Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society, Inc.

October Training Session: Back to the Future
2023-10-19 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Online
Remember the old days when members could chat about their genealogy research interests, talk about discoveries and brick walls, meet up with old friends, and make
new friends at meetings?
Well, a worldwide pandemic upended all of that. We miss those opportunities and suspect that you do as well. The world has changed in many ways since COVID-19
arrived on the scene. Working from home and buying groceries online weren’t on our
radar back then, but we learned how.
Social and educational opportunities have changed as well. Virtual meetings and hybrid events needed an explanation, but we’ve all become used to them now.
But what’s missing is our social time with members. Well, that can still happen on Zoom and we’ll show you how at our October 19th training session!
This training session will be a follow-up to our Tech Talk with Dave – Take Two session
in September. We’ll be practicing how to use Zoom breakout rooms, the chat function,
and other options to visit with each other. We’ll have a chance to visit and get to know
more about our genealogy interests.
We hope you’ll join us for an evening of “Back to the Future” and enjoy spending some time with each other.

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
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 Virtual Holiday Party
2023-12-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
We had so much fun at our virtual holiday party in 2021 that we’re going to host another one this year!
At that event, we shared photos of our members sitting on Santa’s lap as children, the tempting results of an annual sisters’ Christmas cookie bake-off, and a vintage holiday jewelry collection, among other items. We chatted about holiday traditions and hosted a genealogy trivia game that was so much fun!
Do you have photos of family tree ornaments, visits with Santa, a decorated snowman
on the lawn, or any of the gifts or toys that you received for the holidays? Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, or another winter holiday with your family and friends, we hope that you will share some of your photos and memories with your fellow genealogists.
Search those boxes, albums, closets, and your online collection for your holiday photos, and send your scanned items to us. We’ll create a slide show for our party and enjoy reminiscing with each other.
Our holiday party will also be a wonderful opportunity to share your family traditions and memories with us. Do you make a special recipe each year? Do you have a family tradition that you’ve carried forward through the years?
We’ll also host another holiday trivia game to test your knowledge!
Bring your mug of hot chocolate, hot mulled wine or cider, or something stronger! Wear your holiday finest or your ugliest holiday sweater, if you dare!
Please send your scanned photos to us at: westmassgen@gmail.com by Monday, December 11th and we’ll create a slideshow of your submissions.

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 Board Meeting
2024-01-08 18:30 - 20:30 | Online

WMGS Training Session: Murder, Mayhem, and Mystery!
2024-01-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
We’ve all had research discoveries that surprised and even shocked us. Have you discovered that an ancestor was murdered or was involved in a murder? An ancestor who was a horse thief, robbed a bank, or participated in a rebellion or another illegal event? Perhaps a story was passed down through the family, and you have discovered
evidence about what really happened!
We hope you’ll share your research discoveries with us at our January training session, “Murder, Mayhem, and Mystery!” We all love a good story, and your fellow members will appreciate hearing about your discoveries.
Short (5 minutes or so) presentations about your ancestor and research will be combined with others from WMGS members for discussion and Q & A.
This will be an informal event, so it isn’t necessary to provide tons of background
information, research documentation, or other material about your ancestor or your
research. We’re planning for this event to be fun and interactive, so we hope you’ll
consider telling us about your ancestor!
If you’d like to share photos, scanned documents, or other digital material with your story, please send the items to us at westmassgen@gmail.com by Friday, January 12th, and we’ll have them ready to share on the screen.

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.

WMGW Board Meeting
2024-02-12 18:30 - 20:30 | Online

WMGS Training Session: Tech Talk with Dave - Part 3
2024-02-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Have you started (or maybe finished) scanning all the photos in those albums, boxes, and file folders? Are there now dozens, hundreds, or thousands of photos on your computer in different folders? Have you simply transformed your physical photo mess into a digital photo mess? Can you find that one specific digital photo when you want or need it?
At our February training session, Dave Lapierre will host another session of “Tech Talk with Dave.” Dave will field and (hopefully) answer your technology questions on a topic that often overwhelms many of us.
Many of you will remember Dave’s previous presentations on photo preservation and how helpful they were. For this session, Dave will give a brief overview of the basics of photo scanning and review file-naming conventions for those scanned digital photos to help you find them later. He’ll also go over some options for labelling digital photos with metadata (this is not what you name the image; rather, it’s a description of what the image is, who is in the image, and where the photo was taken). Lastly, he will talk about options for storing those digital photos so they are safe and can be retrieved when you want. He’ll also answer any questions that you would like to ask him.
If you would like to submit questions in advance, please send them to Dave at westmassgen@gmail.com. Of course, you can also ask your questions at the session. We hope you’ll join us for this very helpful presentation!

