For those list members who are in the Carbondale area, you might want to take advantage of the following, from the latest Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois Newsletter ~Karima "FAMILY HISTORY DETECTIVE" "Juli Claussen will be the speaker at the first GSSI meeting in 2007. The meeting will begin at 2:30 P.M. in the Library at John A. Logan College on Sunday, 14 January 2007. "Ms. Claussen grew up in Bethalto, Illinois and has lived in the Carbondale area for over 25 years. She initially chose social services as her career path, and in 1994 received the Alumni of the Year award from Southern Illinois University's Social Work Department for her work as Executive Director of the Women's Center. Feeling the need in mid life for a less stressful work environment, she became the part time Children's Education Director at First Christian Church. Carbondale, IL and began building her favorite hobby, genealogy, into a home based business. Her Search & Genealogy Services is now a full time endeavor, providing family history research as well as people searches, often involving adoptions. As an adoptive parent and sister who supports openness in adoption, these searches are close to her heart. "Juli is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, the Jackson County Historical Society, the Illinois State Genealogical Society, and the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, among others. "Specializing in adoption and missing heirs, Juli is well known for locating individuals in Illinois, one of the toughest states to research. On her Search & Genealogy Services website she lists ways she may assist birth parents, adoptees, and their family members with tips and guidance, especially for searching in Illinois! "For her talk at the GSSI meeting, Ms Claussen will talk about the tools and strategies she finds most useful when faced with a tough genealogical puzzle. She also plans to talk about a couple of her more interesting or surprising discoveries while working on a client's family history."