COMING TO HARTFORD? WHY NOT VOLUNTEER?

Don’t just attend the conference! Don’t just hang around while your family member or friend attends the Hartford 2007 New England Regional Genealogical Conference! Become a part of the action and VOLUNTEER!

Don’t want to miss a session? VOLUNTEER to host sessions you will be attending anyway. Do you like meeting and greeting people? Help with Hospitality or Registration or “man” the Volunteer Information table for a few hours. Coming in to visit the “open to the public” exhibit hall? Assist in the Ancestry Road Show Triage. Assist exhibitors during set up and break down time, Collect and distribute information. There is a role for everyone. Sit and welcome people, take banquet tickets, proof read signage, be in the “know” assisting with set up before sessions and pick up evaluations after sessions. THERE IS a role for YOU!

Your friendly Volunteer Committee Co-Chairs, Cheryl and Pam
will help you match your time and talents with the needs of the conference. Don’t delay contact us NOW!

Use your registration brochure or refer to information at http://www.nergc.org/ to tell us:
Name and best way to contact you.
Days and times you can help.
Specific sessions you would be willing to introduce and oversee (script provided).
The kinds of tasks you are willing to do.
To which (if any) participating society your hours should be credited.

If you need more information on roles and times for specific tasks in order to decide just let us know and we will send you the specific information that has been distributed to each local participating society’s volunteer coordinator. You may also set up your volunteer hours through your society coordinator. Don’t know who it is? Just ask, we’ll hook you up.

NOW is the time to contact your "society volunteer coordinator" or a Conference Volunteer Co-Chair with your request for a volunteer assignment.
Volunteer Co-Chairs:
Cheryl Willis Patten: cwpatten@localnet.com Tel. (207) 634-2156
Address: 1161 East Pond Road, Smithfield, ME 04978

Pam Roberts: pamela.roberts@uconn.edu Tel. (860) 429-8751
Address: 596 Gurleyville Rd., Storrs, CT 06268-1408

LAST CALL FOR QUERIES

Don’t miss the opportunity to have your genealogical queries included in the Conference Syllabus at a very nominal cost: $5 each, or 3 for $10. And you are not limited to 3, you could purchase 6 for $20. Even in this day of electronic marvels, the tried and true printed query, which finds its way into hundreds of hands, is one good way to break down your brick walls. For details on submitting your queries, refer to your Conference Brochure or visit the NERGC web site: www.nergc.org/2007/program/page3.htm, or email mailto:QueryColumn@aol.com?subject=NERGC%202007%20Query.
But don’t delay! All queries must be postmarked by 31 January 2007.

SOCIETY FAIR DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL MARCH 1

Society Fair Chair Nancy Pexa reports that organizations already booked for the Society Fair (Thursday, April 26, 5:00 – 7:00 P.M.) include the Genealogy Club of Newtown (Connecticut), the Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut, the Plymouth Public Library (Plymouth, Massachusetts), the Southwick (Massachusetts) Historical Society, and the Windsor (Connecticut) Historical Society. Conference registrants as well as the general public will be able to “connect” with society representatives, pick up brochures and registration material, or perhaps even make a more permanent connection by joining the group.

And if you’re a member of an organization that has yet to sign up for a table, it’s not too late. The deadline has been extended on a space available basis until March 1, 2007. Just download the Society Fair invitation and form from http://www.nergc.org/images/societyfair.pdf. Organizations may display brochures, newsletters, publications, information on membership, research facilities and services, plus any informative material that directly relates to their organization or repository. They may not sell items, but may take orders for such. For additional information, contact Nancy at 8 Monroe Lane, Avon, CT 06001-4524, nanpexa@sbcglobal.net.

NEWS ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

Kevin Johnson, who is presenting “William Webb: An African-American Civil War Soldier" Saturday, April 28 (Session S-330) made his 300th performance as Private Webb on Thursday, January 12.

