Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society, Inc.

WMGS Volunteer Information Night
2024-10-24 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Online
Have you ever thought about volunteering with WMGS? We’d love to have you on the team!
Volunteers are the lifeblood of our society, and there are many opportunities for our members to contribute and bring in new ideas. Some tasks require specific skills, but most do not. Some routine tasks require only a few hours each month, but we also need help with specific projects. Most, if not all tasks, can be done from home. All of our meetings are held on Zoom so that no matter where you live, you can help.
There are many benefits to volunteering for WMGS. You’ll meet other members who are passionate about our society and genealogy, gain experience for your resume, develop new skills, and help to secure the future of WMGS.
Ready to learn more? We’re hosting an informational event on Zoom to tell you about our volunteer opportunities and society needs, and we’ll answer your questions about
them. There’s no commitment required, and we won’t pressure you to volunteer if you
attend.

WMGS November Monthly Meeting: “Changing New England Records in the 1800s.”
2024-11-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Online
Whether you’re just starting your research on your New England ancestors or are a seasoned veteran, you’ll enjoy our November meeting. As a sequel to her presentation to us last spring, Diane MacLean Boumenot, CG, will present “Changing New England Records in the 1800s.”
Just as some New Englanders left their declining farms and headed west, industrialization arrived in New England and our ancestors’ lives and records changed forever. The days when deeds and probate would solve genealogical problems gave way to a dizzying array of new census collections, state mandated vital records, poorhouse, prison and asylum records, sturdier cemetery markers, and military pensions. Let’s reteach ourselves as we trace our 1800s ancestors.
Diane MacLean Boumenot, CG, specializes in southern New England family history research and publishes genealogical guidance on her website, One Rhode Island Family. In 2018 she and Maureen Taylor coauthored the National Genealogical Society’s book “Rhode Island” (part of the NGS Research in the States series). She is currently serving as the editor of Rhode Island Roots, the quarterly journal of the Rhode Island Genealogical Society.
Join us on Wednesday, November 6 at 6 p.m. as we welcome Diane back for a virtual presentation on Zoom.
(This presentation will be recorded and archived in the Members Only section of our website for 60 days.)

WMGS November Training Session: Tech Talk With Dave: Cemetery Websites
2024-11-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Online
At our September 19th training session, Dave Lapierre reviewed and demonstrated three popular websites for finding our ancestors’ resting places: Find A Grave, BillionGraves, and 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 smartphone. Dave explained how the sites are similar, how they differ, and how to use them.
Many of us have searched for ancestors on these sites but were pleasantly surprised by the extensive features of these sites. Many of us also haven’t used the apps at cemeteries and are eager to learn more about them.
Members had more questions than Dave had time to answer, so we will offer a follow-up session at our November training session. This gives members a chance to explore the websites, jot down follow-up questions, and download and practice using the mobile apps beforehand. If you weren’t able to attend the training or need a refresher, the recording and handouts are available in the Members Only section of our website under Trainings.
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 helpful presentation.

WMGS December Monthly Meeting: Court Records Research Without the Law Degree
2024-12-04 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
Court records are an underutilized genealogical resource. While courthouses hold common records like marriage, divorce, naturalization, and probate items, you might be
surprised to find that your ancestor had a criminal record. Was he involved in a lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding or something more sinister?
At our December monthly meeting, Kate Townsend will present “Court Records Research Without the Law Degree.” Kate will explore the types of court records that might be available, the various courts in which they might be found, how to find them, and what resources might be available to help you.

WMGS Annual Virtual Holiday Party
2024-12-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
We’re inviting all our members to join us at our genealogy-focused holiday Zoom party on Thursday, December 19 at 7 p.m.! This will be our third virtual holiday party, and it’s quickly becoming a much-enjoyed tradition. (Note: Dates changed for party & photo
submissions.)
Just like our first two fabulous virtual holiday events, we’ll dive into several genealogy-related holiday topics to get the conversation flowing. We’ll share stories about holiday traditions, favorite heirlooms, cherished memories, and take a nostalgic stroll down memory lane through local newspapers.
One of the highlights of our virtual parties is when members dig into their archives or family collections to share their holiday photos and traditions. Do you have a photo of yourself sitting on Santa’s lap? A picture of your family Christmas tree or a family holiday gathering? A favorite holiday photo from your childhood?
Send in photos of your treasured holiday decorations or family heirlooms that you display every year. Any holiday-related photos can be submitted, and we’ll create a slideshow of them for everyone to enjoy!
And yes, we’ll have another exciting holiday genealogy trivia game to challenge your
knowledge!
It’s BYOB — hot chocolate, hot mulled wine, hot cider, or something stronger if you’d like! Dress up in your holiday finery or your ugliest holiday sweater if you wish. Get ready to celebrate the holidays in a genealogical way.
Please send your photos to westmassgen@gmail.com by Friday, December 13. We hope you’ll join us at this virtual event and get in the holiday spirit with us!

