Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois

02/13/2026

TGIF!!!

02/13/2026

TOMORROW @ 11AM!
Join us as Darrel Dexter, local author, historian and educator, tells us how Abolitionists and organizers of the Underground Railroad in Illinois realized the potential of the Illinois Central, especially the line of tracks from Cairo to Chicago, and how it could be used to help freedom seekers headed north.

This event is presented by the The Daniel H. Brush Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The event will be hybrid, taking place at the Carbondale Public Library, or virtually on Zoom. If you’d like to join this program virtually, please register here: https://register.carbondalepubliclibrary.org/Dexter
For more information about this program, visit the library's website: https://carbondalepubliclibrary.org/.../joseph-rodney.../

02/12/2026

02/11/2026

02/10/2026

📅 Genealogy Tip Tuesday: Building a timeline for each ancestor can reveal missing records, gaps in data, and migration patterns you might not notice otherwise. Timelines make stories (and mysteries) clear!

02/09/2026

The first quarterly meeting for 2026 was held at the Willimson County Historical Society museum/library on Sunday, February 1st, 2026. WCHS president Sam Lattuca started the meeting out by reviewing the current state of the museum and by recalling recent projects worked on, changes to the museum and items taken into the museum since the last meeting.
The guest speaker was Marion businessman, Jeff Mayer, who recounted his early interest in the downtown Marion area and how it has influenced his decisions to buy and restore numerous buildings in the downtown area. Mayer has completed remodeled the old Goodall building on the square into combination businesses and residential apartments that most Marion residents are aware of, in addition to owning properties on E. Jefferson and the old Duty and Hyde buildings in the 200 block of N. Market.
The WCHS museum/library is currently in its winter hours of operation which is open to the public on Saturdays only from 9:30 till 3:00 PM. It will resume its normal hours of operation on Wednesday thru Saturday from 9:30 till 3:00 PM on Wednesday March 4th. The public is invited to come and tour the museum at no charge during normal working hours or pursue their family genealogy.

02/09/2026

Join Pope County Historical Society Tuesday, February 24th, 6pm at the Historical Society Museum as Ed & Diane Annable make a video presentation of one of their latest books, “War in Copperhead Egypt – The War Within Southern Illinois – 1861-1865.” There was a conflict within Southern Illinois that some would rather sweep under the rug, the conflict of neighbor against neighbor. This was not just a war of ideas; sides were drawn and allegiances followed. Some feared for their lives, for good reason. The infamous Knights of the Golden Circle and a group known as the Copperheads were actively aiding the Confederacy in Southern Illinois. Martial Law was declared in some places, and people were arrested for treason.

02/06/2026

Membership dues for the year of 2026 are now due. 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

If your dues are not paid by the 15th of February you will not be able to access your account . You will have to mail in your dues and they will have to be put in manually by the Treasure in order for your membership to be reinstated .

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.