Steve has been a columnist with the Springfield News-Leader for eight years and authors the "Pokin Around" column, so he knows a lot about Springfield history.  With a 40-year career in the business, one can imagine that he has heard many interesting and bizarre stories.  He was born in Chicago and graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in journalism.  Over the years, Steve has worked in New York, Illinois, California and Missouri.  He's covered murders, school strikes, a 9-month old who could whistle and has interviewed Rosalind Carter, Bob Hope and Ivana Trump - at different times of course.  He loves being a journalist.

"A Guide to Writing your Memoirs or Life Story: Tools, Tips, Methods, and Examples"

Author and personal historian Wayne E. Groner helps people write their memoirs and biographies.  He is author or editor of five nonfiction books and is writing his family history.  He teaches a monthly library class on the topic and for this presentation, will share his 12 tips to accomplish the task.  After the presentation, he will offer copies of his book A Guide to Writing Your Memoirs or Life Story for sale.

Many legendary Civil War battles began as chance encounters in which the opposing armies happened upon one another.  But the Battle of Springfield of January 8, 1863, was far from a random event.  The story of the battle and the events leading up to it includes a race through Douglas and Christian Counties between local militia who needed to warn the city and southerners who wanted to silence the militia, bold and desperate preparations by local Union officials to bolster the defenses of Springfield, and even a few infamous names of confederates who were engaged in the battle.  Join local author and speaker Tim Ritter for a lively look at the battle, including animated troop movements overlaying a modern map of the area, to show where the battle took place in comparison with modern structures of today.

Find a Grave is a great internet site to look for burial information, tombstone photos, and potential leads for other information regarding that ancestor you are hunting.  It provides many tools for the researcher and can be helpful in tracing your roots.  This presentation will provide the bare basics for those who have not used Find A Grave or for those familiar with the program but in need of an update since the changeover to ownership by Ancestry, as well as some tips on how to contribute, properly use, and cite information used.

Evangelist and temperance advocate Emma Molloy moved to the Ozarks in the late 1880s to establish a home for her family while she travelled and lectured throughout the United States.  Trusting that her farm manager, George Graham, and his wife Cora could manage the farm and take care of her younger children, she left home and continue her crusade for temperance.  Her trust was misplaced and the result was the "Gramah Tragedy", so named when George's former wife Sarah was found dead on the Molloy farm in 1885.  Emma's relationship with George, as well as her status as a respected public figure, placed her at the center of a scandal from which she never fully recovered.  Join author and historian Connie Yen for a presentation and discussion about her latest book "Savoir and Sinner: Emma Molloy and the Graham Murder".  Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

This presentation will expand on the basics of using tax lists for genealogy, including the legal basis for taxation; types of information collected on tax lists, real estate, personal property, and combined tax lists; and genealogical information that can be gleaned from tax lists.  Specific examples are used throughout.