WMGS January Monthly Meeting: Mysterious Codes - Passenger Manifests Letters and Numbers
2025-01-08 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
You’ve found your ancestors listed in a ship’s passenger list and are thrilled to learn where they came from, how much money they brought with them, and who they were going to meet. But did you know that much more information is recorded on their entry?
At our January monthly meeting, genealogist Christine Cohen will present “Mysterious Codes: Passenger Manifests Letters and Numbers” and tell us how we might learn so
much more from the record.
On her website, Christine describes her presentation this way:
“What do those letters, numbers, stamps, and pencil marks mean on Immigration Passenger Manifests? Does your ancestor have the letter ‘D’ or ‘X’ next to their name? Do you know what V/L, # 404, USB, Transit, CL, N.O.B, C/A, LPC, SI, NQIV, BSI, PV or C-XXXXX mean? We will learn if and when to contact the US National Archives or USCIS to get more genealogical information from these codes. Plus, what insight we can learn about your ancestor’s immigration experience based on these notations.”
(Note: USCIS stands for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.)

WMGS January Board Meeting
2025-01-13 18:30 - 20:00

Special Interest Group (SIG): Canadian Genealogy Research
2025-01-23 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Kick off the new year with our inaugural virtual Special Interest Group (SIG) session in January! This month, we’re diving into Canadian genealogy research.
What to Expect:
Knowledge Sharing: Connect with members researching ancestors from across Canada.
New Resources: Discover helpful tips and new databases.
Research Assistance: Discuss your research questions and get help with those tricky brick walls.
Focus Areas: From the Eastern Provinces to Quebec, Ontario, the Western provinces, Loyalists, Irish immigrants, and more.
We’ll explore a wealth of resources for Canadian ancestry research, covering both well-known and exciting new databases that might provide the breakthroughs you’re looking for.
Leading the group will be Jeanne Leblond, who has over 25 years of experience researching Canadian ancestors. Members can send their research questions in advance or ask them at the meeting.

An Evening with Sybil J. Gilchrist: "Comrades of World War I”
2025-01-30 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
Massachusetts resident Sybil Gilcrist discovered five brave World War I African American patriots from Pittsylvania County, Virginia, in her extended family. Bound by community ties, these men and their families shared a vibrant social, religious, and commercial life. Through compelling research, Sybil will delve into the soldiers’ military tours, share the records that revealed their stories, and recount her own journey to uncover this poignant history.
This presentation is free, but registration is required!
For more information, go to www.massgencouncil.org/m-o-r-e

WMGS February Monthly Meeting: Translating, Transcribing and Summarizing Documents Using AI
2025-02-05 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
At our February 2025 meeting, Tom MacEntee will join us to present “Translating, Transcribing and Summarizing Documents Using AI.” Tom introduced us to this technology last September when he presented “AI and Genealogy: Trouble Ahead.” AI (artificial intelligence) can improve our genealogy research, and who better to tell us how but one of our favorite presenters?
As his workshop description explains, Tom will teach us how to “harness the power of artificial intelligence to assist in translating, transcribing, and summarizing a variety of genealogy records. A handwritten baptismal record from the 1800s? No problem. A faded newspaper obituary? No problem. We’ll cover the best AI platforms as well as how to craft a solid prompt to get you the results you need.” Tom will also offer tips and tricks to increase our success.
If you missed Tom’s September presentation introducing us to AI (or if you want to review it), the recording and handout are available in the Members Only section of our website.

