Looking for information on Bridgett MCMANAMAN and Thomas BURNS. They were married January 16, 1854, Will Co. A traveling priest, Michael O'DONNELL, from St. Dennis in Lockport, married them. Bridgett died February 23, 1855 and is buried at the St. James Sag Bridge cemetary in Lemont. She was 20 years and 1 month when she died. Thomas worked in Lemont. Debbie

List: I found this on the web plus the home page is great. This is translated from Slovenian to English with names of people in cities of Illinois where they lived. It has lots of names. Just go to Illinois and check out the cities. Good luck on the search. http://feefhs.org/slovenia/sidb1/trunki.html Arlene in Glendale, Az [email protected]

I am searching desperately for Benjamin and Hilda Anderson. The family legend is that they both came from Sweden to Tiskilwa IL and stayed with relatives until they were married in Princeton, IL. Hilda was 13 and Benjamin was 17 when they came here. All four children were born in Joliet, Will Co, IL. Arline Anderson b 1889 d 1985 m Albert Ristau Lowella Anderson m Charlie Pomeroy Ruby Josephine Anderson m Clarence Larson Harold Anderson m unknown Any leads on this family would be greatly appreciated. If you run across any of these, please let me know. Or know of the relatives Benjamin and/or Hilda stayed with before they were married. Thanks !! Allison [email protected]

Hi list, Where in Will Co. did Doreen MALEK live? O'Hare is located in Cook County. I recall the crash quite well - and will not fly DC-10s to this day (except once when there was no other way to get from Australia to Hawaii to make a connection). Sharon in Surprise, AZ http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/g/a/l/Sharon-H-Galitz/index.html http://home.switchboard.com/shgalitz

Seeking someone willing to lookup and either email or send me the information contained in the obituary of: Doreen MALEK Died May 25, 1979 Died in the Airplane crash of the DC10 at OHare. If you can help me please let me know. Nancy Conrad

Could someone do a lookup for me on the birth of WILLIAM STRICKLAND Dec. 2, 1854 in Joliet, Will Co.IL.? Verna: [email protected]

Hi Marilyn and list, I found the following BRASE burials in Trinity Cemetery - North, as reprinted in "Where The Trails Cross" Vol. 11:3 Spring 1981 (quarterly of South Suburban Genealogical & Historical Society): BRASE, William J, 4-29-1886 - 8-30-1967 , Lydia S. 11-28-1889 - 6-10-1960 (in row 7) BRASE, Ch. H. 1834 - 1908 Father , Gesina 18143-1926 Mother , Heinrich 1st Sgt. Co, C German Reg. Mo. H.G. 10-31-1810 - 8-27-1877 , Anna 1812 - 1880 Child's Grave (No Dates) (in row 12) I hope this may be some additional information for you. Sharon in Surprise, AZ http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/g/a/l/Sharon-H-Galitz/index.html http://home.switchboard.com/shgalitz

Searching for information on Episcopal Church in the Joliet, Will Co. IL area in 1850 to 1860. Verna: [email protected]

List. I am looking for some information about the witnesses to a minor naturalization of Stefan Cesar. The witnesses said they knew that Stefan was in the State of Illinois for five years. The date of naturalization is 5 Nov 1900 in Joliet, Illinois. The two witnesses are: JOS CHERNE ANTON JUROVICH If anyone has any information about the two witnesses, could you please contact me at [email protected] Thank you and have a nice week. Arlene in Glendale, Az.

Does anyone know if there are still Brase people living in Will County. Many were from Crete. Also I have a relative of Brase-Bunge looking for any information available on Bunge. He is looking for information on Rev. Wilhelm Bunge. Any help will be appreciated. Marilyn

I don't know a lot about my gr-gr-gr-grandparents and their family, but here is what I know. If anyone knows anything more about this family, please e-mail me! Or if they have advice on how to find information on the O'DONOVAN family in Co. Cork, it would be REALLY appreciated! Jeremiah DONOVAN (maybe O'DONOVAN-ROSSE -- was his mother a ROSSE?) married Mary KELLY before 1845. We know it was in County Cork, but not sure which village. My gr-gr-grandmother's obit says she was born near Queenstown, which I know to be Cobh. Another cousin says that Jeremiah and Mary were married in Skull (Schull?). I don't know which is correct, though. They had 9 children, all but the youngest one or two were born in Ireland. These are the children, as nearly as I can figure their order: Mary (m. Peter Hagerty WALLACE), Jerry (never married?), Joe (never married?), John (m. Mary FOLEY, Anna "Nancy" (m. Joseph FEENEY), Ellen (never married?), Michael (never married?), Timothy (m. Ella KORTHIUS), Katherine (m. Patrick SULLIVAN). Katherine may have been the one born in Illinois. Around 1860, the oldest daughter, Mary was sent to the U.S. to earn enough money to bring the rest of the family here. She settled in Joliet, Illinois. When the family had enough money, they came -- all but the son Timothy who was 2 years old and had some sort of rash or something, so he stayed in County Cork with friends or relatives. Finally he came to the U.S., too, but his older brothers made fun of him because he "talked funny", so he went to Iroquois County to live with his sister Mary. Mary had met and married Peter Hagerty WALLACE (s/o Thomas WALLACE & Esther HAGERTY) and settled with him in Danforth or Ashkum. They had children of their own, but they took Timothy in, and sent him to the MERKLE school (on property donated by another of my ancestors).

