This month's speaker is David W. Peterson, a member of BCGS, who has an extensive background in mathematics and computers. David’s presentation is entitled “Finding Ida: A Search for the Early History of Ida Person/Persson/Pierson/Pearson Bryant of Bureau County, IL.” Using family records of the Fundell family of Bureau County, Swedish parish records, and sources […]

Heinz Suppan will present a program on Fort Dixon. Suppan teaches German, U.S., European, state and local history at Marquette Academy in Ottawa and at Joliet College. Fort Dixon, named after Dixon's Ferry, was built in 1832 during the Black Hawk War.  It was midway between Fort Dearborn in Chicago, Fort Armstrong in Rock Island, and […]

Your immigrant ancestors are the foundation of your roots in the US. Our speaker Jacquie Schattner will help us to answer questions such as, Why did they come? What was the voyage like? What ports were used? Learn interesting details of your ancestors’ journeys to their new life here and also how to find emigration, […]