WMGS February Training: Murder, Mayhem, and Mystery!
2025-02-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Join us at our February training session for another thrilling edition of Murder, Mayhem,
and Mystery! Do you have a famous or infamous ancestor in your family tree? Someone with an unusual occupation or career or perhaps someone who made headlines for a
scandalous event? Whether it’s a horse thief, a bank robber, or another colorful character, we’d love to hear their story.
Have you solved a mystery about an ancestor’s disappearance, uncovered a secret that was hushed up by the family, or disproved a family myth? Share the discoveries that have intrigued, fascinated, or shocked you and tell us how you uncovered these intriguing stories.
These events are a great way to gather your documents and share your discoveries or
stories with fellow members. They’ll also be ready to share with your own family later. We hope you’ll consider sharing one of your findings with us. This will be an informal
event, so it isn’t necessary to provide tons of background information, research documentation, or other material.
Short (5 minutes or so) presentations about your ancestor and research will be
combined with others from WMGS members for an enjoyable event.
If you’d like to share photos, documents, or digital material (limit of 10 scanned
items/slides please) along with your story, please send the items to us at westmassgen@gmail.com by Friday, February 14 and we’ll have them ready to
share on the screen.
Whether you’d like to present or not, we hope you’ll join us on Thursday, February
20 at 7 p.m. on Zoom.

WMGS March 5 Monthly Meeting: Deconstructing Obituaries
2025-03-05 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
At our March 2025 meeting, we’ll welcome back Susan M. O’Connor, who will present “Deconstructing Obituaries.”
Obituaries are treasure troves of genealogical information, offering insights into family and social relationships, community ties, and even historical events. In this presentation, we’ll explore the wealth of details obituaries can provide, from vital records to clues about extended family and friends. Learn where to find obituaries — both online and offline — and discover techniques for analyzing the information
within them to piece together a fuller picture of your ancestors’ lives. Whether you’re just starting your family history journey or looking to enhance your research skills, this talk will equip you with practical tools to uncover hidden stories and connections.

WMGS March Special Interest Group (SIG): Canadian Research...continued
2025-03-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Join us for our next Canadian Special Interest Group meeting on Thursday, March 20 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. In our inaugural session, we explored Canadian genealogy
resources available through Library and Archives Canada and FamilySearch. This time, we’ll delve into resources on Ancestry, including the Drouin Collection, U.S.-Canadian
border crossings, census records, and many others. We’ll also explore additional websites as time permits.
What to Expect:

Knowledge sharing: Connect with members researching ancestors from
various regions of Canada.
New resources: Discover helpful tips and explore new databases.
Research assistance: Share your research questions and receive help with
challenging brick walls.
Focus areas: Covering topics from the Eastern Provinces, Quebec, Ontario, and
the Western Provinces to Loyalists, Irish immigrants, and more.

We’ll uncover a wealth of resources for Canadian ancestry research, covering both well-known and new databases that could provide the breakthroughs you’re seeking.
Leading the group will be Jeanne Leblond, who has over 25 years of experience researching Canadian ancestors. Members are encouraged to send their research questions or brick wall problems in advance to westmassgen@gmail.com or ask them
during the meeting.

WMGS April Monthly Meeting: Dark as a Dungeon - Researching Mining Records
2025-04-02 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
From mining iron ore in the colonial period to searching for copper, iron, tin, coal and precious metals, many of our ancestors were miners. Do you have ancestors who participated in the Gold Rush? Or immigrant ancestors who worked in coal mines or perhaps Native American ancestors who worked in the mineral mines out West?
At our April 2 monthly meeting, Peggy Clemens Lauritzen will present “Dark as a Dungeon: Researching Mining Records.” As Peggy says, “This is the real Minecraft. As the song goes, it truly was ‘dark as a dungeon’ in just about any mine. Fortunately, there are records that may have been kept on your mining ancestors.”
Peggy adds, “Mining is hard work. Starting from the children that worked in mines up to the adults of today, mining records may provide a clue to your ancestors’ lives.”

WMGS April Training Session: Our Ancestors' Clothing
2025-04-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
We’re very happy that Howard Vincent Kurtz will be joining us again at our April 17 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. If you have photographs of people that you can’t identify, if you’d like more information about their clothing, or if you think other
members would find them intriguing, please send them to us. Prof. Kurtz will research the clothing worn and other photographic details to help identify the time and place the photos were taken, among other characteristics.
Prof. 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.