Well, I just can't stop grinning! Today, after mailing in my request to Holy Cross Rectory just 2 weeks ago, I recevied a copy of my great-grandparents marriage certificate! This is especially a triumph for me as I have not been able to find a record for a civil marriage so did not have much info to go on. In any case, I just wanted to repost my info because this certificate also lists their names in true Polish form, which I had not come across before. I am looking for: Francis Witkowski d. 1981 Joliet, IL (He shortened the family name to Witt in the 1920's or 30's) married May 12th, 1913, Holy Cross, Joliet, IL, Francisca Swietkowska b. 1895 Joliet d. Jan. 28, 1922 buried Holy Cross Cemetery, Joliet (I had my great-grandmother's name as Frances Swandak -- quite a difference!) Francis "Frank" Witkowski and Francisca Swietkowska were married by Rev. A. S. Olazewski, witnesses were Michael Zotecki and Gloria Swietkowska. Francis Witkowski and Francisca Swietkowska had the following children: (1) Josephine Witkowski b. February 1914, m. 1934 Tipton Stark (names changed to Helen and Jack Stark in 1959) (2) Frances Witkowski b. 1915, died age 21 days, buried Holy Cross Cemetery (3) Dorothy Witkowski b. abt 1918 Frank Witkowski remarried shortly after Francisca's death in 1922 to Mary Welch. The family name was shortened to Witt shortly thereafter. Frank and Mary Witt had the following children: (1) Jean Witt (2) Eugene Witt (3) Bud Witt Do any of these names ring any bells for anyone? Colleen (-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-) http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/6149 (-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-) -- Visit http://www.ivillage.com for your FREE iVillage.com email account. iVillage.com: The #1 Women's Network -- Real Solutions for Real Women.

I just wanted to thank everyone who responded to my query. As a first time user of this system, it was really gratifying!!! Thanks again for the help. Dave Jenks

Our state co-ordinator, Susan Tortorelli, has scanned in every Illinois county (as it existed in 1875) and uploaded them for an upcoming project "The United States Digital Map Project". Not all of the links are working yet, but if you want a LARGE map of any county in Illinois click on the following address: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/maps/illinois/il1875/ and then pick (from a long list) which county (or part of Chicago) you want, but BE WARNED --- these files are large (from 130KB to over 1 MB). These maps show the county, each township, and each mile within each township, roads, and towns as they existed in 1875. If you just want a copy of our county, go to our website, click on "Maps", and you'll find a link to the new LARGE map. If you want to look at the new project (I don't believe it's been announced yet) go to: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/maps/ NOTE: I have also posted a note on the welcome page of our website letting you know that I'll be gone most of the month of June, so please be patient if you send me any mail -- after June 5th I won't be looking at it until early July. Happy Hunting, Ted Researching BREMER, CASH, CORNELIUS, HARTWIG, JENNINGS, MANNING, MORTENSEN, PIEPHO, SEEGERS Personal Website: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~cash/ USGenWeb Coordinator for http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilbond - Bond Co, IL http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilclay - Clay Co, IL http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilwill - Will Co, IL Support public genealogy - join or sponsor the RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative. http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html

Hi, I would be sure to stop at the FossilRidge Library in Braidwood. The Will-Grundy Gen. Soc. has a room there and their own copies of microfilm of the county records. There are family pedigrees there that can be found NOWHERE else!! Any of the librarians can open the room for you. Their hours are different in the summer, so I would call ahead. If you'd like, I can call my cousin who lives there, and he can forward the summer hours. Besides, there is a school playground on the backside of the library where your kids can run off steam. [This is NOT the case at SouthSuburban, which is slap-downtown South Holland, Illinois.] SouthSuburban is more for south COOK county than for Will county. I've been to BOTH and for Will cty, I'd go to Braidwood! If not Braidwood, I've had good luck at the Joliet Public Library, although I was looking for a *specific item* which I knew they had. Have you tried the Will County GenWeb site? They have GIF maps of the county, etc. Since you already know where in Will cty your need info, you can zero in on that location. You might even find the cemeteries where your folks are buried. Do NOT underestimate the power of the county GenWeb sites! Harriet JACKSON MARVIN - El Paso, TX JACKSON, GOULD, GOODWIN, STEADMAN, COGSWELL, BUTTERFIELD, etc.[the list goes on] in WILL county

