NERGC 2017 Using the Tools of Today & Tomorrow to Understand the Past

It is now less than a year until the next New England Regional Genealogical Conference in Springfield , Ma. April 26-29. 

Two hotels are offering conference rates, the Springfield Marriott and the Springfield Sheraton. They will be available from Tuesday through Saturday at the conference rate. There will be special tracks available on Wednesday and the regular conference begins on Thursday. More than 95 lectures will be offered over two and a half days. 

The conference will be geared toward research in the northeast but of course there is always something to appeal to just about any genealogical researcher.  Some of the offerings will include:

New England Repositories
Understanding and analyzing records online and on paper
Methodologies and strategies
Social and Cultural history
What to do when there is n civil record
New use of sources
Photography and heirlooms
Engaging our youth

and so much more!!

 
Two featured speakers have been announced so far, they are Thomas MacEntee and F. Warren Bittner. To Find out more about them check out the conference website. 

Who Do You Think You Are: Molly Ringwold

Sunday evening was the fourth episode of this round of Who Do You Think You Are. This was a particularly interesting one in that there were no famous ancestors found and no relationship to royalty. This was the story of Molly Ringwold's Swedish ancestors. 

I am not going to give you all the details but I am going to say that this is the story of the American Dream where poor immigrants left behind the poverty of their homeland and found a way to build a good life for themselves and their families in America. It made Molly very sad and very proud of where she came from. 

If you haven't been watching this year's shows, you should be. So far they have been particularly interesting and it is much more obvious that they are getting expert help to find the information that they do. While most of us won't get the experts, we do have access to the same information that they do. 

Godfrey Memorial Library French Canadian Research

 May 7, 2016  9:30 am at the library. 

This presentation will begin with a description of the differences between FrenchCanadian record types and those typically available for U.S.-based research. It will explain and illustrate some of the unusual problems as well as some of the advantages of searching in the records of French Canada, and will end with an overview of the resources available at the French-Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut’s library in Tolland, CT and at the Godfrey.

Participants will have time after the presentation to research at the library. Bring your laptop. Meetings are free to Godfrey Premium members or $10 per session.

The Speaker:

Maryanne Roy LeGrow is President of the French-Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut and editor of the Society’s biannual journal The Connecticut Maple Leaf.

She is a retired higher education administrator and a long-time genealogical researcher, with special interests in French-Canadian and Irish ancestry, and Colonial-era German settlers of eastern Pennsylvania. 

Maryanne holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Adult Education,

an M.A. in English Literature, and a B.S. in Humanities and Technology. She has taught at several universities in the U.S., and has spoken on genealogical topics including 

problem-solving and research techniques at conferences in the U.S. and Europe.

Godfrey Memorial Library

134 Newfield St

Midddletown, Ct 06457

The Temptation of Genealogy Shortcuts

Who among us hasn’t logged onto Ancestry.com and found one of our lines done in its entirety? Or if not in its entirety then at least several generations. The feeling of elation is overwhelming. How great is this, finding our family tree done for us? Slow down!! Everything on Ancestry.com is not true. You need to treat these lucky leaves just as you would any other suspect information.

I do enjoy looking at the research or lack there-of presented on Ancestry as fact. Unless you can see that it has a primary source backing it up, don’t add these items to your tree. 

What you can do is to put them into your shoebox for further research. Think of them as a possible lead to something. Not everyone who shares their trees and information is a genealogist in the true sense. A true genealogist understands the importance of sources.

Having said that, some of the best finds can come in this way since every family has its own stories that are passed down and you may find one that has never been heard in your branch.

Genealogy is painstaking work and there are no shortcuts, every piece of information needs a source 

and if no primary source is available then at least two secondary sources. Even then, facts can’t always be verified which leaves you at a spot no one wants to be, possibly heading in a false direction. 

"Celtic Roots Across America" Conference

If you have Celtic roots, "Celtic Roots Across America" will bring together some of the most knowledgeable experts in the world for two days in Minneapolis, Minn. The conference is a joint venture from the Irish Genealogical Society International (IGSI) and the Irish Ancestral Research Association (Tiara).

The conference will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton just outside Minneapolis August 5-6, 2016 and will feature over 20 lectures and presentations.

The Celtic Connections Conference is a joint venture by Irish Genealogical Society International and The Irish Ancestral Research Association to bring together those interested in all aspects of Celtic culture, through genealogy, history, music and literature.

Conference headliners include international experts:

John Grenham, Dr. Bruce Durie, William Roulston, Brian Donovan, Brian Mitchell and more.  

Registration has opened so visit their website for details.  

Godfrey Memorial Library Overview

April 23, 2016  at the French-Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut  United Congregational Church on the green in Tolland, from 1-3 PM

Godfrey Memorial Library Overview This presentation highlights unique and out of print resources available onsite and online at the Godfrey Memorial Library. The Godfrey houses over 200,000 books and resources for researching genealogy, biography and history. Many of the materials in our collection are unique records and family histories donated by patrons. 

The American Genealogical Biographical Index, (compiled by our founder) is a 226 volume index of approximately 4 million references in over 800 books, most now out of print. The Godfrey also owns the copyright to the complete set of Boston Transcript genealogy query and answer columns, which ran four times a week from 1896 to 1941. 

We have the research collection of The Society of Middletown First Settlers Descendants and numerous DAR and Mayflower resources. The presentation will focus on examples of information found in these materials and how to use them for research. 

The presenter: Bryna O'Sullivan is a reference assistant at Godfrey Memorial Library. A history major in college, her interests in genealogy include the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and various countries, such as Canada, Ireland, Poland, and Italy. She holds a certificate in genealogical research from Boston University’s online program, plus other certificates from various genealogical societies and institutes. 

Bryna is proficient in French and teaches (non-credit) enrichment classes in genealogy and French offered through Middletown Adult Education. Bryna is a chapter member of the Wadsworth Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution.

Godfrey Library Middletown Conn. Genealogy Training

Genealogy Training April 13, 20 & 27 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at the library

Ever wonder who your ancestors were? Where they lived? What kind of work they did?

Learn Genealogy Research at the Godfrey Memorial Library. Godfrey staff will demonstrate research

techniques that reveal the answers to your questions. We will also help you conduct your own research.

This Training Covers:

 Census, Vital & Church Records

 City Directories, Newspapers and other secondary sources

 Organizing and citing your material

 Tips for internet research

 Tips for locating & requesting documents not on the internet

Bring your laptop and your research questions.

Space is limited. Register Today! Call 860-346-4375.

Fee: $100 for 3 sessions and a library membership

Join us at the library for a session on using the internet for Genealogy research.

Bring your laptop.

Meetings are free to Godfrey Premium members or $25 per session.

Please pre-register.

Godfrey Memorial Library

134 Newfield St

Middletown, Conn.