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Saturday, January 10, 2026

 


John Grenham

Date:    Saturday, January 24, 2026
Time:    1:30 PM
Topic:   Mapping Ireland's Records

John Grenham, straight from Dublinwill tell us about using his website johngrenham.com for Mapping Ireland's Records.  If you've never heard John speak or visited his website, you're in for a treat.

John has extensive background in Irish genealogy, having worked for and with the Irish Times and the Dublin City Library among other prestigious organizations. With the help of his son Eoin, he now runs his own website which acts as an excellent jumping off point for Irish genealogical research. He also wrote THE book on Irish genealogy, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. He has that lovely Irish lilt and a wonderfully wry sense of humor.  You’ll enjoy his presentation. We're thrilled that he'll be joining us.

Here is his description of his presentation:

The talk explores ways in which visualising the locations of households of particular surnames in Catholic records, valuations, census records and records of births, marriages and deaths can help with genealogy and local history, providing vivid examples of just how local some names are and how impossibly widespread others can be. All the records covered are free online and form part the basis of almost all nineteenth-century Irish research.

In addition, some of the focus will be on maps of the geographic areas used to collect the records. The talk will give some of the technical background involved in creating the maps, but will mostly focus on their use and on how they shed light on Irish surnames and Irish families.

A 33% discount on a year's subscription to www.johngrenham.com will be available for three days after the talk.  

Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, January 23. The invite will be sent out on that Friday.

Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: zoomregistration@godfrey.org  If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library. Then register using the above email.

Wednesday, November 12, 2025

HYBRID Genealogy Club - Saturday, November 22, 2025

 


Date:    Saturday, November 22, 2025

Time:    1:30 - 2:30 PM

Tried and True Published Sources for Early Connecticut Research with Al Fiacre, Board Chair and Treasurer, Godfrey Memorial Library

This is a reprise of Al's popular New England Regional Genealogical Conference (NERGC) presentation for those of you who were unable to make it to New Hampshire earlier this month.

Not everything of genealogical value has been digitized. Join Al as he discusses some Connecticut genealogy resources that have stood the test of time and are sometimes overlooked.

Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, November 21 . The invite will be sent out on that Friday.

Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: zoomregistration@godfrey.org  If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library.  Then register using the above email.

Note:  We've had a few requests lately to try a hybrid (Zoom and in-person) Genealogy Club, and we're going to give it a try with our November meeting.  So locals, come and join us!

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

ZOOM Genealogy Club, Saturday, October 25, 2025

 

Date:    Saturday, October 25, 2025

Time:    1:30 PM

It's time for another Genealogy Club group chat! We'll all be presenters! Topics to consider:

1. AI -- have you found some legitimate uses for it in your genealogy?

2. How about the full-text search at FamilySearch? Success stories? Frustrations? Hints for most effective use?

3. Maybe you have a brick wall that you want the "hive mind" to help you with.

4. Other ideas? Send us an email before that day with suggestions.

Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, October 24. The invite will be sent out on that Friday.

Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: zoomregistration@godfrey.org  If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library. Then register using the above email.

Saturday, September 6, 2025

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, September 27, 2025

 

Date:    Saturday, September 27, 2025

Time:    1:30 PM

Marian Burk Wood will present "Free Resources for New York Genealogical Research."

This is the first time we've welcomed Marian to Genealogy Club and we think you will enjoy her presentation. New York was often the first place New England families emigrated to, so there's a good chance you had an ancestor who lived there at one time.

 "Upstate, downstate, all around the Empire state, discover or rediscover free resources for investigating ancestors' lives and family history context. Step-by-step, learn how to navigate no-fee websites with many updated links to New York area digitized county histories, digitized vital records, oral histories, old photos and postcards, state census records, historic newspapers, county/local history experts, and much more."

Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, September 26. The invite will be sent out on that Friday.

Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: zoomregistration@godfrey.org  If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library. Then register using the above email.

Thursday, July 10, 2025

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, July 26, 2025

 

Date:    Saturday, July 26, 2025
Time:    1:30 - 2:30 PM
Topic:    "Hidden in Plain Sight: Using Image-Only Collections Online"
              with Katy Bodenhorn

Sites like FamilySearch contain millions of records that are online, but because they are not indexed and searchable by name, many genealogists miss out on them. From deeds and probate files to military pensions and church books, the answer to your brick wall mystery may well be accessible on your home computer without you knowing it. This presentation will cover the best ways (including the new FamilySearch Full-Text Search feature) to access these treasures hidden in plain sight.

Katy is a freelance genealogist and the former genealogy director for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) in Philadelphia. She received a BA in Family History/Genealogy from Brigham Young University and has over a decade of experience as a genealogy researcher, helping people learn about their ancestry. Prior to HSP, Katy worked for Legacy Tree Genealogists in Salt Lake City, where she spent seven years as a senior editor and researcher across a wide range of geographic specialties. Today she is the owner of Katy Bodenhorn Genealogy Research, LLC, and a contract researcher with Price Genealogy.

Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, July 25. The invite will be sent out on that Friday.

Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: zoomregistration@godfrey.org  If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library.  Then register using the above email.

Saturday, June 14, 2025

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, June 28, 2025

  

Saturday, June 28, 2025

1:30 - 2:30 PM

Annette Burke Lyttle presents "Our Quaker Ancestors: Their History and the Records They Left."

Quakers were among the earliest settlers in North America and, as they moved west, they were often the earliest settlers in newly-opened territory. Quakers were amazing record-keepers. Not only did they record births, marriages, and deaths, they also kept extensive records on those who came into their local meetings and those who left. Transgressions by members of the community were publicly discussed and recorded and, as they came to believe that slavery was evil, their records on Quakers who kept slaves became extensive. Learn about the history of these pioneering Americans and how to find the rich records they left behind.

The Zoom presentation will take place at 1:30 pm (ET). Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, June 27. The invite will be sent out on that Friday.

Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: 
zoomregistration@godfrey.org  If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library.  Then register using the above email.

Saturday, May 10, 2025

ZOOM Genealogy Club - Saturday, May 31, 2025

 

Date: Saturday, May 31, 2025
Time:  1:30 - 2:30 PM ET

Since May is a nice long month, we're able to squeeze in another Genealogy Club, even with the 4th Saturday being a holiday weekend. 

You're in for a treat -- we'll be hosting Thomas MacEntee who will be talking about How to Future-Proof Your Research. We can't tell you how many times we hear folks worrying about what will become of their genealogical efforts. It seems the kids don't want our heavy old furniture, nor do they necessarily want to inherit all our hours and hours of painstaking family research. We can hope they'll change their minds, but what if they don't? You may well have seen or heard Thomas before, as he's very well-known in the genealogy world, one of his specialties being things technological. He has recently announced that he will no longer be doing webinars after December, so don't miss this chance to see him! 

The Zoom presentation will take place at 1:30 pm (ET).  Please register by 4:00 PM Friday, May 30.  The invite will be sent out on that Friday. 

Godfrey Premium members can register for free at the following email: zoomregistration@godfrey.org 

If you are not a Godfrey Premium member and want to attend the presentation, you can pay $10 via PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/home) with the payment sent to Godfrey Memorial Library.  Then register using the above email.