As part of the celebration of that event, the Connecticut State Library has prepared a new online exhibit at http://www.cslib.org/WmWebb/ based on Kevin’s emotional first-person living history presentation. It includes excerpts from the script, along with photographs and images of some of the original documents discovered while researching Private Webb’s life and military service. Links are provided to related topics, including a brief history of the 29th Regiment, a timeline of the 29th Regiment, a Civil War chronology, databases, and research guides.

TICKETS FOR LUNCHEONS AND BANQUETS STILL AVAILABLE!

Did you already register for the conference but passed over the luncheon and banquet tickets? There is still time to sign up for meals. Simply send in a registration form with your personal information filled out, state “ALREADY REGISTERED FOR THE CONFERENCE” and check off and send $26 for each Luncheon, and $37 for each Banquet. Don’t forget to indicate your choice of meal, for example, “Baked Codfish” or “Vegetarian Dish.” Go to http://www.nergc.org/ for more information.

Here are a few reasons why you may want to add the meals to your registration.
· Check out the titles and speakers featured. No one will be disappointed with these informative and entertaining speakers!
· Past conference attendees gave feedback that the sharing, socializing and networking that occurs at the meals was one of the most meaningful parts of the conference.
· Persons who recently attended luncheons and banquets at our conference center in Hartford have raved about the quality, presentation, and service during the events.

Are you just now getting your registration in for the conference?
Don’t miss the opportunity for convenient, delicious meals, socialization, and networking with other participants in addition to the entertaining and informative presentations.

Luncheons, with speakers, at noon on Friday and Saturday:
· Friday: Megan Smnolenyak. Smolenyak will speak on “Cases That Made My Brain Hurt”. Sponsored by Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council.
· Saturday: Marcia Iannizzi Melnyk will speak on “It’s a Small World After All: Genealogy in the Global Perspective”. Sponsored by Cape Cod Genealogical Society.

Dinner banquets, with speakers, on Friday and Saturday evenings:
· Friday: Patricia Law Hatcher, FASG, will share the hidden secrets of genealogical successes. Sponsored by the New England Historic Genealogical Society.
· Saturday: Henry Z “Hank” Jones, Jr., FASG will share his adventures behind the NBC-TV dramatization of his ground-breaking bestseller Psychic Roots and even more amazing serendipitous experiences contributed by genealogists worldwide for his sequel More PsychicRoots. Sponsored by Connecticut Society of Genealogists.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Why attend a genealogical conference? Presentations and lectures by experts give you an opportunity to learn more about all aspects of genealogy. The eight separate tracks at New England CONNECTions are organized around these themes:

Ethnic Genealogy, Federal Records at the National Archives, Genealogical Techniques, New England Research, Records and Sources, Skills and Methodology (how to manage your research), Technology, Writing and Documents.

The lectures themselves range from introductory topics to more specialized sessions such as Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak’s presentation, “Trace Your Roots With DNA.” See the full program at http://www.nergc.org/2007/program2007.htm.

HOTEL UPDATE

HARTFORD MARRIOTT DOWNTOWN
http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/BDLDT
at the CONVENTION CENTER
200 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford, Connecticut

PLENTY OF HOTEL ROOMS AT OUR CONFERENCE HOTEL,
for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights – 26, 27, 28 April.

Book as many nights as you can at the Conference Hotel; don’t be left out of activities by being off-site during the evening hours. We want to fill our originally guaranteed rooms, and preferably the entire hotel, for the conference period.

Special notice from Janet Wallace, your Hospitality Chair

For those wishing to arrive a day early for Librarians’ Day (April 25), or to settle in early for The Conference which begins in earnest on Thursday: should you call the Marriott reservations center and request a room for Wednesday through Saturday nights, they’ll tell you they are “full”. What they mean is that only Wednesday is full! There is plenty of room on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at our special conference rate, and you need to persevere.

Please read carefully:

When you call Marriott reservations, if you are told the hotel is full, ask about just eliminating Wednesday, and you are likely to find all the room you need. Secure your reservation at the “Hartford Marriott Downtown” – using our special group code of NGCNGCA to get the conference rate for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Toll-free reservations can be reached at 1-866-373-9806.

