Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society, Inc.

WMGS February Monthly Meeting: Pinpointing Ancestors Using Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
2023-02-01 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Online
Where did your ancestors live? How did they live? What was their dwelling like? As genealogists we can generally find the addresses of our ancestors on census records, marriage licenses, death certificates, and other sources. But the next question should be: Where exactly is this address? What was the dwelling like? How far did ancestors live from their place of work, other relatives, or their place of worship? Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps are one resource to locate where your ancestors lived and bring detail to their story.
At our February 1st meeting, Susan J. O’Connor will be presenting “Pinpointing Ancestors Using Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps.” Susan’s presentation will include
examples from her ancestors who lived in Chicopee, MA, making her presentation
especially important for our members.

WMGS April 2023 Monthly Meeting: Using Tax Records in Genealogy - How Taxes Can Be a Good Thing!
2023-04-05 18:00 - 19:30 | Chicopee Public Library & Online, 449 Front Street, Chicopee, MA, 01013, United States
Many dread tax day, but old tax records provide valuable clues to our ancestors’ lives. Since the early days of America, people were taxed to create roads, to support wars,
and to provide needed revenue. Learn the types of records available, where to find
them, and how they help solve genealogy problems.
Join us on Wednesday, April 5th at 6 p.m. for a virtual presentation with Dr. McCoy.
You can participate on Zoom from home or attend the presentation in person at the
Chicopee Public Library conference room.

WMGS Annual Meeting & Tech Talk with Dave
2023-05-03 18:00 - 20:00 | Chicopee Public Library & Online, 449 Front Street, Chicopee, MA, 01013, United States
Our annual meeting will be held on May 3rd at 6 p.m. This will be a hybrid meeting.
Members can choose whether to attend in person in the Chicopee Public Library conference room or participate virtually on Zoom.
At the meeting, our Treasurer will give a brief financial report. Next, the Nominating
Committee will present the slate of candidates for election to open positions as officers
and directors of our society. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor. Voting
will be conducted in person and virtually through an anonymous poll on Zoom.
The following positions are up for election to two-year terms:
• President
• Treasurer
• Director (Two positions)
A Nominating Committee consisting of Dave Lapierre and Cara Seitchek has been appointed. If any member is interested in running for election to a position and/or wishes to know the requirements for the position, please send an email to the Nominating Committee at westmassgen@gmail.com with Nominating Committee in the subject line. Please include a brief description of your qualifications and experience for the position you are seeking.
We’ll also announce our Founders Award recipient and review our plans for the
upcoming year.
Following the business portion of our May 3rd annual meeting, we will be hosting “Tech Talk with Dave.”
Dave Lapierre will field and (hopefully) answer your technology questions. Rather than giving a prepared presentation, Dave will answer questions from the audience.

WMGS June Monthly Meeting: An Introduction to the Courthouse with Michael John Neill
2023-06-07 18:00 - 20:00 | Chicopee Public Library & Online, 449 Front Street, Chicopee, MA, 01013, United States
Now that we can get back to in-person research, many of us will be heading to a courthouse to research our ancestors. Michael will present an overview of the records typically found in a county courthouse: land, probate, court, and vital records. He’ll talk about the basics involved in courthouse research, including how to prepare for a visit, what you need to know before you make that trip, what records you might find, and what to expect from the courthouse and its staff.

WMGS July Monthly Meeting: War and Change in the Post-Civil Ware Era Until World War I
2023-07-05 18:00 - 19:30 | Chicopee Public Library & Online, 449 Front Street, Chicopee, MA, 01013, United States
At our July 5th monthly meeting, genealogist John Putnam will join us to present War and Change in the Post-Civil War Era Until World War I.
This presentation is part four of John’s New England series and covers the incredible immigration and growth from the Civil War until World War I.
Following the Civil War, there were many changes in New England society. Reconstruction, immigration, advances in travel, burgeoning industries, and other issues contributed to the vast changes that affected our ancestors and their families
prior to World War I. Knowing about these factors will help you understand their lives
and expand your research.

WMGS August Monthly Meeting: Genograms for Genealogists
2023-08-02 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
Have you ever noticed common threads in your family tree and wondered why they happened? At our August monthly meeting, genealogist, and member, Edwin Strickland II will present an intriguing and useful topic for our members, “Genograms for Genealogists.”
Edwin will show us how the concepts behind the genogram (McGoldrick-Gerson Studies or Lapidus Schematics), typically used in counseling and therapy, can be applied to genealogy to open a third dimension to our research. Going beyond the family group sheet and pedigree chart, you can extend patterns of behavior and medical history beyond the family into the community. Genograms can help explain some of the hows and whys we encounter. They can also be used as predictors to focus further research.

