 Darien Library Community Room 1441 Post Road (at Hecker Avenue) Darien, Connecticut 06820 Phone: 203-655-1234 |
Meetings of Other Organizations
 Darien, CT |
Meetings
The Middlesex Genealogical Society holds five Saturday afternoon presentations a year in conjunction with the Darien Library. Speakers make presentations on various topics of .to anyone interested in genealogy. Presentations are free and open to the public in the Darien Library Community Room.
Pre-Meeting Socials
Come early and socialize with MGS members and other Saturday meeting attendees. A pre-meeting Social starts at 1:00 pm in the Darien Library Community Room.
Upcoming Presentations
 Mark Olsen |
The presentation given by Mark Olsen, Genealogy Community Ambassador for Family Tree Maker genealogy software. It will be held in the Conference Room on the third floor of Darien Library and will be a Zoom presentation by Mark to a live audience. This will be an informative event for both those who already use FTM and those who are thinking of it. Also, learn about Family Tree Maker 2024.
 Sara
Zagrodzky |
Topic will cover multiple ways to look at your tree for accuracy, duplicates located, and separating people of the same name. The focus will be on the use of sources and time and place.
Sara is currently President of Middlesex Genealogical Society, a Board Member for the Norwalk Senior Center Genealogy Club. She is also a member of the following: Goodwives River Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Darien Historical Society Education Committee, National Genealogical Society, Connecticut Ancestry Society, New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, New England Historic Genealogical Society, and Cos Cob Genealogy Club. She is a past Board Member of the Goodwives River Chapter NSDAR and the Darien Historical Society. Sara served as Past Chair for the Darien Memorial Day Parade and past assistant to Janeen Bjork’s Norwalk Community College Lifetime Learners Beginners Genealogy Class. She has made presentations to Norwalk Senior Center Genealogy Club on: “Spelling Varieties - checking name spellings on all records” and “Comparison of Ancestry and Family Search Ancestry DNA tree tags and ThruLines.” She works as a genealogy researcher and has attended numerous conferences around the United States.
Past Presentations
 Joan Killian Gallagher |
On June 20, 2023, The Irish Family History Foundation announced that The Killian Home place Family History Centre has been appointed as the County Longford centre for the IFHF. The Killian Homeplace, winner of the 2013 All Ireland Pride of Place in the Diaspora category, is located in Fermoyle, just outside Lanesborough in County Longford. Founded in 1998 by Joan Killian Gallagher, the centre is housed in a meticulously restored cottage and is a sustainable tribute dedicated to the memory of her great, great grandmother, Anne Furey Killian, who against all odds, purchased the farm from the Land Commission in 1893. She was 82 years old and had been widowed for over 30 years. Joan reconnected with Killian cousins in Longford and Roscommon in 1996 when she took her father to the Notre Dame Navy game in Dublin. This was the beginning of a journey of joy and discovery that Joan hopes to share with those in search of their own family history and place of origin in County Longford. It is this life changing cultural and educational exchange that is the mission of The Killian Homeplace Family History Centre.
Joan is a board member of MGS and the founder of Warden-Brooks Ltd. New York, Makers of the Original Banker Bag. She is the proud recipient of the Enterprising Women of the Year Award.
 Toni McKeen |
Take a really close look at ALL the information that these important records can provide. Directed to those who have been research for a long time and those just beginning, find out what information is needed to locate manifests, find the markings to learn which immigrants were detained and why, who they left behind, the address where they were headed, and who they were coming to see.
Toni has been doing genealogy research on her own extensive Italian family, her husband’s Irish family and son in law’s German family for the last 30+ years. She has over 19 years of experience in teaching and over 30 years as a researcher. She is highly motivated and energetic with extensive teaching skills with well-organized lesson plans. She is a member of several genealogical organizations and is Chairman of the Newtown Genealogy Club, Newtown, 2013-2015, 2020 - present. Toni has traveled to Italy multiple times to research her ancestry and obtain documents in Amalfi, Sicily, and Calabria. She is a popular lecturer in the New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut areas. and at various genealogy organizations. Her training from her research background while earning her degrees in biology helped her to establish organized systems and charts for recording family information for herself and her students, often a problem for most researchers. Toni is on a mission to expose as many people as possible to the fun, excitement, and importance of tracing their own genealogy. She believes documenting your family history is important for yourself and for future generations, even if they are not interested or have the time now.