Hi David and list, Since Wilton is in Northern Will Co. I would certainly spend a couple of hours at the South Suburban Genealogical & Historical Society in South Holland, IL. Their library is extensive and could give you lots of information or at least ideas. Their web site is http://www.rootsweb.com/~ssghs/ssghs.htm You can find the hours of the library there and much more. They may also be able to tell you if there are cemeteries in Wilton that you could check out. They were a big help to me when I started and gave me people to contact, cemeteries to check - I found my 3rd great-grandparents graves in Crete Cemetery, as well as two of their grandchildren in the same plot, that I never knew existed. I am only familiar with Crete and Monee so can't give you any clues about Wilton. Keep on diggin' and have a great genealogical vacation! My husband is getting used to wandering around in cemeteries around the country! Even he gets hooked and won't give in until we find some bodies (grin). Sharon in Surprise, AZ http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/g/a/l/Sharon-H-Galitz/index.html

My name is David Jenks, and I am a new member of this list. I am planning a trip to the east coast, with a short stop in Will Co. The trip is primarily a family vacation, but I successfully negotiated a few genealogical stops.... Anyway, given that I will only have a few hours research time, where would you recommend that I spend it? Here are some facts: My ancestors in Will Co. are mostly in Wilton. The surnames are Jenks, Stone, Nelson, Meacham, and Quackenbush. The Jenks arrived in Wilton around 1850 and had all moved on by 1880. Isaac Jenks served in the 100th Infantry during the Civil War, where he was seriously injured. At the minimum, I would like to see the land that they farmed. In 1860 Charles Meacham owned some land which I assume Isaac Jenks (his half brother) helped with. Any recommendations on how to be proceed are welcome! Thanks, Dave Jenks

Hello everyone, I'm new to the list and just wanted to introduce myself. I am looking for information on my ggrandparents, Frank Witkowski and Frances Swandak/Swandek. Frank Witkowski was born 1891, I believe it was in Joliet but have not yet found confirmation of this. His parents were Polish immigrants, I do not yet have their names. Frank married Frances Swandak, daughter of John and Katherine Swandak, about 1913. Her death certificate, filed February 1922, states that she was born 1895 in Joliet, and indicates her parents were from Poland. They had three children: (1) Josephine "Helen" Witkowski b. February 1914 m. 1934 Jack Stark (my grandparents) (2) Frances Witkowski b. 1915 died in infancy (3) Dorothy Witkowski b. abt 1918 After Frances' death, Frank Witkowski married Mary Welch late 1922. Surname was changed to Witt about the same time. They had 3 children: (1) Jean Witt (2) Eugene Witt (3) Bud Witt A couple of questions for regular listers: (1) I have not been able to find a civil marriage record for Frank Witkowski and Frances Swandak. I am still waiting to hear back from their church regarding a church record, but in the meantime, does anyone have any suggestions for alternative spellings, variations of either name? I am finding other listings for Witkowski, but none for Frank Witkowski and absolutely no Swandaks (2) Does anyone have any experience dealing with Holy Cross Church or Holy Cross Cemetery? I have requested a look-up on the marriage record from Holy Cross Church, and a copy of Frances' burial records from Holy Cross Cemetery. I'm wondering how long I should anticipate waiting? (3) I discovered that Frances (Swandak) Witkowski died while a patient at St. Joseph's Hospital. Is this hospital still in operation? If so, are they open to requests for information? And of course, I would love any further information you might be able to send my way. Thanks in advance, Colleen (-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-) http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/6149 (-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-)(-::-) -- Visit http://www.ivillage.com for your FREE iVillage.com email account. iVillage.com: The #1 Women's Network -- Real Solutions for Real Women.

do you have access to census lists previous to 1850? and is there a town by the name of belleview in will county? thanks for any help.

Could someone please confirm the address for St. Joseph's Church in Joliet, Illinois as; ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH 416 N. CHICAGO ST. JOLIET, IL 60432 They have found the marriage records that I need, but left a phone message and no address. Thank you Arlene [email protected]