where2look4ancestors

  • Batavia Public Library

    After undressing in the Kane County Courthouse [sheepish grin], Husband and I found a little pub in downtown Geneva. A flatbread pizza and glass of wine later, I was ready to resume my search for the burial location of my 3rd great-grandmother. Instead of visiting the Kane County Government Center…

  • Kane County Courthouse

    My recent visit to the Geneva History Museum was not my first attempt to find the final resting place of my 3rd-great-grandmother Helena Tolf. I’ve mailed death certificate requests to Kane County on several occasions over the years, each time hoping a different clerk would get the request and find…

  • Geneva History Museum

    While I pondered about a genealogical to-do list for my recent trip to Chicago, I submitted a question to the Rootsweb ILKane mailing list: “Hello all, My 3rd great-grandmother Helena (nee Åman) Tolf died 13 Jan 1901. According to her obituaries, she died in Batavia and is buried at West Batavia Cemetery.…

  • Gail Borden Public Library

    You may be surprised to learn how Elgin Illinois’ Gail Borden Public Library in got it’s name. I certainly was! According to Wikipedia, “In 1892, Samuel and Alfred Church, stepsons of [Mr. Gail] Borden and residents of Elgin, Illinois, purchased and donated the Scofield Mansion at 50 N. Spring Street…

  • The Thousand Mile Journey

    Chicago, Chicago, that toddling town. Husband and I recently enjoyed four fun-filled days in the Windy City. We visited with family and friends, played tourist, explored new-to-us genealogical repositories. And we photographed headstones – lots and lots of headstones. Packing for this trip was challenging. Pre-travel weather reports forecast rain and cold. We created Plans…

  • Thirty-four Years Ago

  • Schmitt Siblings

    This picture has appeared on my blog before, but it is so special it deserves another post. Four Schmitt siblings are in this photo. The gentleman in the center was born Jean Nicolas Schmitt on 16 May 1841 in Hellimer Moselle Lorraine France, the third son of Nicolas Schmitt and his wife Marie-Anne…

  • Harry Wilhelm Tolf

    Born 07 April 1884 in Batavia, Kane, Illinois Died 06 Feb 1964 (Chicago, Cook, Illinois) From the Chicago Tribune, Friday 07 February 1964: “TOLF – Harry W. Tolf, husband of the late Judith; father of Earl, the late Donald, and Harriet Walton; three grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; brother of Katherine and Raymond…

  • Happy Easter!

  • Houperts in Léning, Moselle, Lorraine, France

    For the past few weeks I’ve been busy indexing records posted online by the Service Départemental d’Archives de la Moselle. I dearly love Microsoft Excel and as the self-appointed indexer of these records, I’m in spreadsheet heaven. But how, you may ask, will this help my genealogical research? My project began as…