Upcoming Event: Cemetery Resources Online

Have you ever wondered how to locate an ancestor's tombstone?  There are online resources that can help. 

Old Tombstone

Join us June 20 from 6-8 pm for an Internet Genealogy Group session on online resources for locating cemetery records. 

Internet Genealogy Group is free for Premium members; $15 for all others. Please pre-register by calling 860-346-4375.

Upcoming Event: Open House on Middletown Resources

Library sign on Newfield Street

Are you curious about the Library, but have never visited? Join us on Saturday, June 18 from 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. for our quarterly open house.
 

This quarter we are celebrating our extensive collection of original Middletown records. Stop by the Library for a tour and a chance to discover resources that can teach you more about your Middletown ancestors.

Have a genealogy problem to solve? You can also schedule half-hour consultations during the Open House for a $15 fee. Consultations are available by appointment. Please call 860-346-4375 to reserve a time.

We hope to see you there!

Call for Volunteers!

If you love cemeteries, we know immediately that you're a genealogist.  But did you know you can use that interest to help other genealogists with Connecticut roots?

If you have time to share, please consider participating in the Ed Laput Cemetery Project.  Volunteers are involved in photographing and transcribing tombstones, building databases, and searching cemetery records.

Tombstones continue to deteriorate and cemetery records are sometimes missing, damaged, or poorly organized.  The project seeks to preserve tombstone design and carving, as well as identify "lost" cemeteries.  To date, volunteers have completed 956 cemeteries with 370,664 names and 303,321 photographs.  Eleven Connecticut towns have all of their cemeteries done.  

Tombstone

Volunteering can be an excellent community service project for groups or a way for a community to honor their heritage.

Interested in participating? Please email Beth Mariotti at bmariotti@godfrey.org or call the library at 860-346-4375.

Upcoming Event: Using the US Census for Family History Research

Are you just getting started in genealogy?  Imagine finding a source that would help you trace your family over time, find the names of their siblings, and much more.

Uncle Sam & U.S. Census

Discover how the U.S. Census can help your family history research in our upcoming 2-hour class. The class will explain what census enumerations are available, how to access them, and what questions they can answer about your ancestors.

The class will meet June 2 from 1-3 p.m. at Godfrey Memorial Library. The cost is $15 per person. Please pre-register by calling the Library at 860-346-4375.  Click here to see the flier. 

We hope 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.

Wesleyan University Donates Two Computers

Computer Stations at the Godfrey

Thank you to Wesleyan University for the donation of two computers for our patrons to use. Your gift is so appreciated!

Upcoming Event: Quebec Birth, Death, and Marriage Records

Wondering how to locate your Quebec ancestor's birth, death, or marriage record?

French Manuscript

Quebec used church records as substitutes for birth, death, and marriage records until the 20th century. Many have been digitized and are now online.

Library sign on Newfield Street

Join us for Internet Genealogy Group on May 16 from 6-8 pm at the Library. Discover how to locate these records on Ancestry's Library Edition, and learn how to understand their content – even if you don't speak French.

Please preregister by calling 860-346-4375. Free for Premium Members; otherwise $15.