For our January meeting, we will host an online get-together with show-and-tell opportunities and open discussions. We invite you to share a research breakthrough, an interesting family story, or a new discovery. Explore your cousin connections among our members through our Essex County roots. You can share your computer screen to display pedigree charts, photos, or stories. Time will also be allotted to brainstorm brick-wall problems or pose research questions. If you would like to be included for a presentation or brick-wall discussion, please email Barbara Beake at vp@esog.org.

If you haven’t used the Full-Text Search tools at FamilySearch, you are missing out on records about your ancestors. No longer in the experimental stage, it can be used on many of the record images on FamilySearch, saving researchers many hours of reading through records page by page to find their ancestors' names. These tips will help you determine the best way to search and how to filter the results.

Dawn Carlile is a professional genealogist, educator, and lecturer who enjoys teaching others about researching their families as much as she does doing research for herself and others. After many years of helping others with their research, Dawn started Genealogy Roots and Branches in 2021. Having completed numerous courses at various institutes, including Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, GRIP Genealogy Institute, Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research, and Genealogical Institute on Federal Records, she has even more on her list. Dawn is the current president and an instructor for the Oregon Genealogical Society, and a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and several other state and county genealogical societies.

The Revolutionary War was fought in part over tensions between England and her colonies that escalated over time into violence with the opening shots fired in Massachusetts in April 1775. Some of the historical records examined will include compiled military service records, pensions, state and federal bounty land, local militia, along with records from the Continental Navy and Marine Corps. Additional historical context includes some of the national emergencies after the end of the war in 1783, including both Shay’s Rebellion and the later Whiskey Rebellion.

Michael L. Strauss, MA, AG®, AGL™, is a military historian and professional genealogist. His research expertise is recognized in the judicial systems of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, where he provides testimony as an expert witness in kinship and forensic estate investigation. Strauss has a B.A. in history with a concentration on the Civil War from Shepherd University in West Virginia and a M.A. in military history from the University of Massachusetts in Boston. He has lectured at universities, conferences, and institutes, and contributed to numerous publications, including books and edited collections, peer-reviewed journal articles, popular history writing, blogs, and book reviews, that demonstrate his background in military history.

Join us for a celebration of the first fifty years of our society and its many significant contributions to the genealogical community in Massachusetts, New England, and beyond. We will be looking at our past, present, and future, and sharing highlights from the anniversary luncheon on 25 September at the Danversport. These include some history and reminiscences presented by charter member David C. Dearborn and other long-time members of ESOG. We will discuss current activities and resources available to ESOG members and the community, and future plans for our society. We will take another look at the inter-connections among the families of our early Essex County ancestors, and see if we can discover more cousins within the group.

Please join us to learn more about ESOG, and for a lively discussion about what our society has meant to you and can offer you in the future. We invite you to share any stories or memories of your association with ESOG, and to bring any suggestions for programs or meetings which we might offer in the future.

Learn how to organize the information you already have, identify gaps, and determine what records you need to advance your research projects. See examples of adding historical context, parallel timelines, tracking FANs, resolving conflicting information, and tracking migrations.

Claire is a professional genealogist with more than twenty years of experience in teaching, lecturing, and research spanning 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 and innovative methodologies to optimize her genealogy research. She is a graduate of the ProGen 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 and served as Seminar Program Chair for the Massachusetts Genealogical Council. She splits her time between the Greater Boston Area and Ireland.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) offers many different methods for saving time and improving our writing, among other advantages. However, these tools can raise numerous potential ethical issues for genealogists. We will discuss many of these issues including plagiarism, copyright infringement, AI policies, and more, so that you can avoid problems while exploiting AI tools for your benefit. After this talk, you'll have an awareness of some of the most pressing issues affecting generative AI for genealogists!

Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D., is a professional genealogist specializing in DNA evidence and the use of artificial intelligence for genealogical research. Since 2007, he has authored the long-running blog “The Genetic Genealogist” (www.thegeneticgenealogist.com), and has been the founder of two very active Facebook Groups: “Genetic Genealogy Tips & Techniques” in 2017, now with more than 75,000 members; and “Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence” in January 2023 with nearly 7,000 members by May 2024. He frequently gives presentations and webinars to educate others about the use of DNA and artificial intelligence. Blaine is the author of The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy, and co-author with Debbie Parker Wayne of the award-winning Genetic Genealogy in Practice, the world’s first genetic genealogy workbook. Blaine is or has been an instructor for genetic genealogy courses at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), and Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research. Blaine is a graduate of ProGen Study Group 21, a trustee for the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, and a member of the DNAngels Board of Directors since 2022 (President since January 2023), and a member of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) “Investigative Genetic Genealogy Working Group” since 2019.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is a valuable new tool for genealogists, potentially saving hundreds of hours a year and offering new ways to organize our research. The “prompt” is perhaps the most important aspect of generative artificial intelligence (AI). The prompt is how we direct AI tools to give us the output we desire. However, forming these prompts can be challenging and is rarely a one-shot attempt. In this lecture we will examine some of the generative AI tools that are available to genealogists, and we will identify how to formulate (and reformulate!) AI prompts and look at ten example prompts that can save us significant time and effort.

Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D., J.D., is a professional genealogist specializing in DNA evidence and the use of artificial intelligence for genealogical research. Since 2007, he has authored the long-running blog “The Genetic Genealogist” (www.thegeneticgenealogist.com), and has been the founder of two very active Facebook Groups: “Genetic Genealogy Tips & Techniques” in 2017, now with more than 75,000 members; and “Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence” in January 2023 with nearly 7,000 members by May 2024. He frequently gives presentations and webinars to educate others about the use of DNA and artificial intelligence. Blaine is the author of The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy, and co-author with Debbie Parker Wayne of the award-winning Genetic Genealogy in Practice, the world’s first genetic genealogy workbook. Blaine is or has been an instructor for genetic genealogy courses at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), and Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research. Blaine is a graduate of ProGen Study Group 21, a trustee for the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, and a member of the DNAngels Board of Directors since 2022 (President since January 2023), and a member of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) “Investigative Genetic Genealogy Working Group” since 2019.

This lecture will provide useful hints for understanding and developing our genealogical relationships with our kith and kin. The phrase “it’s a small world after all” often denotes surprise when we encounter something or someone familiar in an unfamiliar place. Indeed, the human family is a very intricate tangle of relationships that ties every generation across communities, nationalities, and even continents. We may do well to recognize that on a macro scale, but we should not be surprised to find closer family connections we might not have expected. During this talk, we will explore methods to understand our connections across Essex County better through the use of web-enabled genealogy tools that are provided by or linked to the expansive Family Tree hosted at FamilySearch.org. We will discuss some ways to improve the fidelity of the results provided by these tools, and how using some of our research time to engage with the Family Tree can help to organize, expand, and find connections in the body of knowledge stored there. We will explore how the “small world” perspective brings immense value to shared-community genealogicalresearch and provides lasting benefits to the descendants of our Essex County ancestors.

Similar to many genealogists, Joseph Jackson has blended his talents learned from his occupation into his approach to family history research. By day he is a research engineer helping unmanned aerial vehicles fly more safely. By night he is a history sleuth, searching for connections among his ancestors. He serves on the Wilmington Historical Commission and seeks to understand the context for the clues within the writings that our forebears have left behind. Joe lives in Wilmington, Massachusetts with his wife Jennifer and their four boys.

For our December meeting, we will host an online get-together with show-and-tell opportunities and open discussions. We invite you to share a research breakthrough, an interesting family story, or an exciting discovery. Prepare now to present a piece of your research. The meeting host can enable you to share your computer screen to display pedigree charts, photos, or stories. Alternatively, you can email a file ahead of time to Barbara Beake, who can share it onscreen for you while you discuss it. You can also show objects by holding them up in front of your computer (or phone) camera. Time will also be allotted to brainstorm brick-wall problems or pose research questions.

If you would like to be included for a presentation or brick-wall discussion, please email Barbara Beake at vp@esog.org.

There is only so much excitement that can be generated from ancestor charts and family group sheets. Pictures are indeed worth a thousand words. Your clients and family may not be interested in the dry facts of genealogy, but you can draw them in with enticing and informative illustrations. Find out what topics can benefit from illustration. What kinds of memorabilia might you find to enrich your family history? Where can you find relevant illustrations online and offline? How can you encourage strangers and distant relatives to share memorabilia, documents, and photos of your family? In this informal, informative, and fun session, Dr. McCoy will share some of her photos and memorabilia that have enhanced her own and her clients’ family histories. Then, there will be opportunities for the group to share some of their own memorabilia and stories of how they obtained them.

