McHenry County Illinois Genealogical Society

11/23/2025

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)

📅 Register for events

📚 Access member-only content (resources, documents, recordings, etc.)

✉️ 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.

In the meantime, you can take a sneak peek at https://mcigs.clubexpress.com.

Thanks for growing with us—we’re excited to make your membership easier, more secure, and more useful than ever.

11/23/2025

Just a reminder that due to the holidays, we will not be having a meeting in December. Our next meeting will be on January 8, 2026 on Zoom.

11/15/2025

Navigating the Empire State of Genealogy Research
Monday, November 17·7:00 – 8:00pm CENTRAL
Zion-Benton Public Library, 2400 Gabriel Ave, Zion, IL 60099, USA
notes
https://zionilgensoc.org/navigating-the-empire-state-of-genealogy-research/
In-Person & ZOOM Meeting

11/03/2025

Join McHenry Public librarian Tom Hillier and MCIGS' librarian Nancy Gaynor as we introduce our new collection of Mayflower Silver Books!

The entire collection is being added to our collection, thanks to a long term loan from the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Illinois.

Register here

Join the McHenry County (Illinois) Genealogical Society and the McHenry Public Library for a look at the Mayflower Silver Books.

10/31/2025

Great upcoming program

10/21/2025

Lisa Louis Cooke has a great video on some ways to make your AI prompts better.

Did you know that a simple tweak to your Artificial Intelligence chatbot prompt can dramatically improve the results that you get? Why just have it write or ...

10/14/2025

Please join us on zoom with Thomas MacEntee for "Transcribing, Translating, and Summarizing Documents Using AI" on Thursday, November 13th at 7pm CT. You can register online at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/7TusmAOWTSaCnfI39BfwfQ

09/14/2025

Please join us on Thursday, October 9th at The Pointe in Crystal Lake. Bill Wheeler will be helping us to understand the "art of what's possible" with artificial intelligence and genealogy. Attendees are welcome to bring their laptops.

09/05/2025

Did you know there's an IRISH AMERICAN HERITAGE CENTER in Chicago? Here's an upcoming program, you need to CALL to reserve a space (773)282-7035. Their website https://irish-american.org/

Windy City Ancestry: Exploring Chicago's Genealogical Treasures

Dive into the rich tapestry of Chicago's history with "Windy City Ancestry: Exploring Chicago's Genealogical Treasures". This immersive class is designed for anyone eager to uncover their family's Chicago roots using the city's abundant and diverse genealogical resources.

Whether you are a novice family historian or a seasoned genealogist, this course will provide you with the tools and techniques to navigate and utilize a variety of Chicago-specific sources. Learn to piece together your family's unique story through local records, archives, and historical collections.

Thursday, October 10th, $20

08/22/2025

Please join us on Thursday, September 11th at The Pointe when Laura Chapin will be presenting her program on Record Vitality with Vital Records

08/21/2025

https://www.irm.org/event/hops-aboard/

Learn how the railroads helped McHenry County grow, while you enjoy some brews!

Join us for a unique, adults-only beer festival on the rails! Celebrate local breweries and beer's long history with the railroad.

08/13/2025

Here's an even closer, ISGS conference opportunity!