WMGS May Monthly Meeting: "Creating an Ancestor Sketch"
2025-05-07 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
We’re excited that Tom MacEntee will be joining us again in May to present another useful feature: “Creating an Ancestor Sketch.” Tom will describe the essential elements
of an ancestor biography sketch and explain different sketch formats. He’ll also tell us how to incorporate genealogy facts and family research information, and he’ll provide other tips, tricks, and tools to make the process easy.
“Face it: Most genealogists never get around to publishing that family history book based on their genealogy research,” Tom says in his program description. “How about a different approach — producing short 3 to 5 page ‘sketches’ about an ancestor? You’ll learn how to include a cover, photos, facts, family stories, source citations, and more! And guess what, once you get a few of these ancestor sketches done, you can compile
them together for one big book!”

WMGS 2025 Annual Meeting
2025-05-07 19:00 - 19:30 | Online
Our annual meeting will be held on May 7, following our presentation by Thomas MacEntee. At the meeting, our Assistant Treasurer will give a brief financial report, announce the results of our annual audit, and provide membership numbers.
We will then conduct our annual elections. The Nominating Committee will present the slate of candidates for election as officers and directors of our society. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor. Voting will be conducted electronically by an anonymous poll.
The following positions are up for election to two-year terms:
• President
• Treasurer
• Director (two positions)
A Nominating Committee consisting of Dave Lapierre and Kris Verny has been appointed. If any member is interested in running for election to a position and/or
wishes to know the requirements for each 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.
Following the election, we will review the status of our society and review our plans for the upcoming year.
We encourage you to attend our annual meeting.

WMGS May Training Session: Genealogy Neatly - Organizing Your Family History Research
2025-05-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
How do you organize your genealogical research? Do you use physical storage (binders, papers, hanging files, notebooks, etc.), digital storage (genealogy program, Microsoft Word/Excel, PDF files, your laptop, the cloud, etc.), or a combination of both physical and digital?
Is your current organization system working for you? Can you find that document or photograph when you want to? Can you quickly locate that 1920 census document that you downloaded and saved?
Organizing our genealogical data is a challenge many of us deal with. There are various options and methods available. We’ve all seen the ads on social media from vendors promising that if we buy their product or subscribe to their organizational system, all our challenges will be solved. The only organizational system that works is the one that works for you!
At our May 22 training session (starting at 7 p.m.), Dave Lapierre will present “Genealogy Neatly: Organizing Your Family History Research.” He will review both physical and digital genealogy files and discuss methods for organizing both types, file naming conventions, folder structure, and how to maintain organization over time. This will be the fifth session of our Tech Talk with Dave series.

WMGS June Monthly Meeting: Think Like an Archivist - Finding Genealogy Records in Libraries & Archives
2025-06-04 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
While many of us rely on the databases of popular genealogy companies and large organizations to research our ancestors, we may be overlooking a wealth of information available in libraries and archives. For those with limited experience searching these resources, navigating their systems can sometimes be frustrating or less productive than we’d hoped.
At our June 4 monthly meeting, Nancy E. Loe will return to WMGS to present “Think Like an Archivist: Finding Genealogy Records in Libraries & Archives.”
At this presentation, we’ll learn how to locate genealogy records housed in archives across the United States and around the world, using online archival portals and digital finding aids. We’ll gain insights into how archivists work to make these collections accessible. And we’ll learn how to craft effective search terms, with specific URLs provided for regional, state, national, and global archival resources.

WMGS June Training Session: Enriching Your Ancestor's Story Using Occupational Records, An Introduction
2025-06-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
At our June 19 training session, Diane Romanowsky will present “Enriching Your Ancestor’s Story Using Occupational Records, An Introduction.”
Occupational records are helpful in genealogy as they provide insights into an ancestor’s daily life, socioeconomic status, possible education, and skills. An ancestor’s occupation often shaped their lifestyle, finances, and even where they lived.
Your ancestor’s occupation can tell you so much about their day-to-day life. In this presentation, you will:

Learn how occupational information can advance your research.
Learn how to find your ancestor’s occupation(s).
Learn sources of occupational information and records.
See examples of occupational records and learn how the information they contain
enriches the ancestor’s story.

The occupations of coal miner, farmer, railroad worker, Catholic priest, and textile worker will be highlighted. Diane will share her success in using occupational records to advance her research and enrich her ancestor’s stories.

