration form can be found at www.saskgenealogy.com or email saskgenealogy@sasktel.net for more information.

This year’s speakers include Gordon McBean, whose topic is “Artificial Intelligence: Is it really new?”; Dave Obee, with “DNA: Squiggly Lines and Spit,” to be presented via Zoom; Thomas MacEntee, with “Genealogy Do-Over,” which focuses on changes in research and beginner information, to be presented over Zoom; and Tammy Vallee, with “Uncovering Identity: The Role of Genealogy in Indigenous Ancestry.”

Marge Cleave, president of the Moose Jaw branch, said it’s a great feeling to co-host the conference since both branches collaborate well, although she wished it were happening in The Friendly City. Still, it’s positive that this event is happening since the SGS hasn’t held one — typically held annually — since 2019.

Continuing, she said it’s been a “learning curve” for the co-hosts to organize the conference since it’s been a while since the last one and many things have changed in six years. She pointed out that the conference is a hybrid with two presenters speaking online and two speaking in person.

“Personally, I like to have all of the presenters in person, but it’s so costly to have them travel now that it’s great just to have them by Zoom,” Cleave remarked.

The Moose Jaw branch president said the four speakers are “really good” and qualified to discuss their topics. Furthermore, the presenters have told the organizers that they are excited to speak.

Meanwhile, the organization of the conference is going well, while organizers are hoping to attract at least 60 people, said Cleave. She noted that, for whatever reason, people seem to wait until the last minute before registering; with this event, she thinks some people may still be leery post-pandemic about crowds.

Cleave added that the best reason to attend the event is to network with other like-minded genealogists and family history buffs while learning new information and tips to be a better genealogist and researcher.

For more information, visit www.saskgenealogy.com.

The following is a press release written by the folks at the Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies (SIGS) and the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG):

Join Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies (SIGS) for a 2-day academic conference on the 25 and 26 June 2026; Beyond the Family Tree: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on AI, DNA, Education and Community in Genealogy.

Explore a variety of topics, including genetic genealogy, history, and genealogy, with parallel streams featuring keynote presentations and guest lectures—giving you the freedom to choose the sessions that inspire you most.

The conference will be preceded by a one-day Professional Genealogy Symposium in on the 24 June 2026, hosted by the Association of Professional Genealogists in partnership with SIGS. 

Symposium sessions will be led by industry experts and will cover topics such expanding your genealogy business, client deliverables, financial considerations, productivity tools, cross-border marketing, ethical and legal issues, and much more. 

Both events will be held at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow UK.

Most sessions will be available online, allowing you to join from anywhere in the world.

Three days. Two events. A unique and immersive experience bringing together genealogists, educators, and enthusiasts from connected disciplines.

Hold the date (24–26 June 2026 - both events) and get the latest updates by registering your interest on our website >https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/centreforlifelonglearning/genealogy/beyondfamilytreeconference2026/

The following is a press release written by the folks at: JewishBoard.org:

• National Desertion Bureau Card Catalog (1911–1935)
https://150yearsofcare.org/ndb-database/
An index to cases pursued by the National Desertion Bureau, an agency that helped women track down husbands who had abandoned their families. Each entry typically includes the husband’s and wife’s names, the date a case was opened, the referring agency, the recorded “cause of desertion,” the case disposition, and a case/file number. From the database, readers can request the corresponding case file from the YIVO Archives at no cost.

• United Hebrew Charities of New York: Recipients & Donors (1869–1877)
https://150yearsofcare.org/uhc-recipients/
A dataset of 1,231 recipients and 368 donors from New York City’s United Hebrew Charities. Fields include names, street addresses, amounts of aid, and contemporary “worthiness” notations; entries also appear on aninteractive map that helps place families on specific blocks and visualize neighborhood patterns in the 1870s.

An interesting article at: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/an-inside-look-at-how-pbs-host-henry-louis-gates-jr-met-pope-leo 

Monday, September 8, 2025     6:15 PM

Kelowna and District Genealogical Society, Zoom Meeting

"Taking Advantage of Google Translate on Foreign Language Databases for Better Results," with Vera Ivanova Miller

So much information is offered for genealogy research on foreign websites. Vera Ivanova Miller will show how to use several databases for Ukrainian, Russian, German, Polish and Belarusian, genealogy with the Google Translate web browser app step-by-step. In addition viewers will see how to search in foreign languages on Google with the app. Her presentation will also include how the Russian-Ukrainian war is affecting research in Russia and Ukraine and how to work around the challenges due to the war. This presentation will give your genealogy research an extra boost by showing how to find more useful information, resulting in saving time and money, where ever you are researching for your genealogy.

Vera Ivanova Miller, a former newspaper reporter, has been researching her ancestry from Ukraine, Russia and Poland since 2006. Her journey was the inspiration in 2011 to start a blog "Find Lost Russian and Ukrainian Family, (https://lostrussianfamily.wordpress.com/) that was honoured as a 2023 Family Tree Magazine "101 Best Websites". Thanks to learning how to use Russian-and Ukrainian- language resources online, Vera has been able to trace her Eastern European family tree back to the 1600's. She is the author of "Genealogy at a Glance: Ukrainian Genealogy Research" and "Genealogy at a Glance: Russian Genealogy Research", publications of Genealogical Publishing Co.

Bite-size presentation to follow: Searching the KDGS Central Okanagan Obituary Database, by KDGS member, Xenia Stanford.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Price: KDGS members Free; non-members $10

Kelowna and District Genealogical Society annual membership fee is: Single-$50 or Family-$60.

For the 2025/26 year we have a schedule of speakers with a variety of backgrounds and experience in genealogical research.

Join us! New Members Welcome! Get to know your Ancestors!

For more info visit KDGS.ca