RootsTech 2024
2024-02-29 - 2024-03-02 | Online

WMGS Member Survey: 2024
2024-03-04 19:00 | Online
The survey will close on Monday, March 4, 2024, at 7:00 p.m.

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 March Training Session: Our Ancestors' Clothing
2024-03-21 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
We’re very happy that Howard Vincent Kurtz will be joining us again at our March 21st
training session for another presentation of “Our Ancestors’ Clothing”!
If you have participated in Professor Kurtz’s previous visits to WMGS, you’ll know what a unique opportunity he provides our members. As in his previous visits, Prof. Kurtz will review a selection of photographs sent in by our members, analyzing the clothing worn and other clues in them.
Professor Kurtz’s analysis may help to identify ancestors, solve family mysteries, and add details and context to family stories. In addition, his visits provide our members with an opportunity to gain skills in photograph analysis from an expert.

Deadline for WMGS Founders Award Nominations
2024-04-01
WMGS initiated its Founders Award in 2016, in honor of our one of our founding members, Diane Ascioti. We were proud to be able to give her this award at our May meeting that year. In 2017, the Board of Directors decided to bestow this award on an annual basis and approved a set of guidelines and criteria for selecting an awardee.
Any WMGS member may nominate an individual for this award. The Board will select the award recipient(s) at the April Board meeting and announce their selection in the May newsletter. The award will be presented at the annual meeting in May.
Criteria for the award were published in last month’s newsletter and are available in the Members Only section of our website. We invite all of our members to review the nomination and award policy and to consider making a nomination.
As noted in the policy, nominees do not have to be a member of the society, but nominations may only be made by members. Nominations will be accepted until April 1st. Members may email their nominations and supporting reasons to the WMGS Board at westmassgen@gmail.com.

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 April Training Session: Paleography: Reading Old Handwriting - Part 1
2024-04-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
At our April 18th training session, Ed Strickland will present part one of a two-session course on paleography. The one-hour paleography lecture will be followed by a practice workshop at our May 16th training session.
After only a little research, we all have to begin to read original documents. Often our eyes glaze over after the first few lines, or we skip through the document looking for names and overlooking many important details. This short course in paleography explores the development of the Roman alphabet and the cursive hand (including the pesky thorn). Ed will cover five steps to understanding old documents, transcriptions, special characters, and translations.

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 May Board Meeting
2024-05-13 18:30 - 20:30 | Online

WMGS May 16th Training Session: Paleography - Reading Old Handwriting Part 2
2024-05-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Online

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 June Board Meeting
2024-06-10 18:30 - 20:30 | Online

WMGS June Training Session - Virtual Skills Night
2024-06-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Online

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
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 September Training Session: Tech Talk with Dave, Session 4- Gravesites to Websites - Find A Grave, BillionGraves, and Interment.net - Let's Dig In
2024-09-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
In the 4th Tech Talk with Dave session, Dave will review and demonstrate websites for finding graves. Specifically, Dave will showcase FindAGrave, Billion Graves, and will touch on Interment.net. All three of these sites are free to use, and two of them have a mobile version – – an app you can download to your smart phone. Dave will explain how they are similar, how they differ, and how to use them.

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 October Training Session: Too Much Stuff: A Case Study
2024-10-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Online
Have you ever searched for a piece of information you know you
have but can’t find? Have you ever wanted to gather all the
information you have on one individual in one place? Have you
ever been overwhelmed with “stuff” and struggled with organizing
and archiving it?
In “Too Much Stuff: A Case Study” WMGS member Angus Dun will describe how he uses Clooz software to organize his research. He will also discuss a system that provides consistent identification, storage, and retrieval of information. Using real data, he will explain how Clooz helped him meet his goals and how it might help you.
Angus Dun is a retired educator and education technology consultant who currently manages the historical artifacts collection of the Shelburne Historical Society in Shelburne Falls. His genealogical journey started over 50 years ago, when he inherited an extensive collection of family letters, documents, and artifacts. He has
self-published, primarily for family, one book, “Catherine Whipple Pew: Life in Her Own Words,” and has several others in the queue.