WMGS July Monthly Meeting: Roots and Ridges - Families' Journeys Through Western Massachusetts Hilltowns
2025-07-09 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
For many current residents of Western Massachusetts, it isn’t easy to imagine that the hilltowns of Becket, Blandford, Chester, Granville, Huntington, and Middlefield were once vibrant and larger. They were deforested mainly during the 19th century to support their traditional agricultural economy. At our July 2025 monthly meeting, John Putnam will present “Roots and Ridges: Families’ Journeys Through Western Massachusetts Hilltowns.”
John will share his research into several family branches that lived in these towns during the 19th century, whose whole world was impacted by many historical forces over which they had little control. He’ll integrate three primary genealogical sources into his story — traditional genealogy databases and records, local historical events, and social history — to understand better the undercurrents his ancestors underwent during their 19th and early 20th century lifetimes. In addition, he will weave newspaper data, family memorabilia, and AI information to enrich the stories of the families that once lived there. Finally, he will identify specific themes that impacted his ancestors and yours.
Note: To make this more interactive, John will share a couple of specific stories he has written as a handout, incorporating all this information, both as a template for your stories and as a conversation about how these towns differ today from the 19th century.

WMGS August Monthly Meeting: More than a Will - Using Probate Records
2025-08-06 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
Probate records can be a gold mine for genealogical research! They often contain wills, estate inventories, guardianship records, and other legal proceedings related to a deceased person’s assets. What types of information can be uncovered? Names and relationships, residences and property details, occupations, financial status, community connections, and countless more valuable genealogical clues!
At our August 6 monthly meeting, Ed Strickland will be with us to present More than a Will: Using Probate Records. The bulk of the work of a probate court is the settlement of an estate. After examining the three record formats used by the court, we will look at the types of documents generated and the clues they provide. We will then turn to other matters which may be handled by the court, such as guardianships and minor trusts, mental competence, adoptions, separations, divorces, and insolvent estates.

WMGS September Monthly Meeting: Born to be Filed - Delayed Birth Records in the U.S.
2025-09-03 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
Have you struggled to locate a birth record for one of your ancestors or discovered a birth record created long after the birth itself? If your relative was born at home or in a rural area with slow registration practices, they may be listed in a delayed birth record. These records often hold rich genealogical clues waiting to be uncovered.
To start off our 2025-2026 membership year, Sunny Morton will join us to present Born to be Filed: Delayed Birth Records in the U.S. She’ll explain why these records were created, what kinds of details they contain, and where you can find them.

WMGS Next-Gen Genealogy: Tools to Transform Your Research
2025-09-25 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Genealogy is evolving at a remarkable pace, with exciting new technologies transforming how we discover our ancestors and preserve their stories.
At our September training session, we’ll offer a trio of mini-presentations showcasing cutting edge resources our hosts have been exploring. Each presentation will last 15 to 20 minutes.
We’ll cover:

Google Maps & Google Earth
Discover your ancestors’ homes, explore geographic migration routes, and gain
insights on your family journeys.
AI Platforms
Discover how tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Perplexity can assist with everything from formulating research questions to organizing and writing about your discoveries.
FamilySearch Labs
Learn about FamilySearch’s experimental labs, including full-text search techniques, AI-powered Help Center searches, and the Ask a Help Chatbot feature. We’ll also explore where to find digitized books and archived videos from past RootsTech conferences.

There’s a lot happening in genealogy these days, and it’s a great time to take your research to the next level. Join us on Thursday, September 25 at 7 p.m. as we explore a few of them!

WMGS October Monthly Meeting: Alienation of Affection - Divorce in the United States
2025-10-01 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
Many of us have encountered ancestors who mysteriously disappeared from records, only to discover they were divorced. Or we’ve found information that suggests another
marriage or separation. Uncovering the official documentation behind those earlier marriages or separations can be a challenge.
Join us at our October monthly meeting as Christine Cohen returns to present “Alienation of Affection: Divorce in the United States.”
As Christine explains in her presentation description, “[Divorce] case files can include marriage date and place, names and ages of children, current and former residences,
and affidavits by the spouses about their marriage and reason for divorce. Clues are in the census, city directories, military pensions, county histories, county courthouses, and especially in newspapers. This could be the reason for a ‘lost spouse.’”

WMGS October Training Session: Write Your Family History Using Traditional and AI Strategies
2025-10-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
How might traditional and AI tools be used to write a family history? In our October training, WMGS board member John Putnam will give a hands-on workshop on the strategies he uses. (You may remember John from his well-received July 2025
presentation, when he shared his family’s journeys through the hilltowns of Western Massachusetts.)
Starting with his template for developing stories, John will explain his step-by-step process for writing a family history. We’ll learn more about:

Using AI tools to find more detailed information that is period- and locale
specific to our ancestors.
Incorporating basic genealogical material with this additional research.
Using AI to draft reports or revise them for tone, grammar, and spelling.

