WMGS November Board Meeting
2022-11-14 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Online

WMGS Training Session: Share Your Ancestor's Story
2022-11-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Online
Our first “Share Your Ancestor’s Story” session was such a success that we’re planning to do it again at our November 17th training session. We want to let you know about our plans now, so you’ll have time to prepare. Once again, we’re inviting WMGS members to share a story and research about an ancestor whose past was intriguing,
criminal, or unusual.
Have you discovered a famous or infamous ancestor in your family? Or perhaps you’ve found an offbeat ancestor or someone with an unusual occupation. Have you been able to prove or disprove a family myth through your research? We’d love to hear about your discoveries!
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!
Short (5 minutes or so) presentations about your ancestor and research process will be combined with others from WMGS members for discussion and Q & A. If you’d like to share photos, documents, or digital material (limit of 10 scanned items/slides please) along with your story, you can send the items to us at westmassgen@gmail.com and we’ll have them ready to share on the screen.

Giving Tuesday
2022-11-29 | Online
Giving Tuesday is a worldwide campaign to celebrate generosity, share kindness, and help organizations and causes that need support.
Last year, WMGS participated in this campaign for the first time, and we were blessed with many tax-deductible contributions from our members. These funds have helped to support our programs and activities and have allowed us to continue our efforts to bring local, regional, and national speakers to our members.
Giving Tuesday takes place each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This year, Giving Tuesday falls on November 29th.
We hope you will join us in celebrating this global tradition of generosity by contributing to our campaign. All contributions will help WMGS to continue its 50+ year mission to help others to research, document, and share their family ancestry and history.
WMGS is a 501(c)3 organization that is run entirely by volunteers and is funded entirely by membership fees and donations.
Here is a link to the donation page on our website: https://westmassgen.com/donate/
Thank you in advance for your contribution and support!

Massachusetts Genealogical Council: An Evening with Kate Kelley - Meet the Photo Angel
2022-11-30 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
It all began with a pile of labeled photos of non-relatives that were mixed in with Kate’s grandparents’ old family pictures. Were they friends? Classmates? War buddies? Neighbors? I was determined to find out. She started poking around genealogy websites began connecting with relatives of the photographed. Now hooked, Kate visits antique stores to thumb through pictures to find those that are labeled so that she can try to return them to their family members. Affectionately dubbed “The Photo Angel,” Kate has established a project to reunite long lost photos with their relatives.
This presentation is free, but registration is required!

WMGS Monthly Meeting: The Pilgrims: Persistent and Resilient
2022-12-07 18:00 - 20:00 | Online
At our December meeting, John Putnam will return to present “The Pilgrims: Persistent and Resilient.” John will discuss the challenges and successes of the Plymouth Colony from its settlement until its merging with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1692.
After facing and surviving challenges on their journey, the Pilgrims faced further hardships once they arrived on the shores of America. The list was long and included housing, food, disease, weather, conflicts with Native American tribes, economic issues, and more. How did they deal with these challenges and what were the outcomes of their efforts? Where did their strength and resilience originate?

WMGS Virtual Holiday Gathering
2022-12-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
We’re very excited that well-known local historian, Dennis D. Picard, will be presenting “Dashing Through the Snow: The Real History of Christmas in New England” at our virtual holiday event this year.
The reality of Christmas in early New England may be disappointing to some and unbelievable to many, but the historical actuality of that celebration — or lack of celebration — of Christmas is a very interesting tale and one that blends the heritage and spirit of many cultures and many lands.
Dennis’ presentation in period costume with accompanying artifacts will help us understand what Christmas was like for our ancestors and put us in the holiday spirit. His interpretations of history are always a fascinating look into the past.
Brew a mug of mulled wine, cider, or hot chocolate and join us as we travel back in time.