 Kalyn Paige Loewer |
Throughout New York, small and large organizations hold unique manuscripts, ledgers, and other materials. The NYG&B works to digitize these invaluable records, preserving the information contained within them. Kalyn Paige Loewer shows the behind-the-scenes process, how you or your organization can participate, and tips for searching our online collections.
As the Manager of Digital Collections, Kalyn uses digital preservation and archival techniques to support the NYG&B’s mission to preserve, document, and share family history. She works to digitize documents from all over New York State and makes materials available to researchers via the online collections. She also educates communities about how to access and maximize the NYG&B’s online collections. As an early modern historian, her research is focused on the evolution of the Gàidhealtachd (Scottish Gaeldom) in the 16th and 17th centuries, with particular emphasis on the historiographical significance of Elizabethan genealogical and family history documents relating to Scottish clans. With her expertise in Scottish history and heritage, she acts as the Programs Director for the National Tartan Day New York Committee and serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors and as the Historian for the New York Caledonian Club. Kalyn was the recipient of the John. C. Gorman '38 Medal for Excellence in History from St. Francis College in 2021.
 Michael Cassara |
For genealogists with an affinity for Connecticut research, postcards can be an overlooked and occasionally invaluable means of peering further into the lives of our ancestors, or those of our clients. Not only can they illuminate microhistory (in ways that may otherwise be lost to the ages), but both the front and the back of postcards can contribute mightily to any genealogical study. Images on the front of a card can offer illustrations of long-demolished places of interest, while messages on the back may shed light on an ancestor’s travels, giving the researcher a clearer sense of the writer’s concerns of a long-forgotten moment. These are only a few of the many ways in which genealogy and deltiology (the study and collection of postcards) can intersect.
Michael Cassara is a professional genealogist and lecturer based in New York City, specializing in Italian/Sicilian genealogy, New York and New Jersey research, and genealogical technology. He has frequently presented at regional societies as well as national conferences, including five years of presentations at RootsTech, the 2018 Association of Professional Genealogists Professional Management Conference, a popular 2019 APG Webinar on genealogical technology, as well as talks at FGS, OGS, the New York State Family History Conference, and more. Michael holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University (OL19) and is a graduate of the ProGen Study Group (ProGen 43). He currently serves as President of the Italian Genealogical Group (ItalianGen.org) and he blogs about his research at http://www.digiroots.net. You can find him on Twitter and Facebook at @DigiRoots
June 26, 2023. "Family Tree Maker." Presented by Mark Olsen.
Monday evening presentation on Family Tree Maker and the 24.1 and 24.2 updates. Handout
Mark is the Family Tree Maker Ambassador to historical and genealogical societies around the world working to support their members as they use Family Tree Maker.
Mark is a graduate of Brigham Young University and holds a bachelor’s degree in Family History with a Spanish records emphasis. He has been working in the genealogy industry since 2007.
 Carol Ansel |
The Godfrey Memorial Library was founded in 1947 by Fremont Rider, retired Head Librarian at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, who had a keen interest in genealogy. He started out by donating his own personal collection of material, which amounted to over 800 books. The collection expanded and grew from there, today comprising over 40,000 works. In addition to genealogies and biographies, the library offers vital records, local town and county histories, city directories, military muster rolls, family Bible records, and unique collections like the Laput Cemetery Collection, with its data and photos for gravestones in 1,048 Connecticut cemeteries (and counting). Carol introduced us to “The Scholar,” the online research element of the library, and showed os how to search it effectively, with an emphasis on the collections which are unique to us.
Carol Ansel is the director of the Godfrey Memorial Library. Before that she was a school and public librarian. She has a certificate from the Boston University Genealogy Program.
 Nora Galvin |
This presentation provided a strategy using tools at the major DNA companies, at GEDmatch, and at other third-party sites to identify unknown matches who are related to your elusive ancestor.
