Mendota reporter | Genealogy Co. Bureau: Navigating Cemeteries and Cemetery Websites

PRINCETON – The Bureau County Genealogical Society will be presenting a program at the Society’s library located at 629 South Main Street in Princeton on Thursday evening, September 23. This meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will feature Julie Hallock, President of LaSalle County Genealogy. Guild, and Rachael Mellen, vice president of the organization. The public is invited to attend this free program. Masks are compulsory for everyone present. This program will be presented with in-person speakers at BCGS and will not be recorded for later viewing.

Speakers will share information on “Navigating Cemeteries and Cemetery Websites”. Since tombstone evidence is a basic tool in genealogical research, this topic and material should be highly relevant to those present.

This presentation will focus on LaSalle County cemetery records, but will also take a more in-depth look at Find-A-Grave and discuss the challenges of locating and reading gravestones.

Mellen has been involved in genealogy for over 40 years and is the author of two books on English genealogy. She has also written a book focusing on Civil War Letters which will be published shortly. Hallock has visited many cemeteries over the years and enlisted the help of his grandsons who particularly enjoy cemetery hunts.

BCGS has extensive records on headstones and cemeteries in Bureau County. Volunteers are happy to help researchers access and use these materials anytime the Society’s library is open. Their hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday as well as the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Other days and times are available by appointment for people remotely or working normal hours.