Our first Western Massachusetts Ancestors Special Interest Group (SIG) session will take place on Thursday, May 21 on Zoom.

These SIG sessions are designed to give members a chance to explore a focused topic, connect with one another, learn new skills, discover useful resources, and share their research. Each session will follow a flexible, member-driven format that
may include:

• Member Presentations
  Members are invited to give short presentations (5–15 minutes) on a Western
  Massachusetts ancestor, family line, or research topic. We encourage you to highlight the resources you used — databases, archives, websites, books, maps, or tools.
• Resources, Tools, and Techniques
  We’ll feature helpful research tools, newly updated databases, useful websites,  and practical tips to support your genealogical work.
• Brick Wall Challenges and Breakthroughs
  Have a research puzzle you can’t solve? Share a brief summary of the ancestor or
  problem, along with any clues or documents you’ve gathered, and we’ll add your brick wall to the agenda. Fellow members may be able to offer insights or  suggestions to move your research forward.
• Q & A and Open Discussion
  We’ll reserve time for questions, troubleshooting, and open conversation about methods, records, and discoveries.

We hope members will help shape each session’s agenda — our SIGs will be member
driven. Whether you’re a beginner or someone with years of experience, your contributions will help us all understand our Western Massachusetts roots a little better.