Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society, Inc.

DNA Boot Camp: Session #10: Best Tools for Researching Difficult DNA Matches
2018-09-13 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | First Church in Ludlow, MA, 859 Center Street, Ludlow, MA, 01056, United States

Board Meeting
2018-09-10 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-08-13 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-06-11 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
Board meeting for the Officers of WMGS. Members are welcome to attend the meetings which are held at the Agawam Senior Center in the Garden Room.

WMGS September Monthly Meeting
2018-09-05 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
On September 5th, join us as Marian B Wood presents on the topic Using Facebook
and Twitter for Genealogy – She will reveal the fun, benefits, and mechanics of
Facebook and Twitter to connect with family-history researchers in areas where
ancestors lived, request assistance, obtain translations, and learn more about
genealogy sources, technology, and methodology. The many forms of Social media
are easy to use and offer the opportunity for more immediate response compared with
traditional surname message boards–to jumpstart genealogy efforts at any level.
Marian B. Wood is a popular genealogy speaker and hosts a blog entitled Climbing My Family Tree. She has also written a book “Planning a Future for Your Family’s Past” available at smile.amazon.com.

Labor Day Holiday
2018-09-03 | MA

Genealogy Research Clinic
2018-08-23 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-08-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States

DNA Boot Camp: Session #9: Mirror Trees
2018-08-23 18:00 - 20:00 | First Church in Ludlow, MA, 859 Center Street, Ludlow, MA, 01056, United States

DNA Boot Camp: Session #8: Interpreting your 23andMe Results
2018-08-09 18:00 - 20:00 | First Church in Ludlow, MA, 859 Center Street, Ludlow, MA, 01056, United States

"A Summer of DNA" eConference
2018-08-04 10:00 - 16:00 | Online
Speakers and topics will include:

Diahan Southard – Your Tree is Full, There is Still Room for DNA
Sam Williams – Ancestry DNA Tools
Michelle Leonard – Adoption and Unknown Parentage
Kitty Cooper – Segment Triangulation

The online sessions will begin at 9am Central Time on August 4th. Some answers to common questions that people have asked us:

Yes, the sessions are live. These are not pre-recorded, so if you have questions, then please ask them in the chat during any of the sessions and we’ll get them answered.
Yes, there are door prizes.
No, you don’t have to be logged on to the live session to win.
Yes, recordings of the sessions will be available for 30 days after the eConference so even if you can’t make the live session, register so that you can watch the recordings.
Yes, we use our webcams. You don’t have to watch slides all the time. You also get to see people.

Register and get your questions answered by some of the most popular genetic genealogy educators! Price is only $24.99.
More information is available on the website:
http://www.familyhistoryfanatics.com/summerdna
Feel free to let any friends, family, or genealogy society members (or anyone else who may be interested) know about this great opportunity.

WMGS August Monthly Meeting
2018-08-01 18:00 - 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 1st 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. Email us at WestMassGen@gmail.com
and sign up today (put MOSH in the subject line). The first 30 get on the list
with others put on a waiting list.

DNA Boot Camp - Session #7
2018-07-26 18:00 - 20:00 | First Church in Ludlow, MA, 859 Center Street, Ludlow, MA, 01056, United States

Genealogy Research Clinic
2018-07-26 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-07-19 18:00 - 20:00 | MA
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.

DNA Boot Camp - Session #6
2018-07-12 18:00 - 20:00 | First Church in Ludlow, MA, 859 Center Street, Ludlow, MA, 01056, United States

WMGS July Monthly Meeting
2018-07-11 18:00 - 20:00 | MA
Important Note: Our July meeting will be held one week later on July 11th at 6 PM at the Agawam Senior Center due to the July 4th holiday closure.

Skills Night Sharing Event

Perhaps you’re just beginning work on your family genealogy, maybe you’ve been working on it over the years when time allows, or maybe you’re a seasoned veteran trying to put the finishing touches on your family history. Well, we’re betting that everyone will enjoy this evening!

