Madison County Genealogical Society

P.O. Box 631
Edwardsville, IL 62025-0631


 

 

 

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Webmaster:  Robert Ridenour Last Update: 09 Feb 2026
 
 

Welcome to the New Madison County Genealogical Society Website

 

It is new mainly because it is in a different location, most of the material on this website was also on the previous version. The older website has become static, i.e., it cannot be modified. Some of the e-mail addresses and web links may no longer be valid. So as you use the new website, if you discover anything that does not work as you think it should, please let me know at rwridenour566@gmail.com.

 

Dues Are Now Overdue


Individual/Family/Institutional dues are $25 per year, and Patron dues are $35 per year.



 

 

EMAIL ADDRESS

 

The MCGS Email Address is: ilmcgs@yahoo.com


UPCOMING MEETINGS

 

Febuary 15, 2026

1:30 pm

Edwardsville Public Library

Community Meeting Room

 

FamilySearch’s AI tool, Full-Text Search

by

Andree Swanson

 

Artificial Intelligence instills fear into folks - but once you use FamilySearch’s AI tool, Full-Text Search, you will embrace the invention! Join the Madison County Genealogical Society, February 15 at 1:30 p.m. at Edwardsville Public Library, to learn how to use full-text search to delve into FamilySearch’s digitized, but unindexed, records, and find the nuggets about your ancestors that you didn’t know were there. We’ll be looking into the life of Thomas Judy, born in Madison County in 1804 and who has an extensive biography. Wait till you see what has not been found on him in the hidden images of FamilySearch!

 

Andree Swanson has been investigating her family tree for 40+ years, learning technical innovations as they’ve come along. In a long-ago life before the internet, she taught people how to research their family tree, and now is ready to teach using AI for genealogical research. When she wasn’t finding new branches to her tree, she served in the Air Force as a public affairs officer, and later as civilian PR specialist with DEA. She happily lives next to a cemetery in her retirement.

 

Hope to see a lot of people there!

 

 

Unless Otherwise Stated, All Meetings are held quarterly on the third Sunday of January, April, July, and October at 1:30 p.m.,  in the Presentation Room of the Edwardsville Public Library, 112 South Kansas, Edwardsville, IL.  Visitors Are Always Welcome.

 

 


For a report on previous meetings, CLICK here.

 

If you would like to make a presentation, please email Mary Westerhold and she will see that you are added to the schedule.

 


 

MCGS Facebook Page

 

The Madison County Genealogical Society has a Facebook page.

The address is: Madison County Genealogical Society of Illinois

 


 

Madison County Genealogical Society Newsletter Available Digitally !!!

 

The latest edition of the Madison County Genealogical Society Newsletter was recently emailed to all current members of the Society.  If you did not receive a copy, it is probably due to one (or more) of the following:

 

1. You have not paid your current dues. In which case, bringing your membership up to date will solve this.

 

2. We do not have an email address for you, or the email address we have is incorrect.  Sending an email to rwridenour566@gmail.com will fix this problem.

 

3. You do not have email. In that case, you can download the Newsletter as shown below.

 

The Madison County Genealogical Society Newsletter is no longer going to be a part of The Stalker.

 

The Newsletter can be accessed here to be read online or downloaded to your computer to be printed.

 

 


Archaic Medical Terms

 

If you are having trouble determining what your relative died from, you might want to consult http://www.thornber.net/medicine/html/medgloss.html to see if a definition of the medical terminology is given.

 

[From the Texas Research Rambler Genealogical Group]


 

Digital Scrapbooking


Several years ago, Lola DeGroff presented a program on Creating a Digital Scrapbook.

Lola had a handout that leads you through the steps of creating a scrapbook page and exporting it as a JPEG. It then leads the user through the steps of uploading the pages and having the scrapbook printed. If you would like a copy of this handout, it can be downloaded or printed here.

 


 

Troy Times-Tribune Looking for Information

 

On Thursday, May 31, 2012, the Troy Times-Tribune ran an article under the title of Down Memory Lane. This article included a photograph of The Blackjack Band. Only four out nine members of the band were identified. If you know anyone who ever played in The Blackjack Band, perhaps you can help identify the "unknowns." Click here to see the article.

 


 

Now Available and Taking Orders


The Ten Year Stalker Index, 1991-2000, is complete; and we are taking orders for either a printed copy, 330 pages, for $45 or a copy on CD for $15. The CD copy is searchable using Adobe Reader.

A new Ten Year Stalker Index, 2001-2010, is complete; and we are taking orders for either a printed copy, 304 pages, for $35 or a copy on CD for $15. The CD copy is searchable using Adobe Reader.

To place an order, contact Mary Westerhold, at mtw127@gmail.com


 

Visitors are always welcome.