President's Message

Welcome to the Spring Edition of the newsletter!

A big thank you to Steve Flynn, who has joined the MGS Board and has agreed to serve as Treasurer. He has been researching for a number of years and has had his DNA with Peter’s DNA project. I am glad he is stepping up!

We are still looking for new Board members. If you are interested in joining this active group or would just like to come alongside and see what we’re doing, let me know. We have lots of planning to do for the coming year and can use all the help we can get!

Records, records, records – and research! With so many records having become available online over the last several years, this is a great time to review your previous research. From simple online searches to using AI for locating and translating newly discovered records, we are on the cusp of a great advancement for genealogy.

Have you spent time with the online RootsTech classes? I encourage you to read our section below. Then log in and find a class that interests you. I’m sure you will find something that gets your attention.

Tell us how we can serve you this summer. What would you like help learning? Do you want small group format? Hands on teaching? And don’t forget to put next fall’s lectures on your calendar. More to come on this.

I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming Social at PinStripes at SoNo mall!

As always, send us an email with questions or suggestions: mgsvolunteer@gmail.com

Sara Z

Upcoming Events

Saturday, April 5, 2025, Presentation at Darien Library

1:00 pm.

• Informal “Meet & Greet” Come and talk to your fellow members about your work, brick walls, successes, etc.
• Questions after the Irish Famine lecture of March 13 and get help with your Irish genealogy

2:00 pm

"Bring Family History Alive in Bite Sized Projects," presented by Marian B. Wood

Marian B. Wood

Get fresh ideas for documenting family history stories in engaging, practical, bite-sized projects that can be shared with relatives and posted on genealogy websites for the sake of future generations. Learn why and how to narrow your focus to one ancestor, family, occasion, heirloom, photo, or place. Like a sprint rather than a marathon, each project takes a short time and gives you flexibility to be creative in spotlighting a specific aspect of family history to share with relatives now. Presentation includes how-to examples of projects such as brief ancestor bios and booklets, heirloom background stories, ancestor coloring books, full-size and smaller photo books, and audio/video-based family history.

"Born in the Bronx but transplanted to New England, I've been tracing my family tree since 1998. My genealogy book is: Planning a Future for Your Family's Past. Without our ancestors, we wouldn't be here--so it's important to honor their memory by preserving and sharing family history."

Thursday, May 8, 2025, Social at Pinstripes

MGS News

March 13, 2025. "History of the Irish Famine Immigrants in Connecticut." Presented by Loretto Leary.

Loretto Leary

The presentation dove deep into the stories of resilience and determination of those who sought refuge in Connecticut during one of Ireland's darkest times, the Great Famine of 1845 to 1852. We learned how these immigrants shaped our state's cultural and social fabric, leaving an indelible mark on our communities. A specific Irish Famine Immigrant settled in Darien and did exceptionally well. This unique twist added a personal touch to the historical narrative. The presentation concluded with details of a new museum and the artwork and sculptures depicting The Irish Famine.

Born in County Galway, Loretto Leary has resided in Connecticut for thirty-two years. She has an extensive background in education, having taught Language Arts in elementary and middle schools across Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, and Stamford. Loretto's freelance journalism has been prominently featured in several esteemed publications, including Celtic Life, The Irish Echo, Irish Central, Australia's Irish Scene, The Connaught Tribune, and The Wild Geese. In addition to her journalistic endeavors, Loretto holds the position of Secretary and serves on the Executive Board of Ireland's Great Hunger Museum of Fairfield. She is also an active member of the CT-Ireland Trade Commission. Currently, Loretto is embarking on her PhD studies at Trinity College Dublin, focusing on Irish American Famine Memories and the location of the Irish Famine Memorial in New York.

March 1, 2025. "French Canadian Genealogy." Presented by Jolene Mullen

Jolene Mullen

R.I.P. John Driscoll passed away peacefully on January 18th, 2025, at the age of 78. Born in Queens, New York. He had a deep love for genealogy, which he viewed as a challenge to blend the past and the future generations. He was deeply involved with the Middlesex Genealogy Society, where he held roles as Treasurer for eight years and Editor of the MGS Newsletter for 10 years. His last Newsletter was the December 2024 issue.

Jolene described how she discovered the Canadian roots of her ancestor Robin dite La Pointe. She shared resources and strategies for finding information on your French Canadian ancestors. She said that Ancestry.com has all the sources, but noted that they are not available on the Library Edition of Ancestry.

Mullen is a professional genealogist and genealogical speaker specializing in lineage research and New England records. She is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and has served as national chair of the Lineage Research Committee, national vice chair of the French Task Force, the Cold Cases Committee, and the Chapter Development and Revitalization Committee, twice as a CT DAR state officer, and is the state chair of both the State Application Team and the Chapter Development and Revitalization Committee.