Nora Galvin is a Certified Genealogist® who has been researching and lecturing professionally since 2005. Her areas of expertise include Irish and Connecticut research and genetic genealogy. She is a member of Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council and the APG, and has been the editor of Connecticut Ancestry, the quarterly journal of Connecticut Ancestry Society, since 2014.
January 21, 2023. “The Immigrant Experience: Genealogical Discoveries.” Presented by Toni McKeen.
What was it like to travel from a small village to the large emigration port, and then travel by steamship to a new world to begin life over without speaking the language or knowing the culture? How difficult was the process at Ellis Island? What documents were used? Then how did our ancestors adjust to their new life style? All this was covered in this emotional lecture.
 Amber Oldenburg |
Our ancestors went west for many reasons, opportunity, land, and promise. We learned about the overland trails that many of them used to head west. And what they experienced along the way and how we can discover our pioneer ancestors in the records they left behind.
Amber Oldenburg is a researcher and lecturer with a degree in family history research from BYU-Idaho, where she is currently an adjunct professor in their family history program. She specializes in Midwest and Great Lakes states research. Amber has a website at One Branch at a Time.
 Claire Smith |
Irish research has a reputation for being challenging. You might have heard that many Irish records were burned, creating gaps in records that appear insurmountable. Don't give up before you get started! In this presentation, we learned techniques to overcome obstacles that will get us through our Irish research challenges. We even get some ideas for dealing with missing records and our research brick walls in other localities, too.
Claire is a professional genealogist with more than 20 years of experience in research, teaching, and lecturing. Her extensive research experience spans New England, Atlantic Canada, Ireland, England, and the West Indies, including both traditional and DNA research. A former high-tech executive, Claire applies her technology skills to optimize her research, continually applying new tools and innovative methodologies to her genealogy research. Claire is currently Seminar Program Chair for the Massachusetts Genealogical Council. She is a graduate of the ProGen professional genealogy study group and holds certificates in “Genealogical Research” from Boston University and in “Genealogy and Family History” from the University of Washington. Claire is former President of the Bainbridge Island Genealogical Society. She lives in the Greater Boston Area.
 Susan Miller |
April 30, 2022. "Navigating the 1950 United States Census." Presented by Susan R. Miller.
Susan discussed the April 1 release the 1950 census page images by the National Archives (NARA). She discussed the ongoing surname indexing process. And she talked about how to access pages for the time being at NARA, My Heritage, Family Search, and Ancestry by using enumeration district maps and Steve Morse. She discussed the use of URLs to record census page citations. Susan mentioned the use of "page 71" within an enumeration district by census takers to include the census of persons not available when first contacted. She encouraged meeting participants to get involved in refining the indexing process and showed them how to do it.
Susan Miller is the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society’s Director of Programs; editor of the New York Researcher; a managing editor of the New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer; and a national and regional genealogical-program presenter.
 Susan Jaycox |
Even if you are a long-time researcher, the online websites that we depend upon for a lot of basic genealogical documentation and tips have changed significantly and hardly look the same. We discussed the many changes and the best ways to find information you want. We learned how to document your sources and ways to write up your family history that will draw your family into the fascinating story of your ancestors. We learned how to determine what information is accurate and understand how the resources can be attached to your relatives in family trees.
Susan Jaycox is a Professional Genealogist, Lecturer, and the current President of the Genealogy Federation of Long Island. Long-time Genealogy Research Volunteer at the Plainview Family History Center. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, National Genealogical Society and many local genealogical societies. Her education background includes a Bachelor of Science in Finance, Master in Business Administration, and attended Long Island University’s Palmer School of Library Science. She has been researching her own family history for over 40 years and has done a One-Name Study across the United States and England.
 Diane Elder |
Locality research is key to making progress in genealogy research. An understanding of the history, geography, records, and repositories for the research locality is the foundation for building a solid research plan and finding additional information for your ancestor.
Diana Elder AG® is a professional genealogist accredited in the Gulf South region of the United States and serves as a Commissioner for The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). Diana authored Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide and co-authored the companion volume, Research Like a Pro with DNA: A Genealogist’s Guide to Finding and Confirming Ancestors with DNA Evidence. She created the study group and eCourse that teach the Research Like a Pro process through videos and learning modules. Diana and her daughter, Nicole, share research tips on their website, FamilyLocket, and are the hosts of the Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast. Diana teaches regularly at genealogy onferences such as RootsTech and the National Genealogy Society Conference. She also presents webinars and seminars to local genealogy societies across the United States.