John encourages us to identify an ancestor living between 1800 and 1950, so we can
follow along in real time. He’ll also ask volunteers to share their research findings. This is a great opportunity to get some direct feedback!

WMGS November Monthly Meeting: Finding Aids and the National Archives
2025-11-05 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
We’re delighted to welcome nationally known genealogist Craig R. Scott to present Finding Aids and the National Archives on November 5.
Craig will guide us through the structure of our National Archives. He’ll also explain how to use finding aids — guides, indexes, catalogs, and more — to navigate its vast
collections.
Craig describes his talk this way: “The National Archives of the United States documents American history from the time of the First Continental Congress. That is a lot of paper, pictures, and other things, so much in fact that it requires organization.”
“Organization means that there are rules about how things will be filed and how they can be located once they are stored,” Craig says. “Finding aids is a term that describes the various publications, such as guides and indexes, microfilm catalogs, reference information papers, inventories, preliminary inventories, special lists, checklists, descriptive pamphlets, and other tools that have been created to assist either the researcher or the archivist in locating records.”

WMGS November Training Session - Tech Talk with Dave: Mapping Your Ancestors' Migration
2025-11-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
It’s time for another Tech Talk With Dave! In November, Dave Lapierre will present “Mapping Your Ancestors’ Migration.” This session will expand on the mini-presentation he gave at our September 25 training session.
Dave will show us how to:

Use Google My Maps to create a map with various pinned locations from an
ancestor’s migration
Connect the various pinned locations
Save and export a KMZ file from Google My Maps
Import the KMZ file into Google Earth / Google Earth Pro
Play the “tour” in Google Earth / Google Earth Pro

Dave will also provide a step-by-step handout with all the directions, so that we can map our own ancestors’ migrations and journeys.

WMGS December Monthly Meeting: 10 Genealogical Brick Walls You Will Face (and How to Demolish Them)
2025-12-03 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
At our December monthly meeting, genealogist Robert Cameron Weir will present “10 Genealogical Brick Walls You Will Face (and How to Demolish Them).”
“In genealogy, a brick wall is an ancestor who seemingly refuses, despite repeated attempts, to reveal their origins,” Rob explains. “No matter how hard you try, you are unable to connect them to your family tree. They remain the stubborn puzzle piece who refuses to fit in.”
Rob will survey the most common kinds of brick walls and teach us some tricks for tearing them down. We’ll learn about brick walls related to immigrants, paupers, sojourners, pioneers, name shifters, and people with hushed-up family secrets.
Whether you’re just beginning your genealogy research or have been doing it for a long time, we’ll all benefit from this presentation.
“The beginner will learn about some brick walls they will eventually face; the intermediate researcher will learn how to tackle some that they are already facing; and the more advanced genealogist will learn a different way to think about what they are probably already doing,” Rob says.

WMGS 2025 Virtual Holiday Party
2025-12-11 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
We’re excited to invite all members to our 4th annual virtual holiday celebration. It’s become a WMGS tradition that blends festive cheer with family history! This year’s party promises another evening of laughter, storytelling, and genealogical fun.
Just like our previous holiday Zoom parties, we’ll explore genealogy-themed holiday topics to spark conversation and connection.
Photo Slideshow: Share Your Holiday Memories!
One of the highlights of our party is our member-submitted holiday photo slideshow. We’d love to feature your festive snapshots, such as:

You on Santa’s lap or unwrapping holiday presents
A family holiday gathering, a favorite recipe you continue to make, or other
traditions you continue to follow
Beloved decorations or heirlooms you display each year
Toys you’ve kept from your childhood
Or other cherished photos from your archives

Dig into your photo collections for holiday photos and share them with us!
A Blast from the Past!
We’ll take another nostalgic stroll through vintage local newspapers to see how holidays were celebrated in Western Mass in years past.
Were you featured in a holiday photo or story in the newspaper? We invite you to do some newspaper searching for holiday-related clippings that we can share.
Holiday Genealogy Trivia Returns!
Get ready to test your knowledge about genealogy-related holiday facts, events, and
celebrations around the world.
Prepare your favorite holiday beverage and dress up in your holiday best or your ugliest holiday sweater! Let’s celebrate the season together, genealogy-style.