Carol Prescott McCoy, Ph.D., owner of Find-Your-Roots.com., in Brunswick, Maine, teaches, writes, and coaches about genealogy. A past president and former director of the Maine Genealogical Society, she transcribed The Vital Records of Durham, Maine. Her specialties include land, tax, and town records in genealogy research. She likes to help clients solve complex problems and to learn the stories of their ancestors. Her areas of focus include New England; New York; West Virginia; Northern Ireland; and People of Color. McCoy grew up in Bronxville, Westchester County, New York, and as a child dreamed of playing for the Yankees. She earned her B.A. from Connecticut College, and Ph.D. in psychology from Rutgers University. She moved to Maine in 1991. She started her own training and development business in 1999 and her genealogy business around 2001. She enjoys giving webinars on genealogy and writing about her own roots

Do you have too many unsolved mysteries stunting the growth of your family tree? Become a genealogical detective in this vital session. You will learn to track relatives like a criminal cold-case detective, sniffing out holes in your research and getting missing information on the records using cutting-edge technology. Lisa will describe some proven strategies and readily-available tools that will enable you to find and assemble the disparate clues into one picture which may provide the answers to your questions.

Lisa Louise Cooke is the author of several books including The Genealogist's Google Toolbox, 3rd edition. She produces and hosts the popular Genealogy Gems Podcast (founded in 2007) and publishes weekly videos at the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel. She offers a Premium Membership service at her website at https://lisalouisecooke.com featuring exclusive on-demand genealogy education. She also writes a regular column for Family Tree Magazine and produces the Family Tree Magazine Podcast.

Understanding how to find living people is crucial for genealogists. Locating cousins, heirs, next of kin, and DNA matches are some reasons to find living people. Whether you are trying to piece together a family history, settle an estate, or reconnect with long-lost relatives, this lecture will equip you with the knowledge and skills to achieve your goals.

Cheri Hudson Passey is a professional genealogist, instructor, writer, speaker, and owner of Carolina Girl Genealogy, LLC. She is the host of the YouTube genealogy chat show GenFriends and is a genealogical researcher, subcontracted by Eagle Investigative Services, Inc., for the US Army Past Conflict Repatriations Branch. She is involved in many genealogy societies and organizations and currently serves as National Genealogical Society Vice President of Society & Organization Management.

Are your old film negatives wasting away in a box in the closet? Let’s bring them to life so you can enjoy them. These days, it’s quick, easy, and inexpensive to scan film negatives with your smartphone. Find out how with these five apps and a few household items.

Elizabeth Swanay O’Neal is a professional genealogist, writer, educator, and national genealogical speaker, specializing in methodology, technology, and online research resources. She is the Education Director for the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society, Director of the NGSQ Study Groups program, and a Genealogy Consultant for the Daughters of the American Revolution. She has presented for Legacy Family Tree Webinars, RootsTech, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the Utah Genealogical Association, and many others. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and the Toastmasters International. Since 1987, Elizabeth’s goal has been to research, share, and preserve her family stories. The mission of her family history lifestyle website, Heart of the Family™ (https://www.thefamilyheart.com) is to help others make the past part of their present.

When weaving DNA and paper trail evidence together, how do we know when enough is enough? There is often a thin line between a convincing case and one that falls just short of meeting genealogical standards. When we look at specific cases, what guides us in determining when we have enough DNA or enough documentary evidence or enough of both-and when more will be needed to meet the Genealogical Proof Standard?

Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist®, is a genealogist with a law degree who provides expert guidance through the murky territory where law and family history intersect. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society and numerous state and regional genealogical societies. A recipient of the Silver Tray Award from the Utah Genealogical Association and the 2017 Award of Excellence from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, she now serves as a member of the NGSQ editorial board. An internationally-known lecturer and award-winning writer, she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer℠ from the Board for Certification of Genealogists®. Her blog is at https://www.legalgenealogist.com.

Learn how to build place guides and find resources to research the history, geography, and culture in the times and places your ancestors lived. Discover where to find historic maps, boundary changes, information about local history, and more.

Claire is a professional genealogist with more than twenty years of experience in teaching, lecturing, and research spanning 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 and innovative methodologies to optimize her genealogy research. She is a graduate of the ProGen 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 and served as Seminar Program Chair for the Massachusetts Genealogical Council. She lives in the Greater Boston Area.