 Sandra Schaad |
During our session we learned to search for and discover valuable genealogical information about male and female land-owning ancestors through land transfers.
Sandra Schaad, MA, CSCS, is a former figure skater turned avid genealogist as a result of joining DAR and the Colonial Dames of America. Her ancestors lived in seven of the 13 American colonies. Following her BA in Political Science at the University of Arizona, she became fluent in German while spending five years living and working in Germany.
Sandra currently specializes in Lineage and Southern Genealogical research. She has nearly completed an AA in Family History and is in the process of becoming an Accredited Genealogist [AG] in the Upper South: Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. However, as a Lineage Specialist, she follows her subjects throughout America and is committed to a life-long process of developing genealogical skills.
October 2, 2021. "Searching for Elusive Ancestors with DNA." Presented by Nora Galvin, CG
My brick walls are two female ancestors born in Ireland. One is a great-grandmother. I know where her husband came from and she is supposedly from the same place but I find no rec-ords for her even though I know the names of her par-ents and two siblings. The other is a great-great-grandmother who may be from Co. Mayo, but I don’t know her parents’ names so I can’t identify her in baptism records.
I am leveraging my DNA in an effort to find un-known relatives of these women (DNA matches of mine or my siblings) who know more than I do. I have a strategy to narrow down DNA matches who may lead me to the information I want to know. The lecture will demonstrate nu-merous tools available on company websites, third-party websites, and other sources, and specifically apply them to my project.
Nora Galvin, CG, is a professional genealogist specializing in Irish and Connecticut research and Genetic Genealogy. A former secondary-school science teacher and laboratory scientist, she started her family-research business in 2005. She is editor of the quarterly journal Con-necticut Ancestry and is active in Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council.
April 24, 2021. "A Connecticut Yankee in the King's Rangers: One Oliver Graham (1758--1838), or Two Men?" presented by Pamela Vittorio, Professional Genealogist/Historian. This lecture demonstrated using correlation and analysis to merge the identities of a man who served in the CT and NY Militia during the Revolutionary War with a United Empire Loyalist soldier of the same name. The presentation covered the difference between "search" and "research," employing Canadian and U.S. census records, obituaries, military records, and an original artifact that directly links to the man's identity.
 Pamela Vittorio |
Pamela has taken courses at Salt Lake City Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP) and IGHR (Georgia) in subjects such as Advanced Genetic Genealogy/DNA and Analysis, Land Records, Advanced Writing for Genealogists, and Advanced Genealogical Research Methods, and the Genealogical Proof Standard. She has been a presenter for the Capitol District Genealogical Society, Central NY Genealogical Society, Genesee Area Genealogists, Heritage Hunters of Saratoga County, Association of Professional Genealogists, NY State Family History Conference, and the National Genealogical Society (NGS). She holds memberships in the NY-APG, New England-APG, National Genealogical Society, NYG&B, Erie Canal Museum, and various other genealogical and historical societies. She is also a member and Trustee at Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum.
 Alec Ferretti |
We learned about the tools genealogists have to research individuals who lived in the late 20th and early 21st century. Although privacy restrictions limit how we can find people who lived in the modern era, there are yet countless record sets we can leverage, some of which are similar to those with which we are traditionally familiar, and some of which are completely new!
Alec Ferretti is a New York City-based professional genealogist, who works for the Wells Fargo Family & Business History Center, researching family histories for high net worth clients. He recently graduated from NYU and LIU’s dual masters program, with degrees in archives and library science. Alec specializes in the genealogy of 20th century immigrants to the United States alongside Italian genealogy, while dabbling proficiently in Latin American and Jewish Genealogy. Alec is a regular lecturer at genealogical societies in the New York area, and has presented at numerous conferences around the United States. He serves as the President of the New York Genealogy & Technology Group, an informal organization which meets bimonthly to discuss topics brought forth by members. Alec was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and serves actively on the Board of Reclaim the Records, a nonprofit dedicated to wrangling public records from restrictive government agencies. Alec’s passion is records access, and he dedicates much of his spare time to projects - sanctioned through Reclaim the Records or independently - which seek to ensure public records remain public.
