Mike Karsen to present update on Chicago-area Jewish genealogy resources on Nov. 14:
“Resources for Jewish Genealogy in Chicagoland—What’s New” was the topic of a presentation by genealogist Mike Karsen for the Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois. His talk, was a genealogy question-and-answer discussion.
Mike Karsen gave his annual update covering various resources available to discover your Jewish roots in Chicagoland. He included a wide range of records and research resources, including cemeteries, death certificates, death notices/obits, marriage records, birth records, and city directories. How to locate your ancestor’s naturalization records, which are essential for any genealogical research project, was also covered along with some uniquely Jewish resources. Today, with so many records available online, you hardly have to leave your home to research your Chicago roots. Case studies were utilized to demonstrate the research process.
BIOGRAPHY
A professional speaker, Mike Karsen is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and is a past president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois. He has presented over 300 talks on genealogy topics locally, nationally, and internationally, including for the Newberry Library and the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago. Mike is the author of the JewishGen website’s “Guide to Jewish Genealogy in Chicagoland” and has published articles on genealogy.
