Learn about your ancestors at Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society workshop

DIXON — Everything is getting so expensive. The price of groceries or going out to eat is a major expenditure. Baseball tickets, NASCAR tickets - not anymore.

When is it going to stop? Isn’t there anything that’s reasonably priced anymore?

Yes there is. Before I tell you – do you like history? Or an astounding mystery? Do you wonder why you have blue eyes, long fingers, big ears? Well, you can check into a number of websites that will help you out, but some of them can cost hundreds of dollars a year. But not at the Lee County Historical and Genealogical office. FamilySearch – it’s free!

You can stop by the LCHGS for a week of research for only $5 or a donation that suits your budget. That’s cheaper than a cup of coffee! The Society office is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and on Saturday from 9 a.m until noon for those of you who work during the week.

If you have a problem, there are always people there to assist you.

It is there that I found out that my seventh great-grandmother was hung as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. It was there that I discovered that my daughter-in-law was the descendant of a star-crossed couple who fell in love in the 1730s. He, the young white son of a very wealthy family in South Carolina, fell in love with a 17-year-old Black slave girl. They lived together and had seven children.

I also found that an ancestor of one of my best friends was with Daniel Boone and his party as they sought a trail through the Cumberland Gap. They were attacked by Indians and her ancestor was killed.

You never know what you are going to find. So stop by and find out what made you who you are.

On Monday, June 23, at 7 p.m., Gary Sooter from FamilySearch will give a program and a workshop at our office at 113 S. Hennepin Ave., Dixon. He will give us information on how to start or add to your research.

He also said that he will be happy to answer any questions that you have to find out more about your family or improve your research.

If you have any questions, please call the LCHGS office at 815-284-1134. There is ample parking very close by and the office is handicapped accessible. There is no fee to attend. Everyone is welcome.

• Carol Chandler is a member of the Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society.