Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society, Inc.

WMGS August Meeting: Field Trip
2016-08-03 17:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, 21 Edwards Street, Springfield, MA, 01103, United States
Please join us for our August meeting at the Springfield History Library and Archives. We get the place to ourselves, undivided attention from the archivist, and a private tour of normally off limit areas. But remember, you have to be a paid member to attend!
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

Genealogy Research Clinic
2016-07-28 18:00 - 20:00, 2016-07-21 18:00 - 20:00, 2016-06-23 18:00 - 20:00, 2016-06-16 18:00 - 20:00, 2016-05-26 18:00 - 20:00, 2016-05-19 18:00 - 20:00, 2016-04-28 18:00 - 20:00, 2016-04-21 18:00 - 20:00 and 2 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 July Meeting
2016-07-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
Please join us for our monthly meeting at which our guest speaker, Margaret Rose Fortier, will present Andiamo! Finding Your Italian Family, in person. She will cover Italian history, Italian immigration, Italians in the US, and how to find your Italian family. Learn why your great-uncle had five cousins named Vincenzo and what they changed their name to in the United States.
Margaret Rose Fortier, named for her grandmothers and inspired by her mother’s phenomenal memory, is a professional genealogical researcher, writer, and speaker. She focuses on Italian – American and French – Canadian ancestry in New England. She serves as vice-president of the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists, Inc. and lives in Medford, Massachusetts. She is a member of the Italian Genealogical Society of America, the New England Historic Genealogical Society and the New England Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists.

WMGS June Meeting
2016-06-01 06:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
Please join us for our monthly meeting: Pot Luck Dinner and “Open Mic” Session.
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
2016-05-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
Please join us for our monthly meeting and Election of Officers.
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. Join Dave Robison, Fran Malone and Bruce Cortis 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.

Daytime Genealogy Research Clinic
2016-04-12 12:30 - 14:30 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
Special Daytime Clinic: Please join Susan Leverson and Katy Krause for a Daytime Genealogy Research Clinic.
They will expand on the WMGS April meeting by discussing photographs. Do you wish you had more photographs? Join us and learn how to search for pictures of family members and the places they lived. There will also be plenty of time to access the Library Edition of Ancestry.com and Susan and Katy will be available to assist you.
This event is free for WMGS Members. Non-members may participate for only $10, or consider joining WMGS for just $25 per year.
Genealogy Research Clinics are held in the computer room of the Agawam Senior Center.

WMGS April Meeting
2016-04-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
Please join us for our monthly meeting. Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, will join us virtually to present Buns, Beards, Bodices and Bustles: Understanding Ancestors Through Clothing.
Ancestral fashions and the industry that produced them left behind a fascinating legacy of images and information.

Paris fashion in America: north, south, east and west interpretations
Fashion icons from Charles Dickens to stage star Lillie Langtry
Fashion foibles and practical pastimes: how our ancestors designed and hand-crafted accessories.
What’s old is new and what’s new is old? Repeating fashion trends and how to read the clues
Labor records relating to hat, hair and accessory factories and home-work

For more information, please visit Maureen’s website: www.maureentaylor.com

Genealogy Research Clinic
2016-03-08 12:30 - 14:30 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
Special Daytime Clinic: Please join Susan Leverson and Katy Krause for a Daytime Genealogy Research Clinic.
They will expand on the WMGS March meeting by discussing websites for land records in Massachusetts. Members have free use of our Ancestry Library subscription and other research sites while seeking assistance from WMGS members with family research experience.
This event is free for WMGS Members. Non-members may participate for only $10, or consider joining WMGS for just $25 per year.
Genealogy Research Clinics are held in the computer room of the Agawam Senior Center.

WMGS March Meeting
2016-03-02 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
Please join us for our monthly meeting. Jennifer Alford will present The Basics of Land Records.
Jennifer Alford, PE, PTOE, is a Traffic Engineer by day and a genealogy professional and lecturer by night. Her business, Jenealogy, creates engaging family history treasures to enhance the bond between generations. Jen serves as newsletter editor for the Indiana Genealogical Society and has served in the position of associate editor of the Federation of Genealogical Society’s ‘FORUM’ magazine. As a partner with The In-Depth Genealogist she is publisher of The In-Depth Genealogist’s magazine, ‘Going In-Depth’, and several books written by their contributing writers. She can be contacted at jen@jenalford.com or visit her website at http://www.jenealogy.biz or http://www.theindepthgenealogist.com

Presentation Description: Have a difficult family that you are researching and not sure where to go? Land records could provide the information that could clarify which John Smith is which and who his heirs were. We’ll discuss the history of land records in the United States, information found within, terminology, and the many sources to examine.

Genealogy Research Clinic
2016-02-25 18:00 - 20:00, 2016-02-18 18:00 - 20:00 | 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 experienced WMGS family researchers. 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.
