BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society, Inc. - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://westmassgen.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society, Inc.
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20160313T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20161106T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20170312T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20171105T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20180311T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20181104T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20190310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20191103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20200308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20201101T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190605T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190605T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20190503T175255Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190523T190128Z
UID:8348-1559757600-1559764800@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:Skills Night
DESCRIPTION:June 2019 Meeting – Skills Night \nOur 2nd annual Skills Night will be held at our June 5th meeting this year. This is an opportunity to explore a variety of topics\, tools\, and resources that will assist you in your genealogy research. It is an informal event with attendees being able to freely move around stations\, with facilitators at each station to chat and answer questions. We’ll be set up in the Dining Room this year\, allowing us to spread out more.\nWe’re bringing back some of the topics from last year\, but we’ll also have a few new ones. There will be something for everyone\, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro. Need help with general research? We’ll have tips\, techniques and search methods. Are you having difficulty finding ancestors in early census records? Or\, perhaps you’re having difficulty finding military records for those who served our country. We’ve got these covered!\nWould you like to know more about capturing family memories and recording methods? We’ll cover that with displays of photo & document scanning tools. Want to learn about an easy-to-use online tool to help you make sense of your DNA results?\nDo you focus your genealogical research on Ireland\, Quebec and other provinces in Canada\, Western Massachusetts\, upstate New York\, or Palatine research? Do you need general resources? Or\, would you like to chat about a specific research problem? If so\, bring a description of the problem and you’ll be able to talk with researchers who might be able to help.\nPerhaps you want to plan a research trip\, but it seems overwhelming. We’ll provide information on what you should do in advance\, so that you’ll make the most of your time and maximize your chances of finding what you need.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/skills-night/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ASC.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190501T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190501T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20190325T184350Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190331T225336Z
UID:2969-1556733600-1556740800@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS May Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our May 1st meeting is our annual meeting but after all the administrative tasks\, we will be having a presentation on the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) by Dave Robison and the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) by Hillary Schau. You know our two presenters as the WMGS president\, Dave\, and our Newsletter Editor\, Hillary. Each of our presenters is very knowledgeable about their organization. If you have branches that go all the way back to the 1700’s and were curious about the process of applying to the SAR or DAR\, there will be a Q&A session after their presentation. If your ancestors do not go back that far in the US\, there are many other lineage societies that you can consider. Cyndi’s list here is a good place to explore. \nDave Robison and Hillary Schau are both professional genealogists working as speakers on genealogical topics and as researchers for individual clients. On top of this\, both Dave and Hillary volunteer with their respective lineage societies to help prospective members to assemble documents for their applications. Dave Robison is the Registrar in the Pomeroy Chapter of SAR. Hillary Schau has been the Registrar at the Mercy Warren Chapter of DAR for the past three years.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-april-monthly-meeting-2/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/SARDAR.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190410T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190410T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20190227T002548Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190401T223411Z
UID:2713-1554921000-1554926400@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS April Monthly Meeting (starts at 6:30 p.m. in "Veteran's Room" on upper level)
DESCRIPTION:Kathy Kaldis will be our April speaker on the 10th (note the change in date) and her talk will be “What’s in a Name? Strategies for Identifying Maiden Names”. Why is it so difficult to identify maiden names? ~The Recipe for Success in Finding Maiden Names: Practical Skills; Analytical Skills; Creative Use of Evaluating Evidence.\nKathleen Kaldis fell in love with genealogy at a young age\, she is a professional genealogist known as The Ancestor Finder. Her interest in genealogy started when heard stories about how her great great-grandfather\, who was born on Cape Breton Island\, came to Boston to build Fenway Park. She used to be a Genealogist at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston and enjoyed working with the patrons. She holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University\, and has successfully completed many genealogical institute courses though the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History (ISBGFH). Kathleen is very active within the genealogical community serving in many leadership positions within many organizations. She is a member of the Lexington DAR and personally brought in 125 new members in two years. As a lecturer her enthusiasm will show through as she shares her passion of genealogy with the audience.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-april-monthly-meeting/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Kathy-Kaldis.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190306T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190306T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20190226T193105Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190226T193335Z
