South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society - Illinois

11/07/2025

Genealogists! Here's a great research tip to find more family members who lived in the area where your ancestors lived. Did you know that you can jump straight from a Billion Graves record to a matching record on FamilySearch!
Just follow these 5 simple steps:
1) Go to BillionGraves.com and select the "Search" button.
2) Enter the last name you are searching for, such as "Cheney" or "Finch". Leave the first name field blank.
3) Select "Advanced Search".
4) Enter the location where your ancestors lived. Try both a broad search for the area (such as the state or county) and a more specific search for a particular cemetery.
5) When a search result shows a matching last name and also shows a first name that you do not recognize from your family tree, you may have found a gold mine! Click on the name. Then scroll down to the section labeled "View on FamilySearch". Follow the link to see that person on the FamilySearch tree. Then do some traditional research to see how they are related to your family. Eureka!

11/07/2025

Great news for South Chicago.

A mural that honors 12 men from South Chicago who gave their lives in Vietnam will be restored.

More: https://tinyurl.com/3rew9uh8

11/06/2025

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/news/trinity-christian-college-palos-heights-closing/

The board of trustees has voted to close the 66-year-old religious college, a news release announced Tuesday.

11/03/2025

Here’s what’s new at FamilySearch for November:

FamilySearch adds millions of free historical records every month. See new records from Italy, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, and more!

11/03/2025

Congratulations to the Park Forest Public Library on its 70th Birthday, being celebrated November 1, 2025. After you attend their celebration stop by the 1950s Park Forest House Museum at 227 Monee Road in the former St. Mary's Catholic Church. Visit our vintage Halloween displays and come read our poster display on the history of how the Park Forest Public Library began.
We have more on its history in our files and archive.
Park Forest Historical Society began in January 1985 as a subsidiary of the Friends of the Park Forest Public Library.
The Local History Collection and Archive had already been in existence since 1981 as a library service. The Society began to offer support to the library to further work on that collection and to hold programs to promote Park Forest history to the community and beyond.
Our Archivist, Jane Nicoll has been working on that collection since 1981.

11/01/2025

Check out this article about Homewood's "First Martyr to Radio."

Homewood-Flossmoor H.S. history teacher Jon Elfner produces program remembering WOK Radio and "Ukulele Les" Wolf of Homewood lore.

11/01/2025

Happy 40th birthday to the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Watch the virtual tour, and see their experts talk about their experiences helping other researchers.

11/01/2025

What an interesting name!

It's official: this man was born to love the spooky season! 🎃 Check out the WWII Draft Registration card for Halloween, born on October 31st. Bet he never forgot his birthday. https://f3.social/6yb8

10/30/2025

Learn more about the Mexican tradition known as Día de Los Mu***os (“Day of the Dead”) in this blog post by Legacy Tree Genealogists. https://www.legacytree.com/blog/dia-de-los-muertos-honoring-ancestors-through-mexican-tradition

Many cultures have solemn traditions surrounding the remembrance of the dead, as death is typically associated with grief and mourning. However, Mexico has a unique celebration full of color, food, and music. Día de los Mu***os (also known as Día de Mu***os or Day of the Dead) is a traditio...

10/29/2025

Here’s a cool family project, courtesy of Family Tree Magazine: a family cookbook!

https://familytreemagazine.com/projects/recipes/preserve-your-heirloom-recipes-in-a-family-cookbook/

Family cookbooks are classic homemade gifts. Learn how to make yours extra special by adding a little family history to the mix.

10/27/2025

October is also Filipino American Heritage Month:

Filipino American History Month (FAHM) is celebrated in the United States during the month of October. In 1991, Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) board of trustees proposed the first annual Filipino American History Month to commence in October 1992.[1]