WELCOME TO THE NEW ENGLAND CONNECTIONS BLOG!

Welcome to the New England CONNECTions 2007 Blog! Between now and April 2007, we’ll be updating the genealogical community on what's happening with the ninth New England Regional Genealogical Conference through periodic messages like this one. Please share the the information with your friends and associates – and anyone else you feel may be interested in attending the Conference.

New England CONNECTions, to be held April 26-29 2007 in Hartford, Connecticut, will be the ninth New England Regional Genealogical Conference and promises to build on NERGC’s tradition of excellence in providing genealogical lectures; seminars and workshops; the Ancestors Road Show; a Society Fair; and banquets and luncheons for new and established genealogists alike at minimal cost.

In keeping with the Conference theme, Patricia Law Hatcher, Cyndi Howells, Hank Jones, and over 40 other speakers will help genealogists “connect” to:

* Ancestors who immigrated to and migrated out of New England (including settlement and migration patterns)
* The wealth of information available in New England’s archives, libraries, and historical societies
* Specific types of source materials (church, cemetery, vital, and military records; newspapers; city directories)
* Resources and to one another through technology.

In addition to connecting with expert genealogists, there will be opportunities to connect to vendors in the Exhibit Hall as well as with other attendees who share your love for genealogy. A "Librarians Day" pre-conference is also in the works.

Conference activities will take place in the new Connecticut Convention Center and the Marriott Hartford Downtown, in the heart of the exciting new Adrien's Landing redevelopment. There will be lots of space in the lecture rooms and exhibit areas and plenty of secure parking. Beyond the conference itself, Hartford is a genealogical and historical haven, home of the Connecticut State Library and Connecticut Historical Society Museum and historic sites such as the homes of Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe. The Godfrey Library in Middletown and Connecticut Society of Genealogists library in East Hartford are not far away.

The excitement for New England CONNECTions 2007 is already building, and we thank the Committee Chairs and many Participating Societies that are making this Conference possible. Watch our Website: www.NERGC.org for developing information, and be sure to get your Conference and hotel registrations in early. We look forward to “connecting” with you there!

Thomas F. Howard and Richard C. Roberts, Conference Co-Chairs