UID:2703-1551895200-1551902400@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS March Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:At our March 6th Meeting\, Russ Worthington will be presenting “Recording Your Family Research – The Dash Connection.” Russ will show us how to make better use of the features in various genealogy software programs to help make that Dash Connection\, that is\, the time between birth and death dates to create a story. His tips and tricks will help you on the journey\, perhaps to even in writing a book on your ancestors. \nRuss Worthington is an expert with Family Tree Maker (FTM 2017) as well as other genealogy software programs\, student of genealogical methodology\, Find-a-Grave volunteer\, blogger\, and public speaker. He’s a real-life cousin to Pat Richley-Erickson a/k/a “DearMYRTLE\,” and handles the technical aspects of all of her webinars. Many of you will remember his excellent presentation on City Directories in a previous webinar visit to WMGS in October 2015.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-march-monthly-meeting/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/RussWorthington.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190206T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190206T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20181227T205228Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190129T232004Z
UID:2115-1549476000-1549483200@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS February Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:The Finer Points of FamilySearch: Six ways to Jumpstart Your 2019 Research   \nPat Richley-Erickson\, AKA DearMYRTLE\, will be presenting for us during our February 6th meeting. Pat is the author of the award-winning DearMYRTLE Genealogy Blog\, which is consistently among the top 5 family history blogs internationally\, where her focus is on beginning genealogy topics. She also hosts several weekly hangouts including Mondays with Myrt\, Wacky Wednesday and moderates more intense study groups including Beginning Genealogy\, Mastering Genealogical Proof\, The Written Conclusion\, and Genealogy and the Law.\nOf the 100’s of on-line genealogy search sites\, few rise to the top of the list. Imagine having access to a premier research website that is consistently rated as one of the best that is also FREE to use! Welcome to FamilySearch.org. In a constant state of being updated with new collections of historical records\, Family Search is the “go-to” site for thousands of family researchers around the world.\nDearMYRTLE will be coming to WMGS via a remote webinar from her home and offices near Salt Lake City\, Utah. She will share her deep knowledge of the website and how to use it effectively. Finding the records that you need and doing it in a logical\, step-by-step manner can be a huge time saver. WMGS is very fortunate to be able to bring her to our virtual “doorstep” and take advantage of her broad and deep experience.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-february-monthly-meeting/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20190102T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20190102T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20181129T011351Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181227T203750Z
UID:2062-1546452000-1546459200@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS January Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our January 2\, 2019 presenter will be Katherine R. Willson of Ann Arbor\, Michigan. Katherine is an engaging & dynamic lecturer at local\, regional and national conferences. She’s the founder and president of the Virtual Genealogical Society\, member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Professional Genealogists\, President of the Michigan Genealogical Council\, Secretary for the Genealogical Speakers Guild\, Social Media Manager for GRIP /Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh\, and member of the National Genealogical Society.\nKatherine’s presentation to us at the Agawam Senior Center is titled: Seeking Dead People: Getting the Most from Cemetery Research Online & In Person. Katherine will discuss cemetery\, funeral home\, and online research and provide tips and techniques to help locate photos\, family trees\, obituaries\, and death certificates\, and more.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-january-monthly-meeting/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Wilson-Katherine-R.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20181205T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20181205T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20180811T223817Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181129T010351Z
UID:1826-1544032800-1544040000@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS December Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Cliff McCarthy\, archivist at the Museum of Springfield History (MOSH)\, archivist at the Stone House Museum of Belchertown\, local historian\, published author\, avid genealogist\, and president of the Pioneer Valley History Network\, a non-profit consortium of historical institutions\, will be our December 5th speaker.\nCliff will be presenting on the history of our four Western Massachusetts counties (Hampden\, Hampshire\, Berkshire\, and Franklin) and the treasure-trove of genealogical resources for anyone doing research or with ancestors in them.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-december-monthly-meeting/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Springfield-Library-7-e1541268204697.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20181107T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20181107T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20180811T223715Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181103T175648Z
