Edgar County Genealogical Society will meet on September 20, at 7pm, in the Historical Museum Annex.

The program will be IRAD holdings at Eastern Illinois University. EIU’s Booth Library is home to one of 7 Illinois Regional Archives Depositories in the state. A short business meeting will follow the program. Please bring a face mask.

Edgar County Genealogical Society meets quarterly at the Museum Annex, 408 N. Main. Meetings are open to anyone interested in genealogy.

Edgar County Genealogy Library reopens to researchers two days per week beginning June 3. We return to our 9am-4pm schedule on Thursdays and Fridays. Due to limited space, masks are still required and only 4 visitors may be in the library at a time. Please call if you have any questions.

Edgar County Genealogical Society is pleased to announce the 2020 Edythe Stephens Family History Award. This award was established in 1990 and is presented annually to a member or members of the society or county who has exhibited outstanding service in the preservation of genealogy. This year’s ceremony was brief and outdoors due to COVID-19 precautions.

The two members chosen for the 2020 award reflect the individual knowledge and cooperative efforts of all society members who focus on the preservation of local family history and archives.

Linda Cary is honored in recognition of her 30 years of multi-faceted leadership and research contributions to Edgar County Genealogy Society and Library. Over the years, she served as newsletter editor, trekked through cemeteries updating burial records, and indexed library resources. She continued her dedication to preserving local genealogy until she retired as the library’s director in 2019.

Monica Brunelle is the co-honoree, chosen for her many hours researching and writing the society’s quarterly newsletter, sharing her research skills, and serving as a volunteer librarian in the genealogy library. She has recently assumed the role of society treasurer.

Last year’s honoree Jenny Barkley presented the award to Linda Cary and ECGS member Joy Van Meter presented to Monica Brunelle. Their names have been added to a plaque in the genealogy library.

We have a new sign. It’s not easy to tell from Main Street when the library is open. Our hours are posted on the door, but it faces the driveway, not the street.

This sign will help identify the library and show that we are open for walk-in visits. We hope that it will encourage passersby to stop in.