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Our December 2017 Newsletter is now online here.
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Our next speaker is Saturday January 27, 2018 at 2 pm
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Our next speaker is Saturday January 27 at the Darien Library. Join us at 1 pm for informal hour, followed by our speaker Sara Davis at 2 pm.
"National Archives Resources at NYC"
Sara will present an introduction to genealogical research at the National Archives, specifically focusing on both online resources and the holdings of the National Archives at New York City. The program will discuss their three most often requested family history resources:
- Federal census records
- Passenger arrival records
- Naturalization records
Sara will also give brief introductions to other records of genealogical importance (ie. military records, Chinese Exclusion Act case files, Federal Court documents).
Sara Lyons Davis is an Education Specialist at the National Archives at New York City and has been with the Archives since 2009. She graduated from Smith College and has a Masters Degree and Professional Certificate in History and Archives Management from New York University. Sara has presented on numerous historical topics including genealogy, research methods, and conservation.
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Also, mark your calendars for two more upcoming MGS speakers this season:
- March 10, 2018 - NYPL Genealogical Resources with Susan Kriete
- May 19, 2018 - Research Like a Pro: Applying the Genealogical Proof Standard with Marian Wood
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2018 Membership Fees: please donate now
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Every year in December/January, we ask members and friends to make a donation. Donations help pay for 5 speaker fees and other costs for the upcoming calendar year (January to December). You can see the speaker topics we've hosted since 2009 in the email section below, financed by member donations. Maybe you've enjoyed some of these presentations in the past, complimentary.
Once again, our dues remain the same: single memberships are $25, family memberships are $30. If you would like a newsletter physically mailed to you, please add an extra $5 to cover mailing cost. Otherwise, you can view our newsletters on our webpage.
At this time, please bring your check payable to "Middlesex Genealogical Society" to our next speaker meeting on Saturday January 27. Or mail it to: MGS, P.O. Box 1111, Darien, CT 06820. You can also make a credit or debit card donation securely through PayPal on our Membership page. You do not need to have an account with PayPal to do so.
As you may know, MGS is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. All board members are non-paid volunteers. Donations are used to pay our speakers and other basic costs our organization incurs. We run a lean ship to make ends meet each year, and keep costs as low as possible because volunteers perform all functions.
Summary of Membership Benefits
- Five speaker presentations each year at the comfortable Darien Library auditorium.
- Four newsletters written and/or curated by our own Editor, emailed or mailed to you quarterly.
- An annual Membership Card which gives you proof needed to access vital records at town and city record offices in Connecticut. (Note: Many CT towns restrict access to vital records searching. An MGS Membership Card makes things easier for you when you show up and may open more doors. It is evidence you are a member of a state approved genealogical society as specified in CT Vital Records Access Laws. See link.)
- Ability to post your own family story or puzzle on the member page of the MGS website. Your page can be designed/illustrated however you want. You will have a webpage link to share with others and to be searchable on the internet.
- Membership in the MGS Y-DNA Project (male only) at Family Tree DNA, including one-on-one help in choosing DNA tests and interpreting results.
- Association with people in our local area who share interest in family research.
- An opportunity to be on our Board, to participate in running a vibrant organization and help others research their family history. (For job seekers, this experience can be an extra asset on your resume.)
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What's in a name? The Middlesex Genealogical Society (MGS) name was created years ago. The original founders of our group lived in the Darien CT area. They adopted the word Middlesex because Darien was part of Middlesex Parish in colonial days. Today, most members and friends of MGS live throughout Fairfield County. Our genealogy interests lead to villages, towns and cities all over the world.
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Join our Board! Why not you?
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Would you like to be more involved in our group? If so, reach out to any board member. We anticipate a need for new board members next Fall 2018 as some will be taking time off. So, why not join our board now?
