At the December meeting of the Iroquois Genealogy Society (IGS) the current officers were re-elected. Therefore, Leatha Jimerson continues as President; Marilyn Anderson continues as Vice-President/Secretary and Teresa Van Aernam continues as Treasurer. It was also decided that the focus of our meetings is going to be discussion/history oriented along with various presentations. The first meeting of the new year will be March 12 in Allegany. The exact time and location will be announced. During the next few weeks the 2026 schedule will be confirmed and publicized.
What is genealogy? The dictionary defines it as “a record or account of the ancestry and descent of a person, family, group, etc.” and “the study of family ancestries and histories”. Tracing native genealogy is difficult as our records were maintained by colonists. Most of our family history is oral depending on the recollection of family members. One of our valued mentors taught us that our “facts” are true when three sources agree on dates, etc. The IGS is very fortunate to have several active members that are very skilled in researching various resources to reveal family history. This research can take hours and is very time consuming. IGS has been fortunate to have representatives from the SNI Clerk’s office and Archives office in attendance at our meetings, which has proven to be beneficial to their offices as well as IGS membership.
IGS is a community-based organization and relies on donations to continue it’s activity. In the past IGS members have traveled to the NYS Archives office in Albany, to the Rochester Museum and to the Erie County Library and History Museum. One of the highlights of the year is a trip to Letchworth guided by Jare Cardinal to learn about our history. Our donations help to reduce some of the costs for our members in order that they can participate. Visit the IGS website at iroquoisgenealogysociety.org and learn more about the organization and the resources available. Start getting your questions ready about your genealogy journey. IGS does not do the research for you, but it will help guide you as you uncover your family history. IGS looks forward to seeing you in 2026.
