Welcome to our community

Connecticut Ancestry Society members are responsible, ethical genealogists and family historians who share a special interest in southwestern Connecticut and its neighborhood, either by living there, or by having ancestry there, or both; who pursue genealogical scholarship through networking, educational programs, and publication of reference materials and research results; and who extend full cooperation to other genealogical organizations, record repositories, and public record custodians.

In support of the Society's above mission we sponsor workshops and lectures throughout the year. The Society's scholarly journal, Connecticut Ancestry, is published quarterly in August, November, February and May. All the work of the Society is done by volunteers with both professional and amateur genealogists actively participating.


Come join us!

Contact persons

Nora Galvin, CG

Editor

Our Publisher

Nora Galvin currently serves as the editor of our quarterly journal. If you are interested in publishing your family's story as it relates to southwestern Connecticut, please reach out to Nora. Nora was also a past president of the society.

Janeen Bjork

Publicity and Volunteer Coordinator

Our Town Crier

Janeen Bjork advertises our meetings both in person and online. She is always looking for volunteers and would love to hear from you if you have some time to offer to this wholly volunteer run society.

Upcoming meetings this year

Access to meetings via Zoom are a CAS membership benefit.

All those whose memberships are current will be sent the Zoom link to the event.

The CAS membership year runs from June 1st to May 31st.

Please renew or join by PayPal, saving our volunteers from trips to the Post Office and the bank.

Was Your Ancestor Involved in the Connecticut Witchcraft Trials?

Genealogy Roundtable led by Rob Mazzeo

Saturday, April 6, 2024, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

Networking at 10 a.m.

Virtual Meeting


The virtual program is one of many member benefits of the Connecticut Ancestry Society. Members will be sent a Zoom link in the week prior to the meeting.

Was Your Ancestor Involved in the Connecticut Witchcraft Trials?

"Alchemy of Justice" with Connecticut State Historian Walter Woodard

Sat. May 11, 2024 1:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

CT Ancestry Society Annual Meeting and Program at the Fairfield Museum and History Center, 370 Beach Rd, Fairfield, CT 06824

Hybrid Meeting, society members who wish to attend remotely will receive a Zoom link in the week prior to the meeting. The in-person meeting is open to the public. 


Walter W. Woodward is Connecticut State Historian emeritus. He served as the State Historian of Connecticut and a member of the History Department at the University of Connecticut from 2004 to 2022. He was the fifth person to hold the position of State Historian, which was created in the 1930s in preparation for Connecticut’s 300th anniversary. He retired in July of 2022, becoming Connecticut State Historian emeritus.


Dr. Woodward is a scholar of Early American and Atlantic World history, with an emphasis on Connecticut and New England. His research interests cover a variety of subjects, including witchcraft, alchemy and the history of science, the use of music in Early America, environmental history.


Woodward is the author of five books, the most recent of which is Creating Connecticut: Critical Moments That Shaped a Great State (Globe Pequot Press, 2020). His book Prospero’s America: John Winthrop, Jr.,Alchemy and the Creation of New England Culture, 1606-1676 (Omohundro Institute, University of North Carolina Press,2010) won the Homer Babbidge Prize from the Association for the Study of Connecticut History, and was a Choice magazine Outstanding academic title.


Prof. Woodward received his Ph. D. with Distinction from the University of Connecticut in 2001 He obtained his Master’s Degree in History from Cleveland State University, and his B.A. in English from the University of Florida. Prior to joining UConn, he was a faculty member of the Department of History at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA.


Before becoming a historian, Woodward had successful careers in both the music and advertising industries. He was the composer of two minor hit country songs (“Marty Gray” (Top 10) and “It Could’a Been Me” (Top 20)) in the 1970s, as well as music for film and television, for which he won two Emmy Awards and two special achievement awards from SESAC. His advertising creativity won him 8 Clio Awards, and in 1980 he was Cleveland’s Advertising Person of the Year.


As State Historian emeritus, Woodward continues to research write and share his love for the history of Connecticut and New England through the Today in Connecticut History program on Connecticut Public Radio and at TODAYINCTHISTORY.com, the Grating the Nutmeg podcast he produces in collaboration with Connecticut Explored, the magazine of Connecticut history, musical performances with his group The Band of Steady Habits, articles, and public lectures.

Was Your Ancestor Involved in the Connecticut Witchcraft Trials?

"Secrets of the Asylum" with Julianne Mangin

Saturday, March 16, 2024, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

Networking at 10 a.m.

Virtual Meeting


The virtual program is one of many member benefits of the Connecticut Ancestry Society. Members will be sent a Zoom link in the week prior to the meeting. 


"What do you do when your family stories don't add up?"


Retired librarian Julianne Mangin was a reluctant genealogist -- at first. But after acquiring her ailing mother's genealogy files, she was drawn into the family history. All she had wanted to do was fact check her mother's cryptic stories of her childhood, which featured a delicatessen, a state hospital, a county home for neglected children. In 2012, she acquired her grandmother's patient record from Norwich State Hospital, and the secrets just poured out.