September Meeting: Mining Information from City Directories
2023-09-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Chicopee Public Library & Online, 449 Front Street, Chicopee, MA, 01013, United States
Before phone books, many municipalities had city directories. Updated annually, the directories were comprehensive listings of adult residents, along with their addresses,
their occupations, names of spouses, and other helpful facts. Initially intended for salesmen and merchants who wanted to contact people in the area, city directories
are a gold mine for genealogy research.
Participants in this session will learn about the variety of information contained in city directories and how to use this information to find their ancestors and learn what
they were really like. Through the use of a case study, a portion of the presentation will focus on how to use spreadsheets to record, organize, and manipulate the data and to use city directory information as a gateway to other resources.

October Meeting: The Hub of the Wheel: How Tracing a Brother With No Children Connected Ten Siblings
2023-10-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Chicopee Public Library & Online, 449 Front Street, Chicopee, MA, 01013, United States
Finding the origins of immigrant ancestors can be challenging for sure. For anyone with Irish ancestors, finding their origins in Ireland can be especially difficult. Most of our ancestors left few clues to where they were born and where they lived prior to
immigration. However, we know that most immigrants followed family and friends to travel across the ocean and settle near each other in their new country. That knowledge and good research skills can help us solve those challenges.
At our October 4th monthly meeting, nationally known genealogist Mary Kircher Roddy will join us to present “The Hub of the Wheel: How Tracing a Brother with no Children Connected Ten Siblings.” Mary will use a case study showing how a family from Ireland emigrated in a chain migration scheme to western Pennsylvania between 1825 and 1845 and how using the standards for researching connected the siblings and their descendants and led to their origins in County Tyrone.

November Monthly Meeting: Forensic Genealogy: Law and Order Meets Family History
2023-11-01 18:00 - 20:00 | Online
Have you ever wondered what forensic genealogists do? How they use genealogical research techniques to find both living and deceased individuals to solve legal issues? At our November meeting, genealogist Michael Brophy will return to WMGS to present “Forensic Genealogy: Law and Order Meets Family History.”
Forensic genealogy is an emerging field involving cases with legal ramifications. This fascinating area of research includes heir research, adoption, citizenship, immigration
casework, and military repatriation involving living people.
We hope you’ll join us on Wednesday, November 1st, 2023 at 6 p.m. for a virtual
presentation on Zoom.

WMGS December Monthly Meeting: An Introduction to the Courthouse by Michael John Neill
2023-12-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Online

WMGS January Monthly Meeting: Was Your Ancestor Truly Gone or Just Hiding in the Records? with Pamela Vestal
2024-01-03 18:00 - 20:00 | Online
We all have ancestors who don’t seem to have any records that confirm their existence. We spend hours looking for them without any results. We know where they might have been born, lived, married, and died, but still, we can’t seem to locate them anywhere.
Why haven’t you found your ancestors in the records? Documents are often hidden from view, with information that is present but concealed, stored in a place or a manner that is unexpected, misspelled, indexed incorrectly, or separated from the other similar records. We’ll explore strategies for tracking down these elusive ancestors so that we don’t miss a single detail.

WMGS February Monthly Meeting: Getting the Most Out of a Census Record
2024-02-07 18:00 - 20:00 | Online
The first database we usually consult when we research an ancestor is one containing census records. Are we taking advantage of all of the information available in them?
We’re very excited that Thomas MacEntee will be joining us again at our February 7th meeting to present “Getting the Most Out of a Census Record.”
Census records are one of the most important types of genealogical records, containing a wealth of information you may not find in vital records and allowing you to track your ancestors’ progress over time. Join Thomas for a deep dive into census records and learn some tips and tricks for extracting as much information as possible from each record.

WMGS March Monthly Meeting: The Real Life of New England Vital Records
2024-03-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Online
Understanding when, where, and why vital records were created and the changes in those practices over the years can help us find those records today. At our March meeting, Diane Boumenot will present “The Real Life of New England Vital Records.” Diane will explain how to use copies, abstracts, indexes, and “substitutes” on the path to the best record. You’ll improve your family history research today by maximizing your ability to locate the records that tie generations together.
This presentation will be helpful for genealogists at all levels, as Diane will walk us through how such records are made and explain how to tell what we are actually looking at today. While suitable for those less experienced, there is also much information for skilled folks who might like to keep drilling down to find the best version of a record, but need to see some methods for doing that.

