McHENRY COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
Officers
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1st Vice President (2023)
Vacant (Let us know if you're interested in volunteering) |
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2nd Vice President (2022)
Bill Wheeler Membership Chair (Interim) membership@mcigs.org Bill Wheeler started in genealogy in 1999 when he found his father’s research. Bill’s father was pursuing membership in the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) but didn’t have an opportunity to complete his application before he passed. Bill picked up his father’s research and completed a Memorial SAR application which was later approved. Since that time, Bill not only completed his primary application for the SAR but has several supplemental member certificates. Bill is currently the president for the Fort Dearborn (Chicago) chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and is also the current Senior State President for the Children of the American Revolution (C.A.R.). Bill is also a member of the Baronial Order of the Magna Carta and has an application pending in the General Society of Colonial Wars. During the day, Bill supports technology. After over 20 years with Volkswagen Groups of America, Bill currently works for Avanade. Avanade was founded 20 years ago by Microsoft and Accenture and is a global professional services company providing IT consulting and services focused on the Microsoft platform. Bill’s specialties focus on endpoint security and Microsoft 365. Bill holds dual Master’s in Business Administration, and Nonprofit Administration from North Park University. |
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Recording Secretary
Susan Durbin susan.durbin@mcigs.org As a young girl I became interested in Daughters of the American Revolution when I saw them march in a 4th of July parade in Wheaton, IL. That interest grew into researching my MacKay family history from Islay, Scotland. I dabbled in the research as I worked full time in sales for companies in the travel industry and traveled quite frequently. In 2019 I became serious when I researched my paternal grandmother's family the Pettibone’s. Cecil Pettibone, 3rd great grandfather, fought in the Civil War and is recognized on the Crystal Lake Union Cemetery war memorial. The McHenry County families besides Pettibone are McMillan and Rowley. My 5th great grandfather, Amos Pettibone, fought in the Revolutionary War which opened the door to become a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution in April 2020. I’m working on filing the paperwork for my family to be recognized by McHenry County and in becoming a member of the Mayflower Society. My goal is to complete genealogy courses through Boston University to become a certified genealogist so I can research for others professionally. |
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Treasurer (2023)
Tami Allred tami.allred@mcigs.org The most important thing in Tami’s life is her family. This love of family just naturally led to her interest in genealogy. Tami has been researching her extended family since 2001. She began looking into her family tree because she remembered her grandmother dappled in genealogy. This grandmother had a booklet from 1920 on the family surname with details about the family trip across the American plains on wagon trains. She found a mentor at the Family History Center in Mesa, AZ who gave her great direction to continue her research. Tami believes we all should help each other in whatever way possible, which is why she joined MCIGS. Besides the learning opportunities the society has offered her, Tami sees her membership as a way to help others identify their ancestors. When the Crystal Lake Family History Center was open, Tami could often be found there helping others navigate through databases and websites to find information on their own ancestors. Tami currently serves as MCIGS treasurer. She is proficient in this position because she learned about finances and investing from her days as a bookkeeper and her degree from Brigham Young University in Family Financial Planning and Counseling. Tami grew up in various cities throughout California and Arizona and has been residing in McHenry County since 2004, though she flies off to see her five children and eleven grandchildren any chance she gets. |
Directors
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Director (2023)
Ann L. Wells Acting Newsletter Editor Conference Speaker Liaison ann.wells@mcigs.org Ann was born in England and grew up in California. Her genealogical research began with a grade-school assignment, but it took a number of years to pick up and go forward from there. Ann’s father-in-law knew nothing of his background which became the impetus to start researching. It took even more years to get back to her own family that she’d started years earlier. Personal research morphed into researching for others and eventually opening her own business, Wells Genealogical Research. With the belief that supporting the organizations she belonged to, Ann became involved in local genealogical societies in California and continued supporting various societies internationally, nationally and locally. Ann has served on the boards of BIGWILL, MCIGS, Illinois State Genealogical Society and served as committee chair or on committees of other societies. |
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Director (2022)
Nancy Gaynor Library Chair nancy.gaynor@mcigs.org Nancy Roberts Gaynor first got interested working on genealogy while still in college. Pursuing a History degree as preparation for her Master’s degree in Librarianship, she took an Archives course. And was hooked. Getting started relatively early meant Nancy was able to talk with her paternal great aunt and get stories and photos from both of her parents. An early trip to the Ohio state archives also taught her the importance of having a research plan, and sticking to it. With BOTH parents from Ohio AND both sides having the name ROBERTS it was very easy to get distracted. Career and family made genealogy take a back seat for a number of years. It was Nancy’s return to library work that resurrected her genealogical interests. A part time professional position at the Cary Area Public Library has made it possible to brush up her own skills and offer a variety of programming options for people at the library. Nancy’s research areas of interest right now focus on Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts, as well as lineage societies including the Daughters of the American Revolution, First Families of Ohio and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. |
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Director (2022)
Mike Reall Webmaster and Personal History mike.reall@mcigs.org Mike Reall has been involved in genealogy off and on since he created his first Four Generation Pedigree Chart as a Cub Scout. Although he has participated in personal genealogical research, indexed records on FamilySearch, and contributed histories and sources to his family line, he considers himself a family history novice. However, Mike is very passionate about helping people contribute to their family history by recording and sharing their personal history. He is the founder and CEO of Early Me, which has developed an app to help families and close friends rediscover their past through engaging social interactions. He also leads the Early Me Project, a volunteer effort to assist community members in sharing life experiences with each other. Mike has over 20 years of experience leading ecommerce, user experience, and product development teams. Prior to founding Early Me, he served in senior leadership roles at various large and small businesses, including OnCourse Learning, Follett School Solutions, Orbitz, and Overstock.com. Mike holds a Master of Business Administration from Brigham Young University and bachelor’s in computer science from the University of Missouri. |