She is the author of Connecticut Town Meeting Records During the American Revolution, now a standard reference book documenting civil and patriotic service for American patriots. Her next book, Rhode Island Town Meeting Records During the Revolution, is in the works. Jolene lives in New Milford with her husband, Dr. Peter Mullen, and enjoys sewing and quilting in her free time, particularly for the Quilts of Valor Foundation.

February 1, 2025. "Hart Island: Island of Lost Souls." Presented by Toni McKeen

Toni McKeen

For decades, Hart Island has been a well kept secret with restricted access. Over one million bodies are buried on Hart Island. It is the largest public cemetery in the country, and has served New York City since 1869. The island has had many uses since the 19th century. Toni McKeen shed some light on this potter's field, gave a timeline of its history, and explained why it is of interest to genealogists.

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 20 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.

RootsTech 2025

RootsTech 2025 is a family discovery event that took place at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City on March 6-8. The event is available online and will continue to be available for three years at RootsTech 2025. The best way to find a particular topic is to do a search.

FamilySearch International is the hosting organization for RootsTech.

Sara Zagrodzky, MGS President & Programs Director, attended RootsTech 2025. Following are some photos she took.

Following that is information on several 2025 sessions.

Entry exhibit at RootsTech 2025.

RootsTech crowd at the main stage.

Sara Zagrodzky and Crista Cowan, "the barefoot genealogist," from Ancestry.com at RootsTech 2025.

Amber Oldenburg and Sara.

Sara and Family Tree Maker book author Couch.

Ethical Standards panel with CeCe Moore, Lynn Broderick, and Dr. Amy Harris.

Sara and Alec Ferretti with the Reclaim The Records booth.

Following is information on several 2025 sessions.

"Getting Started Part 1: Research Goals, logs, research plans, organization, being effective." Presented by Dr. Cacey Farnsworth and James Rasmussen.

This session is aimed at those who want to get started in genealogy, but do not quite know how to begin effectively.

To view the presentation, go to Getting Started Part 1.

"Getting Started Part 2: Record types and when to use them." Presented by Jana K Greenhalgh and Kyra Bryant.

The types of records useful for genealogical research are abundant! This session will introduce beginning genealogists to the vast array, exploring everything from family sources, censuses and vital records, newspapers, and many, many more!.

To view the presentation, go to Getting Started Part 2.

"Examining the Irish Census." Presented by Daniel Lotus.

This session will explore the history of the census in Ireland, what info you can extract from the different returns available and the different types of census returns while looking forward and discussing the 1926 census (Irish Free State available in 2026).

To view the presentation, go to Examining the Irish Census.

"The New FamilySearch Catalog." Presented by Robert Raymond.

Earlier this year (2025), FamilySearch released a new interface for the venerable FamilySearch Catalog. This session will explain the changes and how to work around problems you may find.

To view the presentation, go to The New FamilySearch Catalog.

"How Just One Match Can Help You Find Missing Ancestors in 2025." Presented by Diahan Southard.

Over the last 20 years Diahan has given hundreds of lectures on DNA from Burbank to Oslo, London to Seattle, to crowds of tens to thousands. Diahan’s talents for making DNA accessible, exciting and relevant are on full display as host of the PBS special, Your DNA Secrets Revealed. Diahan teaches on global platforms such as RootsTech, GenealogyTV and Legacy Tree Webinars. She appears on popular genealogy podcasts and is a DNA columnist for Family Tree Magazine.

Would you believe that with just one well-chosen DNA match, you can find your missing ancestor? It’s true! Come review the essential (and new!) tools for sorting your DNA matches into the groups that represent the various branches of your family. Learn about how using just one DNA match in your research can help you discover or confirm the identities of your ancestors and their other relatives-so you can build out a bigger, more accurate family tree.

To view the presentation, go to How Just One Match Can Help. For Pamela Shea's comments, see Diahan Southard at RootsTech 2025.

"Document Analysis: Digging into the Details." Presented by Angela Packer McGhie.

Assessing the reliability and accuracy of documents is essential in genealogical research. This interactive session will guide participants in assessing genealogical documents and the information they contain. Using a list of questions provided, participants will practice analyzing a variety of documents and dig deep into determining who the informant is, conducting background analysis, identifying indirect evidence, understanding legal terminology, and assessing the characteristics affecting the reliability of the records. This advanced-level session is sponsored by ICAPGen and BCG.

To view the presentation, go to Document Analysis.

"Uncovering Ancestral Origins: Cluster Research and Indirect Evidence." Presented by Stephanie O’Connell.