WMGS April Monthly Meeting: Border - What Border? Our Ancestors Who Called Both Canada and the USA Home
2024-04-03 18:00 - 20:00 | Chicopee Public Library & Online, 449 Front Street, Chicopee, MA, 01013, United States
Many of us have ancestors who seem to disappear for periods of time. For those ancestors who lived in New England, New York, and the Upper Midwest, have we considered that they might have periodically lived and worked in Canada?
At our April 3rd monthly meeting, nationally known genealogist Annette Burke Lyttle will present “Border — What Border? Our Ancestors Who Called Both Canada and the USA Home.”
Movement from the United States to Canada was unrestricted and unrecorded until April 1908. The U.S. began recording the entry of Canadians along its northern border in 1894. Before that, many thousands of people lived cross border lives, without visas, work permits, passports, or immigration records. Learn how to find these elusive ancestors.

WMGS May Monthly Meeting: Overlooked Municipal Records
2024-05-01 18:00 - 19:30 | Chicopee Public Library & Online, 449 Front Street, Chicopee, MA, 01013, United States
At our May 1st monthly meeting, we will be welcoming back Sara Campbell for a presentation titled “Overlooked Municipal Records.”
Whether you’re searching for clues about your ancestors or looking to enhance what you know about their lives, municipal records may contain helpful information. Annual town reports, lists of jurors, tax records, property value records, and pauper records might hold clues as well. Understanding how these records are organized and where they are likely to be found are necessary first steps to finding your ancestors.

WMGS Annual Meeting
2024-05-01 18:00 - 20:00 | Chicopee Public Library & Online, 449 Front Street, Chicopee, MA, 01013, United States
Our annual meeting will be held on May 1st, following our presentation by Sara Campbell. At the meeting, our Treasurer will give a brief financial report, announce the results of our annual audit, and provide membership numbers. In January, the Board recommended a slight increase in our annual dues, which will be discussed and voted on at the meeting.
The Board has also proposed a revision to the WMGS Bylaws regarding the date that a membership will be considered inactive and the date that the Members Only password will be changed. Members can review both our current bylaws and the bylaws with the
proposed changes in the Members Only section of our website.
We will then conduct our annual elections. The Nominating Committee, consisting of Skip Taylor, Cara Seitchek, and Jeanne Leblond, will present the slate of candidates for election as officers and directors of our society. Nominations will also be accepted
from the floor.

WMGS Monthly June Meeting: Was Your Ancestor Truly Gone Or Just Hiding in the Records?
2024-06-05 18:00 - 20:00 | Chicopee Public Library & Online, 449 Front Street, Chicopee, MA, 01013, United States

WMGS July Monthly Meeting: Teaching Grannies: Changing Farm Girls into Schoolmarms
2024-07-10 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
At our July 10 monthly meeting, one of our favorite presenters, genealogist and WMGS member John Putnam will join us to present “Teaching Grannies: Changing Farm Girls into Schoolmarms.” John’s talk chronicles five of his six grandmothers and great-grandmothers from their rural upbringing into the Massachusetts Normal Schools, a process that continued in late 19th-century America as many farms no longer employed women.
John’s presentation will address many of the issues and challenges that our female ancestors faced during that time period. We’ll also learn the research process that John
undertook to learn about his grandmothers and to tell their stories.

WMGS August Monthly Meeting: Westmoreland: Connecticut's Lost County
2024-08-14 18:00 - 19:30 | MA
Early in our nation’s history, as states tried to expand their land holdings, new territories were claimed, often by more than one group. The lost county of Westmoreland is one such example. Who founded it, where was it located, what happened to it? Changes in names and boundaries of towns and villages may be one reason why we can’t find our
ancestors.
At our August 7 monthly meeting, Ed Strickland will present “Westmoreland: Connecticut’s Lost County.” Ed’s presentation will cover Connecticut’s claim on the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania from the Connecticut Charter of 1662, the Susquehanna Land Company, the Treaty of Trenton, and the aftermath. He’ll explain why learning the history of locations where our ancestors lived may help us find records about them.

WMGS September Monthly Meeting: AI and Genealogy - Trouble Ahead
2024-09-04 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
We’re starting our new membership year with one of our most popular presenters, Tom MacEntee! Tom will be presenting “AI and Genealogy: Trouble Ahead,” a topic
that you won’t want to miss!
Tom notes that while AI (artificial intelligence) might be the current hot buzzword, many genealogy vendors and even genealogists have already been using this technology for
years. The AI industry is at a crossroads, and within the next five years, it will permeate almost every aspect of business and society. We’ll learn how AI is currently being used to improve the genealogy experience and whether or not you should seek out other uses of artificial intelligence for your own genealogy research.
Tom will cover the basics of AI, data, reliability, copyright issues, source citations, and
current uses, such as text translation, and more.