UID:1824-1541613600-1541620800@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS November Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:David Ouimette\, CG\, CGL from FamilySearch.org will be our November 7th speaker. His presentation is entitled\, “Discovering Your Ancestors Using Family Search.”\nFamilySearch has the most comprehensive collection of family history records in the world\, with billions of images and billions of indexes of the best records for ancestral discovery across much of the globe. Come and learn how FamilySearch prioritizes\, digitizes\, publishes\, and indexes records that tell the stories of your ancestors. With that background\, we will then demonstrate effective search strategies across the FamilySearch website\, covering historical records\, family trees\, published genealogies\, the research wiki\, and the FamilySearch catalog.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-november-monthly-meeting/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Ouimette-David.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20181003T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20181003T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20180811T222532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180929T164238Z
UID:1805-1538589600-1538596800@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS October Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our speaker on October 3rd\, will be Susan Sit. She presented for us back in March on the topic of Welsh and other ethnic research challenges. This time she will be speaking on Wales\, Scotland & England – Similar but Different Research.\nSusan Davies Sit was born in North Wales and has been researching her own family tree and others’ trees for almost 40 years. She also enjoys helping others in their genealogy research including her husband’s Chinese American tree\, which is as difficult as it sounds! Her specialty is researching in Wales\, Scotland and England. She is a Professional genealogist (APG); President of the Welsh Society of Western New England (WSWNE); a member of the Gwynedd Family History Society (Wales); and the Welsh-American Genealogy Society (WAGS).
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-october-monthly-meeting/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Sits-Susan-Davies.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180905T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180905T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20180811T215418Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180827T004812Z
UID:1785-1536170400-1536177600@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS September Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:On September 5th\, join us as Marian B Wood presents on the topic Using Facebook\nand Twitter for Genealogy – She will reveal the fun\, benefits\, and mechanics of\nFacebook and Twitter to connect with family-history researchers in areas where\nancestors lived\, request assistance\, obtain translations\, and learn more about\ngenealogy sources\, technology\, and methodology. The many forms of Social media\nare easy to use and offer the opportunity for more immediate response compared with\ntraditional surname message boards–to jumpstart genealogy efforts at any level.\nMarian B. Wood is a popular genealogy speaker and hosts a blog entitled Climbing My Family Tree. She has also written a book “Planning a Future for Your Family’s Past” available at smile.amazon.com.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-september-meeting-2/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Wood-Marion-B.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180801T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180801T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20180811T223528Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180811T223528Z
UID:1821-1533146400-1533153600@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS August Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our annual trip to the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield\nHistory is just around the corner. Join us on August 1st from 6-8 PM for our\nhighly anticipated exclusive visit for a night of research. We get the place to\nourselves\, but remember\, you have to be a paid member to attend! Due to\nlimited space\, sign up is required. Email us at WestMassGen@gmail.com\nand sign up today (put MOSH in the subject line). The first 30 get on the list\nwith others put on a waiting list.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-august-monthly-meeting/
LOCATION:Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History\, 21 Edwards Street\, Springfield\, MA\, 01103\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/mosh.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180711T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180711T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20180616T173528Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180616T173528Z
UID:1692-1531332000-1531339200@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS July Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Important Note: Our July meeting will be held one week later on July 11th at 6 PM at the Agawam Senior Center due to the July 4th holiday closure.\n\nSkills Night Sharing Event\n\n\nPerhaps you’re just beginning work on your family genealogy\, maybe you’ve been working on it over the years when time allows\, or maybe you’re a seasoned veteran trying to put the finishing touches on your family history. Well\, we’re betting that everyone will enjoy this evening!\n\nWe’re working on plans for a Skills Night featuring displays of genealogy tools and tips and special interest discussion groups. Some of the ideas we are hoping to showcase include photo scanning and organization tools\, ways to record family memories\, software program comparisons\, and ways to find hidden records and more on Family Search and Ancestry. Besides that\, attendees will have an opportunity to have a personal consultation about their research problems with one of our own professional genealogists\, our own version of\n“Ancestors Roadshow”.\n\n\n\nOur July meeting will be informal with attendees being able to freely move around stations to check out the displays and join special interest groups. And\, we’ll have a sign-up sheet for personal consultations.\n\nWe’re still working on plans for the event and more details will be coming in our next newsletter. We welcome our many multi-talented members to pitch in and to share their knowledge as well. So\, if you have a topic that you’d like to facilitate for the discussion groups or would like to have a display of genealogy tools and tricks\, or have something else that you’d like to share\, please let us know at westmassgen@gmail.com