This session explores the use of cluster research and indirect evidence to uncover our immigrant ancestors origins. Reviewing the Gildea Family of Ireland case study illustrates how the assembly of indirect evidence from late 19th and early 20th century NYC records, paired with cluster research, contributed to establishing familial links and pinpointing their Irish origins. This advanced-level session is sponsored by ICAPGen and BCG.

To view the presentation, go to Uncovering Ancestral Origins.

"From Questionable to Credible: Analyzing and Verifying Genealogical Sources." Presented by Shannon Green.

Learn practical strategies to assess and verify dubious sources, transforming questionable data into credible evidence for your research.

To view the presentation, go to From Questionable to Credible.

"Escaping the Famine: Exploring Irish Settlements in Canada." Presented by Melanie McComb.

Using published and online primary sources, uncover the story of the migration of the Irish to Canada before and during The Great Famine. This webinar will review the different immigration schemes including the Peter Robinson settlers to Ontario, the Monaghan Settlers to Atlantic Canada, and assisted immigration to Quebec. Learn how to find records about their departure from Ireland and arrival into Canada, including quarantine stations at Partridge Island and Gross Ile.

To view the presentation, go to Escaping the Famine: Exploring Irish Settlements in Canada.

Diahan Southard at RootsTech 2025

By Pamela Shea

Sara Zagrodzky and Diahan Southard at RootsTech 2025.

Diahan Southard has been helping people use DNA to explore their roots for over 20 years. She started her career at the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, which created the DNA database that became AncestryDNA. After witnessing the power of DNA for family history–and the difficulties people face in using it effectively–she launched a pioneering career in DNA education.

Here are my take aways from her Roots Tech online presentation. DNA results can destroy identity when something unexpected is revealed. People tend to see DNA as their identity but instead use DNA to make connections and get answers.

Ethnicity results are getting more specific. The five testing companies are My Heritage, Ancestry, 23 and Me, Family Tree DNA and Living DNA.

The least expensive way to get your DNA results into all of the testing agencies is to test with Ancestry and then upload your DNA to My Heritage, Family Tree DNA and Living DNA for free and then test with 23 and Me. That way you’re only paying for two of the testing companies, but getting your results into all five.

Ethnicity Results, You can discover new places and cultures through DNA. But many of the Ethnicity results show ancestors from thousands of years ago so keep that in mind. Try to test with all the companies as they have different reference populations. If you need to go further back use Y or mitochondrial DNA tests.

My Heritage and Ancestry are showing genetic groups in their ethnicity results from the past 200 to 300 years meaning you should be able to identify an ancestor in those ethnicity groups. In Ancestry they are called Journeys. Don’t ignore these ethnicity results they can highlight areas that you should be researching for missing ancestors.

People often ask “Why do my ethnicity results change?” This is because each testing company has different reference groups, and the size of the reference population affects the specificity of ethnicity results. Remember, these are estimates that are being done through algorithms. Use your own brain to figure out how meaningful they are. Memories and experiences of your ancestors/family are just as important as DNA. You may find through DNA that someone you thought was biologically related isn’t but does that really make them less of a family member?

Matches. Just because you share DNA with someone doesn’t mean they are “documentable” You share DNA with lots of people who aren’t related to you. For instance, there is a big pool of people with Irish DNA - you’re not related to all of them. Something to consider when you look at the matches is the genetic relationship. There’s a range of relationships the algorithm gives you their best guess and tries to remove the less likely matches. It’s important to learn how to understand these various results and then again use your brain to figure out whether they make sense for you.

Start to separate your matches into groups. Ancestry can show you Thru Lines dividing your matches up between maternal and paternal lines but these are algorithms so you need to use your own brain to make sure they make sense to you.

She mentioned using the “search party” method, but that’s another lecture. There is also the Leeds Method. You can separate matches by into four great grandparent groups. Do an internet search to learn more about these methods. Southard said the Shared Matches Tool is the only tool you’ll ever need. Find your BKM (Best Known Match) then identify other matches that are related to them and then build trees to figure out how the group is related to each other. Connect with your matches. You don’t have to be a genius to figure out the missing ancestor.

Test as many family members as you can. Siblings have different portions of parents’ DNA. On the other hand, she said that if you are able to test both parents you become “DNA insignificant”.

Lastly, personality is 30 to 60% inheritable. Preferences are passed down too, not just eye color. Understanding why your ancestors did what they did may shed light on more immediate family members personality. Your story is worth discovering and telling. Remember to stop in on April 5th to hear Marion Woods describe how to tell your story.

You can watch the full RootsTech presentation by Diahan Southard online at How Just One Match Can Help.