The Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois (GSSI) promotes the study and publication of family and local history in Southern Illinois.
11/26/2025
We obsess over unique names. Our ancestors obsessed over the exact opposite.
In the 1800s, if a teacher called out "Mary," four girls looked up. This wasn’t a coincidence or a lack of creativity. It was a deliberate system.
At one point, 65% of all babies in an entire country shared just ten names total. They didn't want their kids to stand out. They needed them to belong. The reason why is counter-intuitive to us today, but it made perfect sense for their survival.
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11/24/2025
Have you checked out our Online Store on our website? Under General Interest you will find a newly published book called Revolutionary War Pioneers compiled by Darrel Dexter.
11/24/2025
Our Archival Boxes are now SOLD OUT! Through your donations you have made it possible to preserve family history for future generations in the Southern Illinois area. The staff at the Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois would like to thank you for your generous donations and support in this project.
11/24/2025
You may have heard - we’re moving from our old [static] website to a new home on ClubExpress.
Think of it this way:
Current site = a public website (mostly one-way information)
ClubExpress = a full member portal (two-way, interactive, built for clubs & societies)
What this means for members
With the new ClubExpress site, you’ll be able to:
🔐 Log in to a secure member area
🧾 Renew your membership and pay online
🧍♂️ Update your own contact info (no more email tag to fix an address)
✉️ Manage your email preferences so you get the updates that matter most to you
Our public pages will still share news and information with the community but now, members get powerful self-service tools behind the scenes.
👉 Next step for you:
As soon as we launch, we’ll share instructions on how to log in to your new account, update your profile, and explore the member area.
Thanks for growing with us—we’re excited to make your membership easier, more secure, and more useful than ever.
11/22/2025
11/21/2025
11/20/2025
Yours nor mine!
11/19/2025
You may not know his name, but you have probably heard his songs . . .
The grave and tombstone of Albert E. Brumley and his wife Goldie E. (Schell) Brumley, Fox Cemetery, Powell, Missouri. The tombstone features the opening line of his song "I Will Meet You In The Morning." Albert E. Brumley was well known as a gospel music writer with more than 800 songs published. Several of his most well-known songs including "Turn Your Radio On" and "I'll Fly Away" have been recorded by a wide range of artists. The song "I'll Fly Away" is said to be the most widely recorded modern gospel song and has been recorded by George Jones, Alan Jackson, Charley Pride, Andy Griffith, Aretha Franklin, Brenda Lee, The Osmonds, Alison Krauss, Randy Travis, Kanye West, Johnny Cash and hundreds of others.
Albert E. Brumley, born October 29, 1905, near Spiro, Oklahoma; died November 15, 1977, Powell, Missouri, age 72.
Also on the My Genealogy Hound web site: View numerous graves and tombstones of the famous and infamous including: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louisa May Alcott (Little Women), Elvis Presley, Michael Landon, Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright), Jimmy Stewart, Chuck Connors, Don Knotts, John Wayne, Gene Autry, Mary Tyler Moore, James Dean, Daniel Boone, Benjamin Franklin, Jesse James, the victims of the Boston Massacre, Curly, Moe and Shemp Howard (Three Stooges), L. Frank Baum (Wizard of OZ), Fess Parker (Davy Crockett), "Wild Bill" Hickok, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Paul Revere, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Roy Orbison, Clifton Clowers (Wolverton Mountain), the world's smallest tombstone, "Bloody Bill" Anderson, Bob Ford (assassin of Jesse James), Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger), Frank James, Lawrence Welk, plus unusual graves such as the mystery woman buried inside a boulder; and unusual engraved colonial era tombstones: http://www.mygenealogyhound.com/vintage-postcards/Graves-Tombstones-Famous-Infamous-Otherwise-photos-postcards-and-images.htm
11/19/2025
t’s that time again. Membership dues for the year of 2026 are due now. Membership runs from Jan 1st through Dec 31st each year. You may pay your dues by PayPal on our website at www.ilgssi.org or by printing out the mail in form and mailing in your check to Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois, 700 Logan College Road, Carterville, Illinois 62918-2500
Thank you for your continued support to the Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois.
Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois. Preserving, protecting and publishing genealogy information of importance to Southern Illinois spread throughout the 28 counties we serve.
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The Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois (GSSI) was organized in Carterville, Illinois in March 1973, for the purpose of encouraging the study of family history and genealogy; helping others gather genealogical information; and preserving, protecting, and publishing information of importance to Southern Illinois genealogy. Our Constitution and a list of current Officers are posted on the GSSI website.
GSSI includes in its geographic area the twenty-eight counties of Illinois south of Interstate 70: Alexander, Clay, Clinton, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Saline, St. Clair, Union, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, and Williamson.
The GSSI Genealogy Collection at the John A. Logan College Library consists of more than 1000 books and several hundred reels of microfilm. The collection does not circulate, but it is catalogued and may be searched through the JALC website. First enter a title or keyword in the box marked "Search catalog for:". then scroll down the left hand column of the page to "Assigned Branch" and check on John A. Logan College Library to narrow the returns to books in the GSSI Collection.