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-july-monthly-meeting/
LOCATION:MA
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180606T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180606T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20180427T103915Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180427T103915Z
UID:1616-1528308000-1528315200@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS June Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Be sure to sign up for our Annual “June Pot Luck Dinner” during our May meeting. Not just a Pot Luck Dinner\, it is our Open Mic Night as well! So\, bring your favorite casserole or main dish\, a side dish\, or some sort of dessert\, and socialize with fellow genealogists searching for their family tree. Who knows\, you might even find a 5th – 9th cousin ‘X’ number of times removed; sort of like Dave Robison and Bruce Cortis (through Deacon Chapin of Springfield). After dinner\, members will have an opportunity to speak and share during our Open Mic session. Members are welcome to share genealogy information including ideas\, tips\, suggestions\, research experience\, and genealogy projects. If you have a new website to share\, a place to visit\, or a research success story\, please be sure to share it during our Open Mic session that’s how we all learn. Members are encouraged to bring a friend.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-june-meeting-2/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180502T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180502T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20180112T112646Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180811T215606Z
UID:1481-1525284000-1525291200@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS May Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Do you want to publish a book based on your genealogy research\, but have no idea how to start? Our May speaker\, Linda Roghaar\, will provide a clear road-map to get you started\, and explain publishing terms and the process by which your manuscript becomes a finished book. You will learn the important steps to preserve your work in a professional\, permanent book that will be read and enjoyed by generations to come. \nLinda Roghaar has spent decades in book publishing. In 2007\, she recognized that advances in technology could benefit authors; she then developed an exciting\, collaborative platform that combines standards of traditional publishing with today’s innovative publishing tools. She founded Genealogy House Publishers and now helps genealogists get their stories written\, edited\, and published as a printed book.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-may-meeting-3/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Roghaar-Linda.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180404T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180404T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20180112T112515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180226T215342Z
UID:1479-1522864800-1522872000@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS April Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our speaker in April will be Amy Johnson Crow and she will be speaking on “Ten Years: Census Substitutes” which will help us to locate supporting documents between census years and help with the huge gap between 1880 and 1900. \nAmy is a Certified Genealogist with 20 years’ experience helping people discover their family history. She regularly speaks at events throughout the year\, including the recent RootsTech 2018 in Salt Lake City\, UT. She has served as series editor of the National Genealogical Society Guides and served on several national and state boards. She also holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-april-meeting-3/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Crow-Amy-Johnson.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180307T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180307T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20180112T112400Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180226T214314Z
UID:1477-1520445600-1520452800@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS March Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our speaker on March 7th will be Susan Davies Sit. She was born in North Wales\,UK\, and has been researching her own family tree and others’ trees for almost 40 years. She also enjoys helping others in their genealogy research including her husband’s Chinese American tree\, which is as difficult as it sounds! Her specialty is researching in Wales\,Scotland and England. She is a Professional genealogist (APG); President of the WelshSociety of Western New England (WSWNE); a member of the Gwynedd Family HistorySociety (Wales); and the Welsh-American Genealogy Society (WAGS). Some of the topics presented will be the Welsh patronymics and the difficulties when researching Welsh records including birth\, marriage and death records. Many of the strategies presented can also be applied to English and Scottish Research.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-march-meeting-3/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Sits-Susan-Davies.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180207T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180207T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20170526T140758Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180112T111247Z
