Come Grow Your Family Tree: Roots & Records at Marshall Public Library

One thing I get to do every month that never gets old: gather with our Roots & Records crew and dig into family history together.

If you haven't joined us yet, here's the rundown. Roots & Records is our monthly genealogy club at Marshall Public Library — second Wednesday of the month, 10:30 to noon. Whether you're just starting to poke around your family tree or you've been at this for decades, it's a welcoming place to learn, share, and get unstuck. Every session gives you access to Ancestry Library Edition and FamilySearch.org right there in the library, tips for research, unique local resources you won't stumble onto anywhere else, and help working through brick walls — bring your toughest research problem and let's take a crack at it together as a group.

This Month: Mapping Your Family History

Last week's session was all about maps — historic territory and county maps, land patent and land office records, township-and-range surveys, plat maps, the whole toolkit for figuring out not just who your ancestors were, but where they actually lived. Old maps can pinpoint a vanished homestead, trace a migration route, or turn up a neighbor's name that cracks open a whole new research thread. It's one of my favorite topics to teach because the "aha" moments happen fast once people see their family's land on paper for the first time.

Looking Ahead

Here's what's coming up on the Roots & Records calendar:

• September 9 — Special guest Brian Murphy, Clark County Historical Society Board Member, shares the story of researching his own grandfather — proof that curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to look past the obvious records can uncover some remarkable family stories.
• October 14 — Newspapers: More Than Just Obituaries. We'll dig into wedding announcements, social columns, legal notices, school news, and all the everyday community stories that add color to a family history.
• November — No meeting this month; the library will be closed in observance of Veterans Day.
• December 9 — Holiday Traditions. Bring a favorite family recipe, a treasured ornament, a holiday photo, or a cherished memory as we close out the year celebrating the traditions that connect generations.

We also had a wonderful session back in July with Edie Breneman, President of the Clark County Historical Society, who shared insights from her 40 years as a genealogist — if you missed it, you missed a good one.

Join Us

Roots & Records meets the second Wednesday of every month, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM, at Marshall Public Library, 612 Archer Avenue, Marshall, IL. No registration required, no experience necessary — just curiosity about where you came from. Questions? Reach out to me directly at jpoorman@marshallplib.com.

Yours in Grit and Grace, Jamie

 

Still Here (Two and a Half Years Later)

I just looked at the date on my last post here and, well... wow! Two and a half years. That's not a short break, that's practically a sabbatical I never announced.

Here's the truth: it's not that things went quiet. It's the opposite. Life got so full that the blog was the thing that got set down — and once something sits untouched that long, picking it back up starts to feel like its own project. So instead of trying to catch you up on two and a half years all at once, I'm just going to start again, right here, with what's been keeping me busy lately.

Chasing Dr. Chaplin

Back in 2012, a patron brought me a letter that had been sitting in a desk for years, and it turned into one of the wildest research rabbit holes of my career. James M. "Judd" Chaplin — bigamist, identity thief, a man who spent part of his life posing as a physician named Dr. Orren Leroy Barton — led me through court records, pension files, and prison documents across nearly a dozen states before I was done with him.

I built the whole case using the Genealogical Proof Standard as my roadmap, which turned out to be as much a story about how we prove things in genealogy as it is a story about Judd himself. This one has grown into a full conference presentation, and I've officially submitted the proposal to the National Genealogical Society's 2027 conference. Now comes the hardest part of any submission: the waiting.

Roots and Records is Coming in October

Closer to home, mark your calendars — Marshall Public Library is hosting our Roots and Records genealogy and local history conference this October. It's shaping up to be a great one, and if you're anywhere in the area, I'd love to see you there. Details coming soon!

Chautauqua at the Crossroads

This summer brought a once-in-a-lifetime event: Chautauqua at the Crossroads, our library's celebration of America250, co-sponsored by the Clark County Historical Society. It was easily one of the most ambitious things I've helped put together — a full weekend built around bringing our area's history to life, not just talking about it.

We had a Brunch and Learn spotlighting military research, a cemetery tour by Turner Motor Coach bus with lunch at Moonshine, and a dinner theater to close things out. The cemetery tour was my baby — I spearheaded the committee that pulled it together, from the research into who and what we'd feature, to writing the scripts, mapping out the route, and putting together the souvenir brochure guests took home. Watching a project like that go from a committee agenda to a  couple of buses full of people genuinely engaged with local history is its own kind of reward. Good crowds, great feedback across the whole weekend.

My First NGS Conference

I also made it to my very first National Genealogical Society event this year which included a genealogy librarians' focus gathering in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was an incredible week full of informational sessions, networking, and chatting with friends.

A Book, Finally

Here's the biggest news I've been sitting on: I wrote a book. It's about my health journey this past year and life here on the farm — the whole messy, honest arc of it. The manuscript is out with publishers now, and I'm waiting to hear back. I'll share more the moment there's something to share.

Rebuilding Our Genealogy Collection

Back in the summer of 2023, we moved the entire genealogy collection from the former Clark County Genealogical Library into Marshall Public Library, and I've been slowly cataloging and updating it ever since. It's not glamorous work, but every shelf I get through means those records are easier for the next researcher to find — which, if you've ever hit a brick wall because a resource was hiding in an uncatalogued box somewhere, you know is worth the effort.

Orphan Trains, Statewide

I've also been on the road presenting on orphan train history across Illinois through the Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau. It's one of my favorite programs to give.

What's Next

I'm hoping this post marks a return to more regular updates here. There's a lot happening at Grit and Grace Family Farm, in the library, and in the research pile that's worth sharing.

Thanks for still being here after the long quiet. More soon.

Yours in Grit and Grace, Jamie