Directory of Members

Debra M. Dudek is Head of Adult and Teen Services at the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook, IL. Ms. Dudek specializes in World War I, UK genealogy, and regional lecture topics. She is the author of the World War I Genealogy Research Guide which is now in its third edition.

• MSc Information and Library Studies from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
• Postgraduate Certificate in Genealogical, Palaeographic & Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK

State genealogy research and records for Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, and Vermont. Province genealogy research and records for Canada. National and Local genealogy and research records for Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, and France. Technical and computer topics: Digitizing Photographs and Slides, Digital Maps, Try-It! Illinois Databases, Internet Genealogy Research, Military Genealogy, Civil War Resources and WWI Canadian and US Research.

New Programs for 2026

• Fiverr for Genealogy Projects and Research
• Young, Old, Poor, or Infirm - Uncovering Family Details in Assistance Records
• Holiday Witches: Folklore and Seasonal Traditions from Ireland, the UK, and Beyond

Popular Topics!

• Mixers and Shakers - Tracing Your Bartending, Saloonkeeping, and Tavernkeeping Ancestors before Prohibition (Part 1 of the Mixers and Shakers Lecture Series)
• Mixers and Shakers - Tracing Your Bootlegging, Shimmy-Shaking, and Repeal-Seeking Ancestors During and After Prohibition (Part 2 of the Mixers and Shakers Lecture Series)
• Unusual Places to Find Births and Naturalizations (Part 1 of the Unusual Places Series)
• Unusual Places to Find Births and Naturalizations - Irish Edition
• Even More Places to Find Births and Naturalizations (Part 2 of the Unusual Places Series)
• More than Money and Land - The Evolution of Bounty Land, Military Pensions, and Alternative Records
• Anna and Her Brothers - Finding Relations When No Family Stories Exist
• Discovering your UK/Irish Roots Online: Websites and Resources for English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish Ancestry
• Wide World of Passports

In-Depth Topics

• Using Fold3 Library Edition
• Internet Archive - The Amazing Genealogical Resource You're Not Using!
• No Photo? No Problem! - How Slides and Negatives Capture the Past
• Pinning Together Your Genealogical Past with Pinterest
• Adventures with Lost Postcards: Using eBay, Etsy, Craigslist, and CardCow to Break Down Genealogical Brick Walls
• Fabulous Frakturs - Documenting Early American Family Life through Folk Art
• Beyond Ancestry
• Tracing Irish Immigrants in Illinois and Michigan Canal Records

Lectures by Location: Southern United States

• Bluegrass Roots - Tracing Your Kentucky Ancestry Online
• The Hunter of Tallulah - The Truth and Legend of an Indian War Ancestor
• Sorting through Sordid Southern Divorce Records 1780s-1860s

World War I

• World War I Genealogy – Where Do I Start?
• Aliens in the Army - Military Records for WWI Immigrant Ancestors
• The Diary of Wesley Peever – A World War I Genealogical Mystery
• Allied with the Allies - WWI Records for Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and the Red Cross
• Spies Among Us: Tracing WWI Era Ancestors through FBI and American Protective League Records
• Tracing Female Ancestors in WWI Military and Non-Combatant Records
• Every Girl Pulling for Victory - Suffrage and Service during the Great War

Cemetery, Burial and Mourning

• Calling the Spirits - Researching the Rise of Spiritualism and Records Relating to Our Ancestors
• Victorian Mourning Customs
• Stories in Stone: Decoding the Sentiment Behind Cemetery Symbolism
• What's the Buzz About BillionGraves?
• BillionGraves: Beyond the Basics

England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales

• Crime, Prison, and Punishment: Researching UK Criminal and Prisoner Records online and at the National Archives
• Piecing Together your UK and Irish Ancestry: Discovering Records on FindMyPast.com
• Discovering your UK/Irish Roots Online: Websites and Resources for English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish Ancestry
• Researching Your Irish Genealogy Online

Witches

• Maleficarum and Misfortune- Records and Resources for Tracing accused UK, Irish, and American Witches
• Discovering Witches: The Real Records and Manuscripts Seen in Movies, Books, and TV Shows

• Webinars welcome
• Luncheon and dinner lectures available
• New lectures easily developed to suit your individual group needs
• Projector requested
• Handouts provided
• Available to travel

RootsTech, National Genealogical Society, Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree, Texas State Genealogical Society Annual Conference, Illinois State Genealogical Society Annual Conference, Hamilton County Genealogical Society (OH), Public Record Office of Northern Ireland & Ulster Historical Foundation, British Interest (Genealogy) Group of Wisconsin and Illinois, Indian Prairie Genealogy Group, Northwest Suburban Genealogical Society, CAGGNI, Anan Harmon Chapter NSDAR, Zion Genealogical Society of Lake County, Fox Valley Genealogical Society, DuPage County Genealogical Society, and many more.