Next you’ll be looking for a home for yourself on Wednesday night. For starters, some places around Hartford that may have availability are shown below.

Other hotels in Hartford are the Goodwin Hotel at 1 Haynes Street, 860-246-7500, about one-half mile from the Convention Center. It is an historic building and in the shopping and restaurant district. Another hotel near the bus and train station is the Holiday Inn Express at 440 Asylum Street 860-246-9900. The city’s shuttle buses will be running regularly between these hotels and restaurants. There are other hotels, but they are more expensive. (Watch for information on the shuttle schedule in the next E-zine)

Closest town outside Hartford to the Convention Center and Conference Hotel is East Hartford, just across the river. Hotels there include:

Holiday Inn East 363 Roberts St., East Hartford 860-528-9611

Wellesley Inn East Hartford (also listed as Day’s Inn East Hartford) 333 Roberts Street, East Hartford, CT 860- 289-4950

Sheraton Hartford Hotel 100 E River Dr., East Hartford 860-528-9703

Other sites include:

Best Western Camelot 1330 Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield (close to I-91, Exit 24) 860-563-2311

Courtyard by Marriott 4 Sebethe Dr, Cromwell (Rte I-91@ Rte 372) 860- 635-1001

Hawthorne Inn 2421 Berlin Turnpike, Berlin (Rt 5/15) 860-828-4181

Hilton Garden Inn Glastonbury Blvd., Glastonbury 860-659-1025

You may also wish to visit the individual web sites of the major
hotel chains. Bear in mind, however, you would be driving into Hartford
during the morning rush hour each day, and should allow extra time for
travel and parking. All in all, the best place to be is our convention hotel!

Manchester, CT, off I-84, is about 15 minutes to the east of Hartford, and has a Courtyard, Residence Inn, Best Value, and Fairfield Inn

Windsor, CT, to the north of Hartford on I-91 has several, as does Windsor Locks around Bradley International Airport, all about 15-20 minutes from the Convention Center.

Kindly note: NERGC does not sponsor these other listings;
we are just trying to make helpful information available to attendees.

However you put your conference plans together, just be there!

THEYRE COMING FROM NEAR AND FAR!

Registration Chair Mary Choppa reports that while most registrations received to date have been by folks from New England, attendees will include folks from California, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. There will also be at least two on hand from the UK!

The Conference Registration Brochure is available for download at the Conference website http://www.nergc.org/. Check out the full conference program and the many lectures and special events to choose from.

If you or someone you know needs a “hard copy” brochure mailed to them, contact Conference Co-Chair Dick Roberts: Rroberts1861@charter.net.

SOCIETY FAIR

SOCIETY FAIR
Participation in the Society Fair, to be held Thursday, 26 April from 5:00 - 7:00 P.M., is available free of charge to non-profit New England societies, libraries and organizations. Organizations will be accepted on a space available basis and may display brochures, newsletters, publications, information on membership, research facilities and services, plus any informative material that directly relates to their organization or repository. They may not sell items, but may take orders for such.

Interested organizations may download the Society Fair invitation and form from http://www.nergc.org/images/societyfair.pdf.

For additional information, contact Society Fair Chair Nancy Pexa at
8 Monroe Lane, Avon, CT 06001-4524
nanpexa@sbcglobal.net

VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED

Are you going to be in Hartford April 26-29, 2007 for the Ninth New England Regional Genealogical Conference? At the Conference we’ll need people to assist the exhibitors, and to help with registration, signage, hospitality, and more.

CAN YOU HELP? Please contact your "society volunteer coordinator" or one of the Conference Volunteer Co-Chairs to volunteer:

Pam Roberts: pamela.roberts@uconn.edu
Tel. (860) 429-8751 596 Gurleyville Rd., Storrs, CT 06268-1408

Cheryl Willis Patten: cwpatten@localnet.com
Tel. (207) 634-2156 1161 East Pond Road, Smithfield, ME 04978

EXHIBIT HALL UPDATE

All full booths have been sold. However, some tables along the left wall of the Exhibit Hall, which might be the perfect place for a genealogical society, family society, or historical society to have a visible presence at the conference, remain available.