UID:1232-1518026400-1518033600@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS February Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our meeting on February 7th will feature Elissa Scalise Powell\, CG\, CGL\, with the presentation “Rubik’s Cube Genealogy: A New Twist on Your Old Data.” Elissa will be exploring the additional information we can discover from the patterns of the names\, dates\, and places we have been collecting in our pedigree charts and family group sheets. She will help us to see life events in the context of history and geography\, and reveal the new questions to research and stories that appear with the use of timelines\, genograms\, and other data presentation tools and strategies. \nElissa is a western Pennsylvania researcher\, a Trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists; an instructor for Boston University’s on campus and online Genealogical Research Certificate courses; coordinator for the Professional Genealogy Course at the Samford University’s Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research and an instructor for Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. She is co-director of the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP). She is a regional and national speaker on methodology\, Pennsylvania records\, professional development\, and society management
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-february-meeting-2/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Scalise-Powell-Elissa.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180103T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180103T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20170526T140711Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20171227T155015Z
UID:1230-1515002400-1515009600@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS January Meeting
DESCRIPTION:On January 3rd\, at the Chicopee Library on Front Street\, David Ouimette\, CG from FamilySearch.org will be presenting a webinar on From Wojtowa to Chicopee: The Story of Polish Immigrant Millworkers. This presentation will be collaborative presentation funded by both WMGS and PGSM (the Polish Genealogical Society of Massachusetts). \nDavid manages Content Strategy at FamilySearch\, prioritizing the acquisition and online publication of records worldwide for family history research. He holds BS and MS degrees in Mathematics. In addition to being a certified genealogical lecturer\, he has authored the book\, “Finding your Irish Ancestors: A Beginners’ Guide” and many articles in genealogy magazines and journals. \n\nSeating is limited to 100. Please call (413) 594-1800 x3 to reserve a seat. If seating is not available at the library\, contact westmassgen@gmail.com for the link to view the event live. WMGS members will have access to the recording in the members only link at www.westmassgen.com
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-january-meeting-2/
LOCATION:Emily L. Partyka Central Library\, 449 Front Street\, Chicopee\, MA\, 01013\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Ouimette-David.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20171206T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20171206T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20170526T140619Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20171101T183100Z
UID:1228-1512583200-1512590400@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS December Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our December 6th monthly meeting will be a Pot Luck Dinner and Show & Tell. \nIt’s the last meeting before the holidays! Come to our “Pot Luck” dinner and enjoy holiday music while you dine. After dinner\, we will host an “Open Mic” session for members to share their genealogy tips\, ideas\, or projects (documents/pictures to brag over are acceptable!).
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-december-meeting-2/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20171101T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20171101T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20170526T140515Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20171016T014549Z
UID:1226-1509559200-1509566400@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS November Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our November 1st meeting features Dr. Shelley Murphy with a presentation entitled “Timeline’s You gotta do one!” Timelines are a critical strategy that most genealogists and the family historians do not use. Why is that? Is it too time consuming or the lack of knowledge on how to set one up? This webinar will provide an overview and challenge you about the benefits of timelines by taking you step-by-step on how to set a timeline up and use it to further your genealogy research. \nShelley Murphy is a native of Michigan residing in Central Virginia\, and has been an avid genealogist for 25+ years. She is a Coordinator and Faculty for the Midwest African American Genealogy Institute (MAAGI) and presents genealogy workshops at the local state & national genealogy conferences. \nShelley’s blog is familytreegirl.com and has publications with the Central Virginia Heritage\, a publication of the Central Virginia Genealogical Association. She holds membership with NGS\, APG\, AAHGS\, and is the membership chair for the DAR Jack Jouett Chapter in Charlottesville.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-november-meeting-2/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Murphy-Shelley.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20171004T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20171004T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20170526T140413Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170827T105356Z
UID:1224-1507140000-1507147200@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS October Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our October meeting will consist of a presentation by Nora Galvin on the topic of DNA. Nora has a website called Aunt Lizzie’s Trunk http://www.auntlizziestrunk.com/ and originally came from Cincinnati. OH. She holds a BS in Biology and a Master’s degree in Liberal Studies. Her careers include being a secondary-school science teacher and a research scientist at a major pharmaceutical company. It was here that she learned the power of DNA in research.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-october-meeting-2/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Galvin-Nora.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170906T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170906T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20170526T140256Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170724T163534Z