What do volunteers/board members do? Volunteers keep you updated through email, create and share interesting family research content in newsletters, manage the checking account, reach out to potential speakers and members, conduct an annual survey of members interests for future topics, and provide free 1-2 hour genealogy research assistance to anyone who requests it. Our volunteers maintain an active "closed" (not public) Facebook group. And new since last year, volunteers organize an outing/social event in late spring.
Click here for more information (scroll to the bottom where it says Job and Committee Descriptions).
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MGS has sponsored many excellent genealogical speakers over the years. Here's a summary of our presentations since 2009, made possible by annual financial support of members:
- "Understanding DNA in Genealogy". November 2017
- "Using Ancestry.com Like a Pro". October 2017.
- "Free or Fee Genealogy". May 2017.
- "Irish Genealogy." March 2017.
- "Finding Foreign Records from Home." January 2017.
- "Planning a Future for your Family's Past." November 2016.
- "Digitizing and Managing Your Photo Collection." October 2016.
- "Acquiring Italian Records – Italian Genealogy." May 2016.
- "Using Facebook for Genealogy." March 2016.
- "Intermediate Genealogy." January 2016.
- "Researching Your German Ancestors." November 2015.
- "Historical Newspapers - Read about Your Ancestors." October 2015.
- "Civil War Research." May 2015.
- "Putting Flesh on the Bones of Your Ancestor." March 2015.
- "Discover Your Polish, Ukrainian, and Eastern European Ancestors." November 2014.
- "Googling for Genealogy." October 2014.
- A Tour of the Godfrey Memorial Library. August 2014.
- "Case Study: Searching for Persons of Color." May 2014.
- "Finding Elusive Females." March 2014.
- "Fire Up Your Research...The Digital Genealogist Is Here." January 2014.
- "Difficult Case Studies." November 2013.
- "Find Your Fabulous Ancestor." October 2013.
- "Blogging Your Genealogy." May 2013.
- "Cruising Long Island Sound: Tracing Its Early Families." March 2013.
- "Military Records Research." January 2013.
- "Probate Records." November 2012.
- "Review of the 1940 Census and the Steve Morse Website to Research Difficult Cases." October 2012.
- "Family History for the Whole Family." May 2012.
- "Exploring the 1940 Census." March 2012.
- "Letting the City Directories Work for You." January 2012.
- "Sources for Irish Records." November 2011.
- "Effectively Using Ancestry.com in Researching Your Family." October 2011.
- “Genetic Genealogy." May 2011.
- "Beyond Names and Dates: Uncovering Your Ancestors' Stories." March 2011.
- "A Walk Through the New FamilySearch.org " January 2011.
- "Research That Makes My Eyes Cross." November 2010.
- "How to Test Your DNA and Why." October 2010.
- The Story of DARIEN Connecticut. May 2010.
- "Maximizing the Use of the Census." March 2010.
- "Uncle Sam Wants You! - 20th Century Military Research." January 2010.
- "Navigating Ship Manifests: Researching Immigration Records Like a Pro." November 2009.
- "Getting the Most Out of Heritage Quest and Ancestry." October 2009.
- "Crossing the Pond: Finding Your Immigrant Origins." May 2009.
- "Effective Use of the Internet for Genealogy." March 2009.
- "Getting Started in Genealogy." February 2009.
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Why did I get this email?
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- You're an existing paying member. (Thank you!)
- You're a former paying member. (Please come back!)
- You presented at one of our meetings in the past.
- You came as a guest to one of our Saturday speaker meetings at the library and signed the sign-in sheet.
- You may have met with one of our volunteers at a Genealogy One-on-One or other outreach event.
- You contacted someone in our organization for genealogy research advice.
Either way, we're happy to keep you in the loop about new speakers and programs. If you aren't interested, simply "unsubscribe" and we won't email you again.
If you're a guest, feel free to come again for free to any of our speaker events. We hope you'll find our programs so interesting, and helpful, that you'll become a member someday soon. A $25 contribution spread over 5 speaker meetings is less than half the price of a movie ticket per speaker.
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