WMGS October Monthly Meeting: Pinning Down Your Ancestors' Locations with Pam Vestal
2024-10-02 18:00 - 20:00 | Online
By popular request, we’ve invited genealogist Pamela Vestal to return to WMGS as her presentation last spring was both engaging and filled with detailed information to help our research.
At our October meeting, Pamela will help us find the answers to a critical genealogical research question as she presents “Pinning Down Your Ancestors’ Locations.” Where did your ancestors come from? Where did they disappear to? Although finding locations can be the key to following our ancestors back in time, we often slam up against brick walls. In this talk, Pamela will explore practical strategies for tracking down our ancestors’ whereabouts by using collateral research, gazetteers, the law, image searches, maps, and loads of unexpected and underused resources.

WMGS November Monthly Meeting: “Changing New England Records in the 1800s.”
2024-11-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Online
Whether you’re just starting your research on your New England ancestors or are a seasoned veteran, you’ll enjoy our November meeting. As a sequel to her presentation to us last spring, Diane MacLean Boumenot, CG, will present “Changing New England Records in the 1800s.”
Just as some New Englanders left their declining farms and headed west, industrialization arrived in New England and our ancestors’ lives and records changed forever. The days when deeds and probate would solve genealogical problems gave way to a dizzying array of new census collections, state mandated vital records, poorhouse, prison and asylum records, sturdier cemetery markers, and military pensions. Let’s reteach ourselves as we trace our 1800s ancestors.
Diane MacLean Boumenot, CG, specializes in southern New England family history research and publishes genealogical guidance on her website, One Rhode Island Family. In 2018 she and Maureen Taylor coauthored the National Genealogical Society’s book “Rhode Island” (part of the NGS Research in the States series). She is currently serving as the editor of Rhode Island Roots, the quarterly journal of the Rhode Island Genealogical Society.
Join us on Wednesday, November 6 at 6 p.m. as we welcome Diane back for a virtual presentation on Zoom.
(This presentation will be recorded and archived in the Members Only section of our website for 60 days.)

WMGS December Monthly Meeting: Court Records Research Without the Law Degree
2024-12-04 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
Court records are an underutilized genealogical resource. While courthouses hold common records like marriage, divorce, naturalization, and probate items, you might be
surprised to find that your ancestor had a criminal record. Was he involved in a lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding or something more sinister?
At our December monthly meeting, Kate Townsend will present “Court Records Research Without the Law Degree.” Kate will explore the types of court records that might be available, the various courts in which they might be found, how to find them, and what resources might be available to help you.

WMGS January Monthly Meeting: Mysterious Codes - Passenger Manifests Letters and Numbers
2025-01-08 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
You’ve found your ancestors listed in a ship’s passenger list and are thrilled to learn where they came from, how much money they brought with them, and who they were going to meet. But did you know that much more information is recorded on their entry?
At our January monthly meeting, genealogist Christine Cohen will present “Mysterious Codes: Passenger Manifests Letters and Numbers” and tell us how we might learn so
much more from the record.
On her website, Christine describes her presentation this way:
“What do those letters, numbers, stamps, and pencil marks mean on Immigration Passenger Manifests? Does your ancestor have the letter ‘D’ or ‘X’ next to their name? Do you know what V/L, # 404, USB, Transit, CL, N.O.B, C/A, LPC, SI, NQIV, BSI, PV or C-XXXXX mean? We will learn if and when to contact the US National Archives or USCIS to get more genealogical information from these codes. Plus, what insight we can learn about your ancestor’s immigration experience based on these notations.”
(Note: USCIS stands for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.)

WMGS February Monthly Meeting: Translating, Transcribing and Summarizing Documents Using AI
2025-02-05 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
At our February 2025 meeting, Tom MacEntee will join us to present “Translating, Transcribing and Summarizing Documents Using AI.” Tom introduced us to this technology last September when he presented “AI and Genealogy: Trouble Ahead.” AI (artificial intelligence) can improve our genealogy research, and who better to tell us how but one of our favorite presenters?
As his workshop description explains, Tom will teach us how to “harness the power of artificial intelligence to assist in translating, transcribing, and summarizing a variety of genealogy records. A handwritten baptismal record from the 1800s? No problem. A faded newspaper obituary? No problem. We’ll cover the best AI platforms as well as how to craft a solid prompt to get you the results you need.” Tom will also offer tips and tricks to increase our success.
If you missed Tom’s September presentation introducing us to AI (or if you want to review it), the recording and handout are available in the Members Only section of our website.

