Join us for a presentation by 

Nora Galvin, C.G. 

DNA: You Took the Test, Now What?

Saturday, May 4

9:30-10:30

So you’ve swabbed or spit in the tube, and the results are in. You now “know” you’re 35% fill-in-the-nationality, and you have a thousand new cousins. Okay … but how do you make sense of it all? How does it jive with your existing tree? Wasn’t it supposed to instantly knock down all your genealogical “brick walls?” Would that it were that easy, but … Nora to the rescue!

With the help of clear illustrations and handouts, Nora will provide the steps to move forward and make the best use of this latest bit of evidence. This will be the first time we’ve hosted Nora at the Godfrey, and we’re very excited to have her--prepare to be Galvinized! (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

Nora Galvin is a Board-certified professional genealogist with her own business, Aunt Lizzie’s Trunk. In an earlier life she was a research scientist and high school biology teacher, so this woman knows her genes! Name any genealogical professional group in Connecticut and you’ll likely find Nora is an active member if not also on their Board.

The talk is open to the public, and is free for Godfrey Genealogy Club members and Premium Godfrey Scholar members, $10 for all others. Limited parking available behind the library, so carpool if you can.

March coming in like a lion

Egad, another snow day! We have had to reschedule the Irish genealogy program we had planned for March 3rd. Luckily for us, Kathy Gallagher is available on Saturday, March 16th to present her popular program. I'll be right there with you, taking notes--I sorely need some hints as to how to make headway on my "John Plant" brick wall. Hope to see you there!--Carol

Register for Genealogy Club in 2015

The cooler weather is certainly letting us know that this year will come to a close in just a few short months.  It is just about time to think about signing up for membership to the Godfrey Genealogy club in 2015!  2014 was a fantastic year for the club, full of incredible presenters and presentations, and we hope 2015 will be even better!  Membership is $25 and allows you to attend as many of the monthly meetings as you would like during 2015. 

This year we saw such presentations as how to use DNA to further your genealogical research, researching your New England ancestors, and how to get started writing your family history.  The plan is for next year's presentation topics to be equally varied and informative!  So far proposed topics include genealogists sharing stories about breaking through roadblocks in their research, overlooked sources of genealogical information, and how to best research ancestors from various parts of the world.

We're also looking for people who want to conduct presentations for Genealogy Club meetings!  Do you specialize in a specific area of research?  Or is there a story or topic near and dear to your heart?  Why not share it with the Genealogy Club!  For those who are interested in hearing about specific topics, please let us know.  There are still quite a few meetings that do not have an assigned topic and we would love to arrange presentations that our members request. 

After meetings club members are welcome to stay after and use this time to research in the library or converse.  You are encouraged to bring your laptops and other research materials.  You can call the library for more information regarding memberships and sign up. 

How Do I Write My Family History?

So you've spent countless hours researching your family history.  You have binders full of notes that contain everything you would ever want to know about your ancestors.  What's the next step?  Surely you'll want to share this research with others, may they be members of your family or fellow genealogists.  If so, why not consider writing a book on your family's history?  

How do I do that, you ask.  Well, we have good news for you!  This Saturday the Godfrey welcomes Liz Petry, acclaimed author, seasoned journalist, and former Godfrey board member to speak on exactly that!  Liz published two book on her own family history, Can Anything Beat White?  A Black Family's Letters and At Home Inside: A Daughter's Tribute to Ann Petry.  She has taught college English and currently leads a weekly writing workshop for veterans.  We can't think of anyone more qualified to lead the Godfrey Genealogy Club in learning about writing their own family history!

Genealogy Club meetings take place the first Saturday of every month at 9:30 am.  Club members are welcome to bring their laptops and stay after the program to research.  There is a $25 annual membership fee.  

Check Out the Genealogy Club!

For those of you who do not know, the first Saturday of the month from 9:30 to 10:30 AM the Godfrey Library Genealogy Club meets at the library to talk about their findings, methods, and listen to presentations put on by members and visiting speakers.  The past few months have been particularly exciting, with Executive Director of the Godfrey Library Beth Mariotti speaking on the resources in the Godfrey Collection and how to find them, Godfrey Board Member Jen Zinck presenting on the exciting new field of using DNA to help your genealogical research, and guest speaker Bryna O’Sullivan discussing the DAR and Revolutionary War Records. 

Let us proceed chronologically with Bryna O’Sullivan’s talk on February 1.  Bryna is a member of the Wadsworth Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution and has a degree in History with a focus on the American Civil War.  She spoke about the membership requirements for the DAR and how to use DAR membership records to help your own genealogical research. 

January 4 brought us Jen Zinck’s presentation on using DNA testing to further your family tree if the paper trail runs cold.  Jen is affiliated with Family Tree DNA and was able to tell us all about genetic genealogy: a new experience for many of us!  It is amazing how far science has come!

The most recent presenter for Genealogy Club was the Godfrey’s own executive director and professional genealogist, Beth Mariotti on March 1.  Her talk went into detail about some of unique records and collections housed in the Godfrey on in our online collection.  She included information on our growing online collection and a brief tutorial on using our Scholar+ database.  This presentation can be found online here.

The Genealogy club’s next presenter is another familiar face at the Godfrey: Ned Browning, Godfrey board member and long time volunteer will be speaking on Early New England Research: 1850-1620.  We are all looking forward to his presentation!

If you would like to sit in on presentations like these and get together with others who share your interest in genealogy, why not join the Genealogy Club?  We meet on the first Saturday of every month from 9:30-10:30 at the Godfrey Library.  You are encouraged to bring your laptop and stay after the meeting to research. There is a $25.00 annual membership fee.  We would love to see you there!

Upcoming Event: Using Cemetery Records to Help Your Genealogy Research

Cemetery records can be a valuable resource for building your family tree.

gravestone

This gravestone, for example, includes not only the ancestor's information, but also whom she married.

So how do you locate gravestones, plot records, and other cemetery information?

Join us on June 4 at 9:30 a.m. for a Genealogy Club meeting on cemetery records. We'll discuss resources that can help you determine where your ancestor was buried and give hints about what other information, besides their gravestone, may exist.

Gene Gumbs, head of the Ed Laput CT Cemetery Project, will also speak about that project and how it can help your research.

Genealogy Club is free for Godfrey Premium Members or $10 per session for Guest Members.

Upcoming Event: Genealogy Club on French-Canadian Research

If your family descends from French-Canadians and you've been struggling to locate records, you're in luck! On May 7, the Godfrey Genealogy Club will welcome Maryanne LeGrow, president of the French-Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut.

Maryanne will discuss the types of records available for French-Canadian research; how they differ from American records; what challenges you might face when doing research; and what records you can access at the Society's library in Tolland and at the Godfrey Library.

Maryanne LeGrow

If you've yet to attend a Genealogy Club session, it's time to check us out. The Genealogy Club meets on the first Saturday of the month, starting at 9:30 a.m. For Premium members, admission is included with your membership. For Basic members and Guests of the library, admission is $10 per session.

Genealogy Club attendees are welcome to use the library after the meeting. Staff will be available to answer questions.

Hope to see you there!