 Linda Carlson |
Linda was born and raised in New York City until age five when she moved to Long island. She is a descendant of Jewish immigrants. She moved to Connecticut in the 1970’s to attend the University of Hartford and never left. Linda began her genealogical research at age 15 as part of a school project and now keeps the many branches of her family connected. Linda is a high school special education teacher with a Master’s in Educational Technology from the University of Connecticut and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in School Administration from American International College. She is a member of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut, Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council and recording secretary for the Bichon Frise Club of Southern New England.
This presentation was in partnership with JHSFC, the Jewish Historical Society of Fairfield County in Stamford.
 Carol Wilder-Tamme |
October 3, 2020. "Finding Ancestors in NYC Vital Records in the 1800s and Early 1900s." Presented by Susan R. Miller, Director of Programs and Outreach, New York Genealogical & Biographical Society.
February 1, 2020. "DNA 201 for Genealogy — Segments, Centimorgans and SNPs." Presented by Nora Galvin, CG.
November 9, 2019. "Genealogy Toolkit: Adoption, Unknown Parentage, and Misattributed Paternity." Presented by Jennifer Armstrong Zinck.
 Laura Congleton |
May 18, 2019. “Digging up Cemetery Records." Presented by Toni McKeen.
March 23, 2019. "Do the Write Thing for Genealogy." Presented by Marian and Wally Wood.
January 26, 2019. "More than Metes the Eye: Using Land Records in Your Research." Presented by Edwin W. Strickland II. Handout.
November 10, 2018. "Beginning French Canadian Genealogical Research." Presented by Ronald Blanchette. Handout
October 6, 2018. "Y-DNA and Genealogy." Presented by Peter Biggins. Handout.
May 19, 2018. "From Clues to Conclusions: Applying the Genealogical Proof Standard." Presented by Marian Wood. Handout.
 Sue Kriete |
January 27, 2018. "National Archives Resources in NYC." Presented by Sara Davis. Handouts: Ancestral Chart, Family Group Sheet, Federal Census Records, Naturalization Records, New York Passenger Arrivals, Research Tools and Ways to Search Online.
November 18, 2017. "Understanding DNA in Genealogy." Presented by Peter Biggins. Handout.
October 14, 2017. "Using Ancestry.com Like a Pro." Presented by Toni McKeen.
May 13, 2017. "Free or Fee Genealogy: Finding Free Records, Deciding When It Makes Sense to Pay." Presented by Marian Wood. Handout.
March 11, 2017. "Irish Genealogy." Presented by Jonathan Shea. Handout.
January 21, 2017. "Finding Foreign Records from Home." Presented by Tony Lauriano.
November 12, 2016. "Planning a Future for your Family's Past." Presented by Marian Wood. Handout.
 Phil Hayes |
May 14, 2016. "Acquiring Italian Records – Italian Genealogy." Presented by Toni McKeen. Handouts: Glossary of Italian Terms, Italian Websites.
March 12, 2016. "Using Facebook for Genealogy." Presented by Marian Wood. Handout. For a full listing of Facebook genealogy groups, go to Social Media Genealogy.
January 30, 2016. "Intermediate Genealogy." Presented by Tony Lauriano.
November 14, 2015. "Researching Your German Ancestors." Presented by Joseph Lieby. Handout.
 Janeen Bjork |
Mary Ann West attended this meeting and wrote about it in the Huffington Post. She mentions her discussion with Don Cavett prior to the meeting when they realized they were distant cousins via the Virginia Randolphs. Jane Randolph Jefferson (1721-1776) was the mother of Thomas Jefferson.
May 16, 2015. "Civil War Research." Presented by Laura Congleton.
March 14, 2015. "Putting Flesh on the Bones of Your Ancestor." Presented by Toni McKeen.