Alicia Crane Williams, FASG, will talk about her work as Lead Genealogist of the Early New England Families Study Project for NEHGS, concentrating on families of Essex County. Out of 123 sketches published to date, Alicia has produced twenty-nine that treat families associated with Essex County. Studying these families as groups often illustrates how they were, or were not, related or associated with one another; when they came to Essex County; how they migrated within and/or out of the county; and what lesser-known resources are available for them.

As a professional genealogist for forty-eight years, Alicia has compiled and edited numerous multi-family genealogies and surname works, including the first three volumes of the John Alden family for the Mayflower Families through Five Generations project. She has been editor of the journal Mayflower Descendant, State Historian of the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, Assistant Historian General of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, and Genealogist of the Alden Kindred of America. Her current endeavor, the NEHGS’s Early New England Families Study Project [ENEF], was created to fill the need for accurate and concise published summaries on seventeenth-century New England families, as a companion to The Great Migration Study Project (immigrants from 1620-1640).

For our December meeting, we will host an online get-together with show-and-tell opportunities and open discussions. We invite you to share a research breakthrough, an interesting family story, or an exciting discovery. Prepare now to present a piece of your research. The meeting host can enable you to share your computer screen to display pedigree charts, photos, or stories. Alternatively, you can email a file ahead of time to Barbara Beake, who can share it onscreen for you while you discuss it. You can also show objects by holding them up in front of your computer (or phone) camera. Time will also be allotted to brainstorm brick-wall problems or pose research questions.

If you would like to be included for a presentation or brick-wall discussion, please email Barbara Beake at vp@esog.org.

This talk will explore the lives of the approximately four hundred Scottish soldiers taken prisoner at the Battles of Dunbar (1650) and Worcester (1651) who were shipped to New England in forced labor. Most served their five-to-seven-year indentures at the Saugus Ironworks, the sawmills of northern New England, or other hard and dangerous jobs. Once freed they were granted land and became permanent settlers, though their language, customs and Presbyterian faith made them a distinct element in “Puritan” New England.

Emerson "Tad" Baker is a professor of History at Salem State University and has previously served as vice provost and dean of the graduate school. He is the award-winning author or co-author of six books on the history and archaeology of early New England, including A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience. Baker has served as consultant and on-camera expert for historical documentaries and TV shows for networks ranging from PBS and TLC to Smithsonian and the History Channel.

DNA test results can be overwhelming. In this case study, Seema demonstrates how she used the shared matches within her DNA test results to narrow in on the identification of her maternal grandfather and fill in many holes in her family tree.

Seema-Jayne Kenney started exploring her family history when still in High School. Her paternal family roots go deep into Colonial New England, especially in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine. Her European roots include English, German, and Swedish. DNA has recently added a branch to her family tree from The Netherlands. She started in the business of genealogy after completing the Genealogical Research Certificate Program at Boston University’s Center for Professional Education in 2010. She has continued her education via ProGen & NIGR in 2012. She is a member of several genealogy societies, among them being a key organizer of the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium (NERGC).

The early American attitude of idealism and growth led many people to try their hand at being successful yeomen, holding and cultivating their own land for their own benefit.  The old "establishment" ways were being challenged by a society that demanded improvement and change.  One of the artifacts of this was the creation of organizations and methods that fostered self-improvement.  During this talk, we will review two of these "continuing education" methods of the 19th century that brought high-quality educational opportunities to the areas remote from the universities of the day.  The first was the Lyceum movement, which brought famed lecturers on a traveling circuit.  The second was the Chautauqua movement, which added additional content areas for self-improvement, introspection, and entertainment.  We will see how Lyceums and Chautauquas were implemented, with special case studies among the communities in and around Essex County, Massachusetts.

Similar to many genealogists, Joseph Jackson has blended his talents learned from his occupation into his approach to family history research.  By day he is a research engineer helping unmanned aerial vehicles fly more safely.  By night he is a history sleuth, searching for connections among his ancestors.  He serves on the Wilmington Historical Commission and seeks to understand the context for the clues within the writings that our forebears have left behind.  Joe lives in Wilmington, Massachusetts with his wife Jennifer and their four boys.

Google Earth is much more than just a mapping program.  In this presentation you will learn how to harness Google Earth’s capabilities by using it as a multi-media way to tell your ancestor’s story and leave a legacy for future generations. Learn how to incorporate images, videos, genealogical documents, and historic maps and bring it all together in a unique virtual family history tour that you can share on blogs, websites, by email and more, as well as use to further your research through geographic analysis.

