Genealogical society speaker on April 23 to offer new research sources

SOUTHINGTON – Amateur genealogists can grow discouraged and lose interest in researching family history when their search grows cold and their questions remain unanswered. Southington Genealogical Society is offering a program on Tuesday, April 23 that may provide new leads on finding results.

“Research When Traditional Sources are Scarce” with guest speaker Al Fiacre of Godfrey Memorial Library, will be held at 7 p.m. at the Southington Historical Society, 239 Main St. After a brief overview, the talk will feature four case studies where non-traditional approaches were used. Admission is free. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.

Fiacre is a Godfrey Library staff member as well as board chairman. In 2018, he was the winner of the National Genealogical Society’s competition: “Award for Excellence: Genealogy and Family History Book.” He also was the winner of the Connecticut Society of Genealogists Certificate of Achievement for the best genealogy in 2019. He holds a BA degree from Middlebury College, an MBA degree from New York University, and a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University.

Godfrey Library, which is in Middletown, was incorporated in 1947 and opened its doors in 1951. The library is a licensed affiliate of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and thus is a Family History Center. Its print and digitized genealogical collections include rare, unpublished, and one-of-a-kind resource materials.

Now celebrating its 40th year, Southington Genealogical Society meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the historical society. For more information on the society, visit www.southingtongenealogicalsociety.org or Southington Genealogical Society, Inc. on Facebook.

SGS guest speaker on March 26 to focus on researching Irish heritage

SOUTHINGTON – People interested in their Irish heritage often are stymied by the lack of records. A fire in 1922 destroyed many of Ireland’s 19th-century census records and others were lost during wars, famines, through intentional destruction and natural disasters.

Now during “St. Patrick’s Day month,” professional genealogist Nora Galvin will help make it easier to research and discover one’s Irish heritage during a special program, “Adventures in Irish Research,” on Tuesday, March 26 at 7 p.m. at the Southington Historical Society, 239 Main St. This program is hosted by the Southington Genealogical Society and is free to the public.

Galvin’s program will explain the process to finding an ancestor’s origins in Ireland, explore Irish records and show where to locate online records. “There has been an explosion of online availability of resources for Irish research,” she stated.

A board-certified genealogist, Galvin is a member of both the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council and the Association of Professional Genealogists. She is the editor of the journal, “Connecticut Ancestry.”

Now celebrating its 40th year, Southington Genealogical Society meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the historical society. For more information on the society, visit www.southingtongenealogicalsociety.org or Southington Genealogical Society, Inc. on Facebook.