Using patient records, genealogical methods, and DNA testing, Mangin has pieced together a family story that reads like a Dickens novel. Weaving in what she learned about intergenerational trauma and the consequences of family secrets, Mangin has created a testament to the power of family history to empower people and heal old wounds.


Julianne Mangin is a retired librarian with a thirty-year career in Federal government libraries, including the Library of Congress (1998-2011). She is now an independent researcher, writer, local and family historian, and cemetery preservation advocate. Her first book, Secrets of the Asylum is the result of several years of deep research into the mysteries of her family.

Meetings earlier this membership year

Was Your Ancestor Involved in the Connecticut Witchcraft Trials?

"Making WikiTree Work for You" with Connie Davis

Saturday, February 24, 2024, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

Networking at 10 a.m.

Virtual Meeting


The virtual program is one of many member benefits of the Connecticut Ancestry Society. Members will be sent a Zoom link in the week prior to the meeting. 



WikiTree started growing 15 years ago, from the grassroots up. The community is now 1,051,986 members strong. Most genealogists and serious family historians have accounts. The shared tree has 36,145,574 profiles. 12,387,832 have DNA test connections.


Connie Davis earned a certificate in Family History and Genealogy from the University of Washington in 1999 and has been a professional genealogist since 2018, providing education and client services. Connie also works as a DNA coach and instructor for Your DNA Guide. Connie is a member of the Association for Professional Genealogists and supports the Linked Descendants group of Coming to the Table, a non-profit with a core of genealogical research dedicated to facing history and healing racial wounds created by slavery and its impact. Connie has been a WikiTree member since 2017 and works with WikiTree’s Ambassador and US Black Heritage Projects. Connie believes sharing the stories of our families can lead to a better future.

Was Your Ancestor Involved in the Connecticut Witchcraft Trials?

"Was Your Ancestor Involved in the Connecticut Witchcraft Trials?" with Sarah Jack and Josh Hutchinson

Saturday, November 11, 2023, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

Networking at 10 a.m.

Virtual Meeting


The virtual program is one of many member benefits of the Connecticut Ancestry Society. Members will be sent a Zoom link in the week prior to the meeting. 


Learn about Connecticut witch trial history and how to find out if you are related to any of the participants. This presentation will also include an overview of the Connecticut witch trial exoneration bill, and the effort to memorialize the victims.


Josh Hutchinson is a descendant of both witch trial accusers and accused. He is a lay historian, writer, and podcast creator. He has been studying witch trials for fifteen years and sharing witch-hunt facts online for ten. Josh is a co-founder of End Witch Hunts, the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project, The Massachusetts Witch Hunt Justice Project and Thou Shalt Not Suffer: The Witch Trial Podcast. 


Sarah Jack is a descendant of Massachusetts and Connecticut accused witches. She is Co-founder of the Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project, Massachusetts Witch Hunt Justice Project  Co-creator and co-host of Thou Shalt Not Suffer: The Witch Trial Podcast, and President of End Witch Hunts Nonprofit Organization. 



Exploring Your Homeland Through the Power of Maps

"Exploring Your Homeland with the Power of Maps" with Nora Galvin

Saturday, October 14, 2023, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

Networking at 10 a.m.

Virtual Meeting 


The virtual program is one of many member benefits of the Connecticut Ancestry Society. Members will be sent a Zoom link in the week prior to the meeting. 


Nora Galvin, CG, is a professional genealogist with specialties in Genetic Genealogy and Irish research. A former high school Biology teacher and laboratory research scientist, she has been a Certified Genealogist® since 2014.


"U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service for Genealogists" with Alec Ferretti

Saturday, September 16, 2023, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

Networking at 10 a.m.

Virtual Meeting 


The Connecticut Ancestry Society is pleased to welcome back Alec Ferretti, 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 was graduated from NYU and LIU’s dual Master's program, with degrees in archives and library science. 


Debbie Smyth Genealogy Lecture

"Making Sense of the Census" with Debbie Wilson Smyth

Saturday, June 10, 2023, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

Networking at 10 a.m.

Virtual Meeting 


The U.S. census schedules are valuable records for genealogists; each of the decennial surveys, from 1790 to 1950, contain unique information. This presentation offers tips for analysis of the data across the census years, including the tick marks of the pre-1850 census. 

Debbie Wilson Smyth has been researching her family since 1993 and holds a Certificate in the Genealogical Research program from Boston University. As the owner of Oak Trails Genealogy Services, LLC, she provides professional genealogical services in research, education, consultation, and speaking. Her research focuses on midwestern and southern states, methodology, lineage society applications, and DNA. Debbie is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Genealogy Speakers Guild, as well as a number of national, state, and local societies.


The virtual program is one of many member benefits of the Connecticut Ancestry Society. Members will be sent a Zoom link in the week prior to the meeting. Non-members can participate for a fee of $5.