Lisa Louise Cooke is the author of several books including The Genealogist's Google Toolbox, 3rd edition. She produces and hosts the popular Genealogy Gems Podcast (founded in 2007) and publishes weekly videos at the Genealogy Gems YouTube channel. She offers a Premium Membership service at her website at https://lisalouisecooke.com featuring exclusive on-demand genealogy education. And she writes a regular column for Family Tree Magazine and produces the Family Tree Magazine Podcast.

Linda MacIver will introduce us to DeepStory, MyHeritage’s groundbreaking new AI-based tool which enables your family history to come alive. Built upon their previous photo enhancement and colorization tools, MyHeritage has added very realistic animation and audio, allowing your ancestors to tell their own personalized stories. You can edit and expand the basic narrative, and, by adding photographs and maps, provide context in time and place. If you have struggled with attempts to provide a fun and easy way to reach out to family members, DeepStory‘s simple template creates an exciting and unique product to document, preserve, and share your most treasured family memories.

Linda B. MacIver is an educator, lecturer, librarian, and genealogy researcher. She recently retired from a 27- year career at the Boston Public Library where she inaugurated the BPL patron genealogy classes, teaching the multi-week beginners’ course for five years. She organized two popular seasons of the Local and Family History series and developed the Intermediate Genealogy Summer Lecture series. Linda is the former Secretary and Civil Records Director for Federal Records for the Massachusetts Genealogical Council and a member of the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists (MSOG) and the Essex (Mass.) Society of Genealogists (ESOG.) She serves as the New England Representative for the Essex (England) Record Office. Linda has a BA in History from the University of New Hampshire, an MEd from Boston University and earned her MLIS at Simmons College. She was the 2018 recipient of the Richard S. Lackey Scholarship to the Genealogical Institute for Federal Records (GEN-FED) and the inaugural recipient of the 2019 Senior at the Center of Excellence Award sponsored by Xerox Corporation and the City of Boston.

What’s in a brick wall? Most likely a surname in a particular time and place, which you can’t trace farther back. In this talk, we will learn some techniques and resources to find clues to a surname’s history. Two areas of focus will be the Guild of One-Name Studies, which can be particularly helpful with surnames of English origin, and Y-DNA testing, with its wide range of capabilities.

Stephen Hartwell is a professional genealogist specializing in New England and New York research, genetic genealogy, and family history websites. He is a graduate of the Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate Program, a Board member of the Essex Society of Genealogists and a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. His website can be found at https://shartwell.com.

Heraldry has been used as a visual token of personal and family identity from the Middle Ages to the present. It is traditionally a natural sister discipline of genealogy. The Internet has made heraldry more accessible than ever before, but most genealogists think less about heraldry than we used to before the explosion of genealogy as a hobby since the 1970s. This introduction lays out the first questions to ask and the first resources to know to rediscover heraldry from a genealogical perspective, including examples from Dr. Taylor's own Essex County roots.

Nathaniel Taylor, FASG, is the Editor and Publisher of The American Genealogist. He was drawn into genealogy in the 1980s, researching his Essex County ancestry while studying medieval history as a graduate student. He subsequently taught medieval and modern history at the university level for fifteen years. His genealogical research ranging from medieval Europe to colonial New England and Virginia has been published in numerous historical and genealogical journals, and he has spoken on a variety of skill-building and special topics, including heraldry, at conferences and for groups throughout the United States and internationally. He has been a volunteer on the Committee on Heraldry of the New England Historic Genealogical Society since 2006 and has been its Registrar since 2019, most recently shepherding its Roll of Arms: Eleventh Part into publication in 2022.

Many of us are familiar with the usual English records for genealogy research prior to 1800, such as church and probate records. Paul will address some of the concerns and issues to watch for with these records. He will then guide us to some lesser-known records and explain how to access and interpret them. The goal is to get us to rethink the research we have done so far, and to give us new options of records to search.

Paul Milner, who was raised on the West Coast of northern England, is a professional genealogist and internationally known lecturer specializing in British Isles research. He came to the U.S. in 1975 to get his graduate degree at the University of Wisconsin and has been here ever since. Paul has been designing genealogy workshops, writing books, and lecturing for over thirty-five years on a variety of topics relating to research in the British Isles, migration to North America and research methodology. He is the 2018 recipient of the Utah Genealogical Society Fellow Award and a past board member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and the British Interest Group of Wisconsin and Illinois.