UID:1222-1504720800-1504728000@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS September 2017
DESCRIPTION:Our September meeting will feature Diane Brooks-Sherry\, a genealogist\, speaker\, researcher and educator located in the Boston area\, speaking on DP.LA (the Digital Public Library of America)\, a fabulous source for free digitized books.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-september-2017/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Brooks-Sherry-Diane.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170802T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170802T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20161212T171027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170630T123943Z
UID:1101-1501695000-1501704000@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS August Meeting: Field Trip
DESCRIPTION:Our annual trip to the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History is just around the corner. Join us on August 2nd from 6-8 PM for our highly anticipated exclusive visit for a night of research. We get the place to ourselves\, but remember\, you have to be a paid member to attend! \nDue to limited space\, sign up is required.  The first 30 get on the list with others put on a waiting list.  Email us and let us know: westmassgen@gmail.com \nThe library is part of the Springfield Museums and located in the \nLyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History (lower level)\n21 Edwards Street\nSpringfield\, Massachusetts 01103 \nParking: Please park in the adjacent parking lot on Edwards Street. Parking is free. \nArrival Time: We have to ask you to arrive between 5:30 and 6:00 PM. A staff member will be available during that time to allow you into building which actually closes at 5:00 PM. So please try to arrive before 6:00 PM. \nFor a map of the Springfield Museum Buildings\, click here: Map
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-august-meeting/
LOCATION:Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History\, 21 Edwards Street\, Springfield\, MA\, 01103\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170705T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170705T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20161212T170936Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170526T135926Z
UID:1099-1499277600-1499284800@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS July Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our July meeting will be a presentation entitled “Paleography – Reading Old Handwriting” by Edwin Strickland. Paleography is the study of ancient writing systems and\, in genealogy\, it is an essential skill to have in order to accurately read the cursive handwriting encountered in many of the older primary documents. Edwin presented on several topics at the recent NERGC conference in Springfield including a two-hour hands-on workshop on this topic. \nEdwin is a self-taught genealogist with over 40 years’ experience. He is a Past President and a Governor of the Connecticut Society of Genealogists; charter member of the Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor\, having served as President and as Genealogist for nearly 30 years; charter member of the Connecticut Professional Genealogist Council where he is a consultant for the Ancestors Road Show and current Vice-President.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-july-meeting-2/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Strickland-III-Edward-W..png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170607T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170607T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20161212T170833Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170425T001421Z
UID:1097-1496858400-1496865600@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:June Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Be sure to sign up for the “Pot Luck Dinner” during our May meeting because for our June meeting we will host not only a Pot Luck Dinner but an “Open Mic” Session too. So\, bring your favorite casserole or main dish\, a side dish\, or some sort of dessert\, and socialize with fellow genealogists searching for their family tree. Who knows\, you might even find a 5th – 9th cousin ‘X’ number of times removed; sort of like Dave Robison and Bruce Cortis (through Deacon Chapin of Springfield). After dinner\, members will have an opportunity to speak and share during our Open Mic session. Members are welcome to share genealogy information including ideas\, tips\, suggestions\, research experience\, and genealogy projects. If you have a new website to share\, a place to visit\, or a research success story\, please be sure to share it during our Open Mic session that’s how we all learn. Members are encouraged to bring a friend
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/june-monthly-meeting/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170503T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170503T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20161212T170741Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170425T001545Z
UID:1095-1493834400-1493841600@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS May Meeting
