The Marion County Genealogical & Historical Society meets at 6:00 p.m. the fourth Monday of each month (except May and December) at the Bryan-Bennett Library in Salem, Illinois. The annual business meeting takes place in June.
Special events and presentations are announced and are open to the public.
Membership for a full year can be obtained for a cost of $25 for a single membership, $27 for a joint membership, and $35 for a sustaining membership. The membership year runs from July 1 through June 30 of the following calendar year.
© 2022 Marion County Genealogical and Historical Society in Illinois. All rights reserved.
current
Our
issue!
of Illinois
January 26, 2026 Meeting
The Marion County Genealogical and Historical Society (MCGHS) invites you to its monthly meeting on Monday, January 26, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the Bryan Bennett Library, located at 315 S. Maple Street in Salem. Members
of the public are always welcome.
The program will be a “Show and Tell” for attendees. Bring
an heirloom, artifact, picture, etc. and tell what it means
to you, or come with a story to share about your family
or local history that would be of interest to others.
Please plan to attend!
Members of the public are always welcome at society programs; please also consider becoming a member of MCGHS.
Special Event and Book Signing
“The Murder of John Shakespeare”
Thursday, February 5, 2026
Cary O’Dell is returning to the Bryan-Bennett Library's Davenport Room on February 5 to present his latest book, the story of the unsolved 1975 murder of John Shakespeare. There will be a book signing and meet the author time from 3-5 pm, then Cary will speak about details of writing the book with co-author Richard Sprehe at 6pm. Shakespeare was found brutally murdered in Centralia. It remains a cold-case despite there being many suspects and multiple police agencies involved, including the FBI and Interpol.