November 15, 2014. "Discover Your Polish, Ukrainian, and Eastern European Ancestors." Presented by Prof. Jonathan Shea and Matthew Bielawa. Handout. Also, see summary on page 4 of the MGS Newsletter for December 2014.
October 4, 2014. "Googling for Genealogy." Presented by Phil Hayes. Handout. Slides.
August 19, 2014. A Tour of the Godfrey Memorial Library.
May 17, 2014. "Case Study: Searching for Persons of Color." Presented by Virginia Banerjee. See summary on page 3 of the MGS Newsletter for September 2014.
March 15, 2014. "Finding Elusive Females." Presented by Toni McKeen. See summary on page 4 of the MGS Newsletter for May 2014.
January 25, 2014. "Fire Up Your Research...The Digital Genealogist Is Here." Presented by Philip Hayes. See summary on page 4 of the MGS Newsletter for March 2014.
November 16, 2013. "Difficult Case Studies." Presented by Tony Lauriano.
 David Mordy |
May 18, 2013. "Blogging Your Genealogy." Presented by Philip Hayes. Handout.
March 16, 2013. "Cruising Long Island Sound—Tracing Its Early Families with a Regional View." Presented by Fred Hart. Handouts: Some Resources for Long Island Sound Region Families; Political Affiliations of Towns in the Long Island Sound Region.
January 26, 2013. "Military Records Research." Presented by Tony Lauriano. See summary on page 4 of the MGS Newsletter for March 2013.
November 10, 2012. "Probate Records." Presented by Virginia Banerjee. See summary on page 3 of the MGS Newsletter for December 2012.
October 6, 2012. "Review of the 1940 Census, and Using the Steve Morse Website to Research Difficult Cases." Presented by Toni McKeen.
May 12, 2012. "Family History for the Whole Family." Presented by Virginia Banerjee. Handout 1. Handout 2.
March 17, 2012. "Exploring the 1940 Census." Presented by Christopher Zarr, Education Specialist at the National Archives facility on Varick Street in New York City.
January 21, 2012. "Letting the City Directories Work for You." Presented by Toni McKeen.
November 19, 2011. "Sources for Irish Records." Presented by Donna Moughty, a former president of the Middlesex Genealogical Society.
October 1, 2011. "Effectively Using Ancestry.com in Researching Your Family." Presented by Toni McKeen.
May 14, 2011. “Genetic Genealogy." Presented by Nora Galvin.
March 19, 2011. "Beyond Names and Dates: Uncovering Your Ancestors' Stories." Presented by Leslie Albrecht Huber. See summary on page 6 of the MGS Newsletter for May 2011.
January 29, 2011. "A Walk Through the New FamilySearch.org " - new and improved with images and new technology. Presented by MGS President Lloyd Sturgis.
November 20, 2010. "Research That Makes My Eyes Cross." Presented by Toni McKeen. See summary on page 4 of the MGS Newsletter for December 2010.
October 2, 2010. "How to Test Your DNA and Why." Presented by Peter Biggins. See summary on page 3 of the MGS Newsletter for October 2010. Slides. Handout.
May 15, 2010. The Story of DARIEN Connecticut. Presented by Kenneth M. Reiss. About the book
March 20, 2010. "Maximizing the Use of the Census." Presented by Virginia Banerjee. See Joan Rinaldi's summary on page 3 of the MGS Newsletter for May 2010. Handouts
January 23, 2010. "Uncle Sam Wants You! - 20th Century Military Research." Presented by Larry Fermi. Outline
November 21, 2009. "Navigating Ship Manifests: Researching Immigration Records Like a Pro." Presented By Toni McKeen. See Joan Rinaldi's summary on pages 4 and 5 of the MGS Newsletter for December 2009.
October 3, 2009. "Getting the Most Out of HeritageQuest and Ancestry." Presented by Toni McKeen.
May 16, 2009. "Crossing The Pond: Finding Your Immigrant Origins." Presented by Larry Fermi. Outline
March 21, 2009. "Effective Use of the Internet for Genealogy." Presented by Kathy Lenerz, Ph.D., Genealogical Lecturer. Slides
February 21, 2009. "Getting Started in Genealogy." Presented by Virginia Banerjee and Pete Kenyon, both members of MGS. Banerjee article