WMGS Monthly Meeting: Introduction to U.S. Church Records: Why We Care Where Grandma Went to Church
2023-01-04 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
Popular genealogist and author Sunny Jane Morton will help us kick off the new year! At our January 4th meeting, Sunny will present “Introduction to U.S. Church Records: Why We Care Where Grandma Went to Church.”
As Sunny has noted, U.S. church records of many denominations can reveal ancestors’ vital events, maiden names, family relationships, overseas birthplaces, and other information such as our ancestors’ religious practices and residences. Sunny will help us learn what these records may look like, how to identify an ancestral church, locate extant records, and tell us where we might locate them.
Sunny’s acclaimed book on this topic, “How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records” (co-authored with Harold Henderson), has become a bestseller. Sunny is a popular speaker at genealogy conferences and seminars around the U.S. and world. She’s especially known for expertise in tracing U.S. ancestors, her unique comparisons
of the industry’s largest websites, and inspiring presentations on how to reconstruct
and tell meaningful stories from the past.

WMGS Training Session: Genealogy 101 - Session #1
2023-01-26 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
We’re excited to share the news with you! Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, one of our favorite presenters, will be teaching “Genealogy 101: A Four-Session Course in Beginning
Genealogy” for WMGS members at our monthly training sessions from January through April 2023.
These sessions will be held virtually on the 4 th Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The recordings and handouts will be archived in the Members Only section of our website, in case you miss a class or want to watch it again.
For some time, we’ve been searching for a beginners’ course in genealogy that we could offer to potential, new, and current members.
This course could be a way to bring more members to our society and introduce more
people to the joy of family history research.
Many of us are self-taught and could benefit from learning other aspects of genealogy
research. Whether to learn new skills or brush up on unfamiliar areas, we think current
members will be interested in attending such a course as well. We’ll have more information in our January newsletter about the sessions and what topics Peggy will
cover in each class.
If you have friends or family who have been thinking about doing their family genealogy,
please let them know about this wonderful opportunity. For the low cost of an annual
membership, they’ll be able to take this course (either live on Zoom or at their leisure),
attend our monthly meetings, and have access to all of the archived webinars,
handouts, and other content in the Members Only section of our website as well.

WMGS February Monthly Meeting: Pinpointing Ancestors Using Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
2023-02-01 18:00 - 19:30 | 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 Training Session: Genealogy 101 - Session #2
2023-02-23 19:00 - 20:30 | Online

WMGS Training Session: Genealogy 101 - Session #3
2023-03-23 19:00 - 20:30 | Online

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 Training Session: Genealogy 101 - Session #4
2023-04-27 19:00 - 20:30 | Online

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 May Board Meeting
2023-05-08 18:30 - 20:30 | Online

WMGS Training Session: Hillary Schau presents Roots Magic Software - Part 1
2023-05-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Online

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 June Board Meeting
2023-06-12 18:30 - 20:30 | Online

WMGS Training Session: Hillary Schau presents Roots Magic Software - Part 2
2023-06-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
At our June training session, Hillary Schau will be offering Part 2 of her presentation on the features of RootsMagic 8 software, along with demonstrations on how to do the most common tasks of logging your family history and research. Time will be allowed
at the end of the session for questions.
If you missed the first session, the recording and handout are available in the Members
Only section of our website.

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.

September Board Meeting
2023-09-11 18:30 - 20:30 | Online

September Training Event: Tech Talk with Dave
2023-09-14 18:30 - 20:00 | Online
At our September training session, Dave Lapierre will host another session of “Tech Talk with Dave.” Dave will field and (hopefully) answer your technology questions.
Dave will spend some time teaching us useful Zoom techniques, including how to mute and unmute your mic, turn your camera off or on, set up a virtual background, navigate
Zoom rooms, use the chat and reactions functions (for example, raise your hand to ask a question or applaud), share a document or website on screen, change viewing options from speaker only to gallery view, and more.
Our Program Committee is planning several interactive Zoom events for the next
year, so Dave’s review of Zoom techniques will be helpful for everyone. He’ll then give members an opportunity to ask questions about computer and software problems that they might be experiencing.

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.

WMGS Board Meeting
2023-10-09 18:30 - 20:30 | Online

October Training Session: Back to the Future
2023-10-19 19:00 - 20:30 | 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

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.