DESCRIPTION:In May\, we will be holding our 3rd Annual WMGS Panel of Experts! Have you ever had to pay a professional consultant? I can tell you first hand that it’s usually not an inexpensive proposition! Here’s another benefit of membership at Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society: You have free access to a number of pros and experienced researchers to help you break down your brick walls\, answer your research questions\, point you in the right direction and\, in general\, lend a hand with your family histories. From pedigree charts to on-line research to DNA\, WMGS can help you re-energize your research.  \nIn May\, the regular monthly meeting of WMGS will be not one\, and not two but three panelists who are willing to take your questions. Dave Robison will be joined by Fran Malone and Hillary Schau for this event. Put them on the spot! Responses won’t be limited to what the panelists can offer as members of the audience are welcome to join in the discussion. That’s what WMGS is all about\, helping each other identify the goals and how to get there! So\, bring your questions concerning problems you have or just a general question that you’ve been wondering what’s the answer. \nPlease come early and get a good seat. Our last panel discussion was very well attended and very productive! This will also be a virtual meeting available only to the membership. \nAlso at our May meeting\, we will be having our annual election of officers. The Nominating Committee will present the slate of candidates at the meeting.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-may-meeting-2/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ASC.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170405T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170405T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20161212T170653Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170222T123600Z
UID:1093-1491415200-1491422400@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS April Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our meeting in April will be a presentation by Steve Hartwell entitled “Building a Custom Website for your Family History”  \nPedigree charts may be an interesting way to share our genealogy\, but what about the “rest of the story” – our family letters\, photographs\, heirlooms\, tales\, etc.? How can we share our ancestral stories online with everyone in our extended family? Learn how to bring your stories to life by using an easy building-block approach to create a custom website. You will see techniques and examples to give you ideas on how best to showcase your own family history. \nSteve Hartwell lives in North Reading\, Massachusetts\, and has been researching his family for over 30 years. He retired from a long career at IBM in 2014 and has since become a professional genealogist specializing in both ancestral research\, particularly in New England\, and custom website design. Steve is a graduate of the Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate Program  and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy\, and is a board member of the Society of Essex Genealogists. His website can be found at shartwell.com/services. \n 
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-april-meeting-2/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Hartwell-Steve.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170301T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170301T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20161212T170556Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170123T221122Z
UID:1091-1488391200-1488398400@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS March Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our March 2017 meeting features Ta Mara Conde\, President of Historic Gravestone Services. Her extensive experience working with cemeteries in general and gravestones in particular. Her presentation will give us an insight into her work and passion for the historic preservation of the memorials to our ancestors. \n.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-march-meeting-2/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Ta-Mara-Conde.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170201T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170201T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20161212T170504Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161228T161125Z
UID:1089-1485972000-1485979200@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS February Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Our meeting on February 1st will feature a team of speakers\, Sara Campbell and Shari Strahan\, with a presentation entitled “Did Gramma Have a Filling Station? Married Women’s Businesses.”  \nShari and Sara have been research partners for a variety of projects in Western Mass since solidifying their common interest while working as census takers in 2010. They are relentless in finding the story behind the document and have brought many forgotten families to light with their research. Sara has been active in the Polish Genealogical Society of Mass\, while Shari’s ethnic specialty is in French Canadian genealogy\, as well as the families of Historic Deerfield\, where she lives. \nSara Campbell is a lecturer and educator in Western Massachusetts where she has been active in the genealogical community for 25 years. Her background as a civil engineer sometimes gives her a unique perspective on her research\, she blogs about history at http://rememberingancestors.blogspot.com/ and will be presenting this talk at the NERGC 2017 Conference in Springfield\, MA. \n 
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-february-meeting/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Campbell-and-Strahan.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170104T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170104T200000
DTSTAMP:20260428T203800
CREATED:20161212T172253Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20161212T172254Z
UID:996-1483552800-1483560000@westmassgen.com
SUMMARY:WMGS January Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Who? What? When? Where? Are these the words of a genealogist researching his family tree or a forensic scientist solving a mystery? Maybe someone who is both!  \nJoin us on January 4th for a presentation from Colleen Fitzpatrick entitled Forensic Genealogy – CSI Meets Roots. Colleen is featured as The DNA Detective in More Magazine\, May 2010\, is a former nuclear physicist who had designed equipment for NASA to use in its Jupiter projects. She has since turned her analytic skills and data loving drive to the field of genealogy\, specifically forensic genealogy. She uses her skills to search for missing persons\, living and dead.
URL:https://westmassgen.com/event/wmgs-january-meeting/
LOCATION:Agawam Senior Center\, 954 Main Street\, Agawam\, MA\, 01001\, United States
CATEGORIES:WMGS Monthly Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://westmassgen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Fitzpatrick-Colleen.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR