52 Weeks to Better Genealogy Challenge: Week #1 ~ Surprise, Surprise!!

This week's challenge (#1) was to visit our local library to find out what they have for genealogy resources that might help in our research. I work across the street from a library which I know is the meeting place and houses the library for the Will/Grundy Counties Genealogical Society in Illinois. I thought I'd check it out even though neither my husband nor I are from this area. I was born and raised in northern Wisconsin with most of my family from Wisconsin, California, and Massachusetts. My husband was born in Cook County, Illinois with most of his family either there or in Wisconsin. Of course we both have a bunch of European research also. But I thought there would be some general reference for learning more. Even though I've dabbled in research for a few years, I am truly a beginner.

I was mostly right. There is a lot of general information. How to find this or that nationality ancestors, LDS and Library of Congress reference books, etc.

There is a ton of local history and local genealogy. The Coal City area was a huge coal mining area, and there were a few mining disasters in the area too, so it was interesting to browse through some of that information. There are newsletters from other societies, cemetery guides, local histories, etc. Awesome collection for someone looking for local information.

There is also many items from other states, I don't remember them all. I was only there for about an hour. They also have some miniatures of buildings in the area and miniatures of inside houses and stores that some people in the area donated. It's really interesting to see models of government buildings, churches, schools, the mine, inside the drug store. Very neat.

I was just about to leave and was glancing at the last shelf when I noticed a navy blue binding that said "An Index of ISHAMS in England & America". Both of my grandfathers died before I was born but my grandmother remarried a man named Arnold Isham when I was an infant. He was the only grandfather I knew and I loved him just the same.

So I opened it up to the index just so see if he was in there. I found an Arnold Albert Isham born September 8, 1923 in Minneapolis, MN. Married wife #1 Elise Kane. Married wife #2 Lucille Plassardt and a list of his children: James Allen, Mikhael, Patricia Ann, Jeffery Dale, Greggory Paul and Arnette Diane. I couldn't believe I found him. I called my mother right away just to make sure that was him. We are both excited about my find. My grandma was Arnie's third wife.

The book has nine hundred years of Ishams in it. I found Arnie's brothers and other family that I remember from my childhood. I remember staying the night with Grandma Gunda (Arnie's mother) and the Christmas Aunt Margaret have me a pearl necklace. Staying in Minnesota with Uncle Vernon and Grandpa Arnie taking us to the races in the motor home. I could go on and on.

I haven't even begun to think about researching that line, and never really thought I would but now I have a reference to look at thanks to this week's challenge! This branch is not my family by blood, but they are a family in my heart.