We’re working on plans for a Skills Night featuring displays of genealogy tools and tips and special interest discussion groups. Some of the ideas we are hoping to showcase include photo scanning and organization tools, ways to record family memories, software program comparisons, and ways to find hidden records and more on Family Search and Ancestry. Besides that, attendees will have an opportunity to have a personal consultation about their research problems with one of our own professional genealogists, our own version of
“Ancestors Roadshow”.

Our July meeting will be informal with attendees being able to freely move around stations to check out the displays and join special interest groups. And, we’ll have a sign-up sheet for personal consultations.

We’re still working on plans for the event and more details will be coming in our next newsletter. We welcome our many multi-talented members to pitch in and to share their knowledge as well. So, if you have a topic that you’d like to facilitate for the discussion groups or would like to have a display of genealogy tools and tricks, or have something else that you’d like to share, please let us know at westmassgen@gmail.com

Genealogy Research Clinic
2018-06-28 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-06-21 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-05-24 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-05-17 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-04-26 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-04-19 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-03-22 18:00 - 20:00, 2018-03-15 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States

WMGS June Meeting
2018-06-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
Be sure to sign up for our Annual “June Pot Luck Dinner” during our May meeting. Not just a Pot Luck Dinner, it is our Open Mic Night as well! 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.

DNA Boot Camp - Session 3
2018-05-24 18:00 - 20:00 | First Church in Ludlow, MA, 859 Center Street, Ludlow, MA, 01056, United States
Join us for “DNA Boot Camp” sessions. We are using the recorded webinar series “DNA Boot Camp” by Thomas MacEntee featuring DNA expert Mary Eberle of DNA Hunters, LLC. The boot camp includes handouts with powerful DNA educational materials.

DNA Boot Camp is for WMGS Members Only.

DNA Boot Camp meets from 6 to 8 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month beginning from now into October 2018. Since the interest was strong, the group now meets at Fellowship Hall at First Church in Ludlow, 859 Center Street, Ludlow, MA

DNA Boot Camp - Session 2
2018-05-10 18:00 - 20:00 | First Church in Ludlow, MA, 859 Center Street, Ludlow, MA, 01056, United States
Join us for “DNA Boot Camp” sessions. We are using the recorded webinar series “DNA Boot Camp” by Thomas MacEntee featuring DNA expert Mary Eberle of DNA Hunters, LLC. The boot camp includes handouts with powerful DNA educational materials.

DNA Boot Camp is for WMGS Members Only. (Still time to sign up and attend)

DNA Boot Camp meets from 6 to 8 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month beginning from now into October 2018. Since the interest was strong, the group now meets at Fellowship Hall at First Church in Ludlow, 859 Center Street, Ludlow, MA

WMGS May Meeting
2018-05-02 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
Do you want to publish a book based on your genealogy research, but have no idea how to start? Our May speaker, Linda Roghaar, will provide a clear road-map to get you started, and explain publishing terms and the process by which your manuscript becomes a finished book. You will learn the important steps to preserve your work in a professional, permanent book that will be read and enjoyed by generations to come.
Linda Roghaar has spent decades in book publishing. In 2007, she recognized that advances in technology could benefit authors; she then developed an exciting, collaborative platform that combines standards of traditional publishing with today’s innovative publishing tools. She founded Genealogy House Publishers and now helps genealogists get their stories written, edited, and published as a printed book.

WMGS April Meeting
2018-04-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Agawam Senior Center, 954 Main Street, Agawam, MA, 01001, United States
Our speaker in April will be Amy Johnson Crow and she will be speaking on “Ten Years: Census Substitutes” which will help us to locate supporting documents between census years and help with the huge gap between 1880 and 1900.
Amy is a Certified Genealogist with 20 years’ experience helping people discover their family history. She regularly speaks at events throughout the year, including the recent RootsTech 2018 in Salt Lake City, UT. She has served as series editor of the National Genealogical Society Guides and served on several national and state boards. She also holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science.