Non-members may REGISTER HERE:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/connecticut-ancestry-presents-making-sense-of-the-census-tickets-534505118197


Meetings last membership year

NERGC Genealogy Lecture

"Making The Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne Your Research Assistant: Collections & Services of this National Family History Repository" with Curt B. Witcher

Sat. May 13, 2023 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Connecticut Ancestry Society Annual Meeting and Program

Networking at 10:00 a.m.

Virtual Meeting 


Learn how you can make a national family history research center your personal research assistant. One can benefit from resources available at the Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana whether researching onsite or from afar. The Main Library of the ACPL is home to The Genealogy Center, which holds the largest Genealogy collection in the United States. 


Curt Witcher is the Director of Special Collections at the Allen County Public Library, managing the widely acclaimed Genealogy Center as well as the Rolland Center for Lincoln Research and the institution’s Fine Books Collection. He is a former president of both the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Genealogical Society, and the founding president of the Indiana Genealogical Society.   

 

Curt has penned many hundreds of articles on topics of interest to family historians, librarians and archivists, and has presented lectures to historical and genealogical groups across the country and beyond. He currently serves on the Indiana State Historical Records Advisory Board, the board of the Friends of the Indiana State Archives, the Indiana Historical Society’s publications committee, and the executive committee of the Friends of the Lincoln Collection of Indiana’s Board of Directors. Curt also serves on the Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society board of directors as well as an advisor for the African American Genealogical Society of Fort Wayne. 

 

Curt is distinguished as a fellow of both the Indiana Genealogical Society and the Utah Genealogical Association. Over the decades he led collaborative national efforts to preserve and make more accessible historical data. For those efforts he has received the Federation of Genealogical Societies' Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Humanitarian Award and the National Genealogical Society’s P. William Filby Award for outstanding, life-time contributions to genealogical librarianship. Curt’s passion for finding families’ stories and his belief in the power of those stories to change lives has been recognized by numerous organizations, most recently receiving the Indiana Historical Society’s 2019 Eli Lilly Lifetime Achievement Award for extraordinary contributions to the field of history.  Curt has completed four decades of service at the Allen County Public Library. 


The virtual program is one of many member benefits of the Connecticut Ancestry Society. Members will be sent a Zoom link in the week prior to the meeting. Non-members can participate for a fee of $10.



Non-members may REGISTER HERE:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/connecticut-ancestry-tapping-into-the-genealogy-center-in-ft-wayne-tickets-534502390037

NERGC Genealogy Lecture

New England Regional Genealogical Consortium

May 6, 2023


The Connecticut Ancestry Society is proud to present back-to-back programs by our own Nora Galvin and by luncheon speaker Debra M. Dudek on Saturday, May 6, 2023. Prior to registering, you can download the conference brochure, which includes the full program of the conference, at https://nergc.org/brochure/ 


You can register and pay by credit card at https://nergc.org/registration 

For more information, see https://nergc.org/ and NERGC E-zine 3:

HANDOUT
NERGC Genealogy Lecture

New England Regional Genealogical Consortium

May 3 - 6, 2023


The Connecticut Ancestry Society invites you to join us in Springfield, Massachusetts for the 2023 New England Genealogical Regional Consortium conference. Look for programs from two of our board members, Nora Galvin and Janeen Bjork.


Learn more: https://nergc.org/2023-conference/

NERGC Genealogy Lecture

"Reelin' 'Em in with Cousin Bait: 10 Ways to Connect with Family" with Cheri Hudson Passey

Saturday, April 15, 2023, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

Networking at 10 a.m.

Virtual Meeting 


Cousin bait helps you connect with others who may have information about your family. Learn the best ways to share so others can find you. Professional Genealogist, Instructor, Writer, Speaker and owner of Carolina Girl Genealogy, LLC, Cheri Hudson Passey, is also the host of the YouTube genealogy chat show GenFriends. She is a genealogical researcher for US Army Past Conflict Repatriations. She currently serves as vice president, NGS Society & Organization Management. 


The virtual program is one of many member benefits of the Connecticut Ancestry Society. Members will be sent a Zoom link in the week prior to the meeting. Non-members can participate for a fee of $10.


Non-members may REGISTER HERE:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/connecticut-ancestry-presents-reelin-em-in-with-cousin-bait-tickets-534501407097


"Let's Write a Sketch" with Nora Galvin, CG

Saturday, March 11, 2023, 10:30 a.m. - 12 Noon. 

Networking at 10:00 a.m.

Virtual Meeting


How can you communicate your findings to relatives, young and old? How are you going to preserve all the work you've done researching your family? This month's presentation will help to address those questions, and lead you to a feeling of satisfaction, too.



The lecture is "Let's Write a Sketch." Nora Galvin, CG, will demonstrate a format for narrative genealogy that is appropriate both for family members and for publication. 

Alec Ferretti Genealogy Lecture

"Navigating Digitized NARA Content" with Alec Ferretti

Saturday, February 4, 2023, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

Networking at 10 a.m.

Virtual Meeting 


The Connecticut Ancestry Society is pleased to welcome back Alec Ferretti, 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 was graduated from NYU and LIU’s dual Master's program, with degrees in archives and library science. 

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