Chicago, Illinois – January 4, 2013: Jennifer Holik of Generations collaborates with staff at Casa Italia Chicago to create a new genealogy department. The mission of the Genealogy Department is to collect, catalogue and preserve vital records, documents, published materials, artifacts, and stories pertaining to the family history of Italian Americans in Chicago. Read More »
Kids! As you research your family history, have you heard any ghost stories? Do you enjoy reading about ghosts in different cities around the country and world? If so, Ursula Bielski’s book is for you. This book was written for kids aged 8-12 and is a very quick read. Even as an adult reading it and knowing about many of these stories, I still learned a few things about haunted Chicago. The book is laid out in short chapters so even younger children can read a little at a time. The print is larger and there are some kid-friendly pictures throughout the book. The book also includes a Ghostly Glossary; Ghosthunter Tool list; Interview Questions for Witnesses; and Recommended Reading. If you are a fan of ghost stories or live in the Chicago area this is a must read. Pick up a copy today, grab a flashlight, crawl under a blanket and read……if you dare! Read More »
A Story about Love & Legacies by Susan V. Bosak with Laurie McGaw is a book about a grandmother going through the early stages of Alzheimers. The story begins with a little girl baking cookies with her grandmother. As the story progresses, the girl grows up and her grandmother ages. The grandmother promised the little girl her cedar chest when she grew up. The day came when the girl was grown up and married and heard from her grandmother that it was time to come get the chest. Her grandmother was going to move out of her house and into a nursing home. The girl visits her grandmother and together they sort through the cedar chest. Together they finish cleaning out her house and prepare to move her to the nursing home. The grandmother says she is worried she will forget her granddaughter. The granddaughter gives her a photograph of the two of them together and writes on the back “Something to remember me by.” The girl visits her grandmother at the end of her life and instead of seeing the woman she remembers, she sees a woman with a blank look on her face. After sitting with her grandmother and telling her how wonderful she is, the grandmother smiles and turns toward her nightstand. Inside is the photograph of the two of them. Read the book to find out the ending. Read More »
Looking for another great book for kids about family history? Check out Grandpa Baxter and the Photographs by Caroline Castle and Peter Bowman. Read More »
My friend Terri at Finding Our Ancestors blog asked me why someone would get a marriage license in Chicago and go to Kewanee, Illinois to get married. That is a good question and one I have wondered as my grandparents appeared to have done the same thing! Read More »
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