WMGS March 5 Monthly Meeting: Deconstructing Obituaries
2025-03-05 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
At our March 2025 meeting, we’ll welcome back Susan M. O’Connor, who will present “Deconstructing Obituaries.”
Obituaries are treasure troves of genealogical information, offering insights into family and social relationships, community ties, and even historical events. In this presentation, we’ll explore the wealth of details obituaries can provide, from vital records to clues about extended family and friends. Learn where to find obituaries — both online and offline — and discover techniques for analyzing the information
within them to piece together a fuller picture of your ancestors’ lives. Whether you’re just starting your family history journey or looking to enhance your research skills, this talk will equip you with practical tools to uncover hidden stories and connections.

WMGS April Monthly Meeting: Dark as a Dungeon - Researching Mining Records
2025-04-02 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
From mining iron ore in the colonial period to searching for copper, iron, tin, coal and precious metals, many of our ancestors were miners. Do you have ancestors who participated in the Gold Rush? Or immigrant ancestors who worked in coal mines or perhaps Native American ancestors who worked in the mineral mines out West?
At our April 2 monthly meeting, Peggy Clemens Lauritzen will present “Dark as a Dungeon: Researching Mining Records.” As Peggy says, “This is the real Minecraft. As the song goes, it truly was ‘dark as a dungeon’ in just about any mine. Fortunately, there are records that may have been kept on your mining ancestors.”
Peggy adds, “Mining is hard work. Starting from the children that worked in mines up to the adults of today, mining records may provide a clue to your ancestors’ lives.”

WMGS May Monthly Meeting: "Creating an Ancestor Sketch"
2025-05-07 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
We’re excited that Tom MacEntee will be joining us again in May to present another useful feature: “Creating an Ancestor Sketch.” Tom will describe the essential elements
of an ancestor biography sketch and explain different sketch formats. He’ll also tell us how to incorporate genealogy facts and family research information, and he’ll provide other tips, tricks, and tools to make the process easy.
“Face it: Most genealogists never get around to publishing that family history book based on their genealogy research,” Tom says in his program description. “How about a different approach — producing short 3 to 5 page ‘sketches’ about an ancestor? You’ll learn how to include a cover, photos, facts, family stories, source citations, and more! And guess what, once you get a few of these ancestor sketches done, you can compile
them together for one big book!”

WMGS June Monthly Meeting: Think Like an Archivist - Finding Genealogy Records in Libraries & Archives
2025-06-04 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
While many of us rely on the databases of popular genealogy companies and large organizations to research our ancestors, we may be overlooking a wealth of information available in libraries and archives. For those with limited experience searching these resources, navigating their systems can sometimes be frustrating or less productive than we’d hoped.
At our June 4 monthly meeting, Nancy E. Loe will return to WMGS to present “Think Like an Archivist: Finding Genealogy Records in Libraries & Archives.”
At this presentation, we’ll learn how to locate genealogy records housed in archives across the United States and around the world, using online archival portals and digital finding aids. We’ll gain insights into how archivists work to make these collections accessible. And we’ll learn how to craft effective search terms, with specific URLs provided for regional, state, national, and global archival resources.

WMGS July Monthly Meeting: Roots and Ridges - Families' Journeys Through Western Massachusetts Hilltowns
2025-07-09 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
For many current residents of Western Massachusetts, it isn’t easy to imagine that the hilltowns of Becket, Blandford, Chester, Granville, Huntington, and Middlefield were once vibrant and larger. They were deforested mainly during the 19th century to support their traditional agricultural economy. At our July 2025 monthly meeting, John Putnam will present “Roots and Ridges: Families’ Journeys Through Western Massachusetts Hilltowns.”
John will share his research into several family branches that lived in these towns during the 19th century, whose whole world was impacted by many historical forces over which they had little control. He’ll integrate three primary genealogical sources into his story — traditional genealogy databases and records, local historical events, and social history — to understand better the undercurrents his ancestors underwent during their 19th and early 20th century lifetimes. In addition, he will weave newspaper data, family memorabilia, and AI information to enrich the stories of the families that once lived there. Finally, he will identify specific themes that impacted his ancestors and yours.
Note: To make this more interactive, John will share a couple of specific stories he has written as a handout, incorporating all this information, both as a template for your stories and as a conversation about how these towns differ today from the 19th century.