Once again, we will not be having our usual holiday luncheon and meeting in Lynnfield, Massuchsetts, so we will instead host an online get-together with show-and-tell opportunities. We invite you to share a research breakthrough, an interesting family story, or an exciting discovery. Prepare now to present a piece of your research. The meeting host can enable you to share your computer screen to display pedigree charts, photos, or stories. Alternatively, you can email a file ahead of time to Barbara Beake, who can share it onscreen for you while you discuss it. You can also show objects by holding them up in front of your computer (or phone) camera. Time will also be allotted to brainstorm brick-wall problems.

If you would like to be included for a presentation or brick-wall discussion, please email Barbara Beake at vp@esog.org.

As you grumble about the ever-increasing costs of the commercial databases, do you sometimes admit to yourself that you don’t value free sites as much as you should? With a whole truckload of formerly copyright-protected, now freely-available, materials out there, has it been at least a year since you stopped to search the Internet Archive, the Digital Commonwealth, or the Digital Public Library of America? Let’s revisit these three and a few additional favorites of mine, old and new, to add to your list of: “When did I last go mining for a golden discovery in ...?!”

Linda B. MacIver is an educator, lecturer, librarian, and genealogy researcher. She recently retired from a 27- year career at the Boston Public Library where she inaugurated the BPL patron genealogy classes. She taught the multi-week beginners’ genealogy course for five years. She also organized two extremely popular seasons of the Local and Family History series and developed the Intermediate Genealogy Summer Lecture series. Linda is the former Secretary and Civil Records Director for Federal Records for the Massachusetts Genealogical Council and a member of the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists (MSOG) and the Essex (Mass.) Society of Genealogists (ESOG.) She serves as the New England Representative for the Essex (England) Record Office. Linda has a BA in History from the University of New Hampshire, an MEd from Boston University and earned her MLIS at Simmons College. She was the 2018 recipient of the Richard S. Lackey Scholarship to the Genealogical Institute for Federal Records (GEN-FED) and the inaugural recipient of the 2019 Senior at the Center of Excellence Award sponsored by Xerox Corporation and the City of Boston.

Diane will explore the Find A Grave website to show how to search for memorials from around the globe, utilizing some of the enhanced search features to find people. She will also demonstrate how to use the Mobile app on your smartphone when visiting cemeteries. You can locate cemeteries and gravesites using GPS coordinates, and take photos to upload and add to Find A Grave memorials, including captions and GPS locations. This often-overlooked website has become a valuable genealogical resource, and is one to which you can easily contribute. We invite you to share your experiences with Find A Grave as well.

Diane is a member of the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists, serving as the Society Treasurer and Secretary of the Merrimack Valley Chapter. She has been involved in genealogy research for forty years.

Just how useful can DNA be in researching our Revolutionary ancestors? Are there reliable DNA uses in lineage research as suggested by new lineage society guidelines? Explore the DNA footprint of a boy who was kidnapped and escaped to enlist and fight in the Revolutionary War under General Washington.

Jennifer Zinck, CG® is a genealogical researcher, speaker, and educator with a passion for learning and applying genealogy standards to help reclaim lost and forgotten stories of our ancestors. Jennifer earned her credential from the Board for Certification of Genealogists in 2021. She serves as the President of the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Connecticut Society of Genealogists. Jennifer is a member of the faculty of the Boston University Center for Professional Education Genealogy Studies Program. She enjoys sharing her contagious enthusiasm for family history with people of all ages.

Over three hundred letters found in my uncle’s attic tell a compelling story of his life as a young WWII soldier, as well as his family’s experiences back home. These letters document his service with the Fifth Army Headquarters, from registering at Fort Devens, training at two separate camps, then travelling overseas to Italy. He describes the work and the leisure, the rules, and the return trip. Letters from his family tell of their life at home during the war. Learn about or re-live the years 1943-45 as we travel through his time using the words of a 19-year-old country boy and his family!

Seema is an experienced software instructor and a professional genealogist. Based on over twenty years of research, her known roots are deep in New England as well as England, Germany, and Sweden, with DNA now adding a line from The Netherlands. She has a certificate in Genealogical Research from BU, completed ProGen, and is an active member of several societies and part of the NERGC planning committee.