Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society, Inc.

Genealogy Research Clinic
2018-02-22 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-02-15 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-01-25 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-01-18 18:00 - 20:00, 2017-12-28 18:00 - 20:00, 2017-12-21 18:00 - 20:00, 2017-11-16 18:00 - 20:00, 2017-10-26 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) and 11 more dates | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
Members have free use of our Ancestry Library subscription and other research sites while seeking assistance from WMGS members with family research experience. Non-members may participate for only $10 per session…or join for $25 per year!
Sessions are held on the third and fourth Thursdays of the month in the computer room of the Agawam Senior Center.

WMGS February Meeting
2018-02-07 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
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.
Elissa 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

WMGS January Meeting
2018-01-03 18:00 - 20:00 | Emily L. Partyka Central Library, 449 Front Street, Chicopee, MA, 01013, United States
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).
David 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.

Seating 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

WMGS December Meeting
2017-12-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
Our December 6th monthly meeting will be a Pot Luck Dinner and Show & Tell.
It’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!).

WMGS November Meeting
2017-11-01 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
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.
Shelley 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.
Shelley’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.

WMGS October Meeting
2017-10-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
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.

WMGS September 2017
2017-09-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
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.

WMGS August Meeting: Field Trip
2017-08-02 17:30 - 20:00 | Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, 21 Edwards Street, Springfield, MA, 01103, United States
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!
Due 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
The library is part of the Springfield Museums and located in the
Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History (lower level)
21 Edwards Street
Springfield, Massachusetts 01103
Parking: Please park in the adjacent parking lot on Edwards Street. Parking is free.
Arrival 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.
For a map of the Springfield Museum Buildings, click here: Map

WMGS July Meeting
2017-07-05 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
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.
Edwin 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.

Genealogy Research Clinic
2017-06-15 18:00 - 20:00

June Monthly Meeting
2017-06-07 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
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

WMGS May Meeting
2017-05-03 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
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.
In 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.
Please 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.
Also 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.