To see a floor plan of the Exhibit Hall, go to: http://www.nergc.org/2007/exhibits.htm.

For more information or to reserve a table, contact Jim Holmes, jimholms@cs.com or Maureen Murphy, MMAUREEN39@aol.com.

HAVE YOU SUBMITTED YOUR QUERIES YET?

Don’t miss the opportunity to have your genealogical queries included in the Conference Syllabus at a very nominal cost: $5 each, or 3 for $10. Even in this day of electronic marvels, the tried and true printed query, which finds its way into hundreds of hands, is one good way to break down your brick walls.

For details on submitting your queries, refer to your Conference Brochure or visit the NERGC web site: http://www.nergc.org/2007/program/page3.htm

OR -- Email: QueryColumn@aol.com for more information.
But don’t delay! All queries must be postmarked by 31 January 2007.

MORE HAPPENINGS NEAR HARTFORD

Join us on Sunday, April 29, 2007 to celebrate the 262nd anniversary of Oliver Ellsworth’s birth. Tours, special exhibits and refreshments will be available from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the Oliver Ellsworth Homestead, 778 Palisado Avenue in historic Windsor, CT.

All are welcome to celebrate the life of this remarkable American and one of Windsor’s notable 18th century sons.

Operated as a museum by the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution, the Ellsworth Homestead depicts the period of Oliver’s residence (1782-1807) and contains furnishings from the Ellsworth and Wolcott families as well as other wonderful antiques. Stop by the CTDAR Exhibitor Booth during the conference for more information and directions or visit our website at http://www.ctdar.org/homestead.htm.

Susan Smoktunowicz, Regent
Abigail Wolcott Ellsworth Chapter, NSDAR

PROGRAM UPDATES

Special Session, S-401 on Sunday, 29 April 2007 will feature a program on Jonathan Edwards and one of his famous sermons presented by the Reverend Adam T. Söderberg of South Congregational Church, Hartford and sponsored by the Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor.

LIBRARIANS DAY

New England CONNECTions is pleased to offer a special pre-conference program for librarians. The event will be held on Wednesday, 25 April 2007, at the Hartford Marriott Downtown. Librarians attending this program will hear several excellent speakers who will help to enhance their knowledge of genealogical resources and applications. All librarians who work with family history patrons or genealogy-related research materials will benefit from this special event. The cost is $35 per librarian and includes lunch compliments of ProQuest. See the schedule of times and speakers at http://www.nergc.org/2007/program/page2.htm

FIRST TIMERS SESSION

If you’ve never attended a genealogical conference before, or if you’ve never attended a New England Regional Genealogical Conference, don’t miss the First Timers Session to be held Thursday, 26 April 2007 from 7:00-7:30 p.m. Learn how to get the most out of the conference experience at this session specifically designed for first-time conference attendees. Open to all!

ANCESTORS ROAD SHOW

Some persons have already asked about how and when they will be able to schedule a consultation at the Road Show. At this time we have no plans to assign any specific consultations before the Conference actually opens with on-site registration in Hartford. This is primarily because we want to make the best possible "matches" between participants and the experts we will have available at any particular time, and that cannot be done until the experts themselves have all been assigned to specific time slots. Although "walk-ins will be welcome," we do hope to accommodate those who would like to sign up for a specific time as soon as possible after they arrive in Hartford. For those who would like to plan ahead a little more on their own, here are the hours that the Road Show will be in session each day:

Mornings:
Both Friday 27 April and Saturday 28 April: 9: 00 a.m. to 12: 00 noon

Afternoons:
Friday 27 April: 1: 45 p.m. to 5: 45 p.m.
Saturday 28 April: 1: 45 p.m. to 3: 45 p.m.

---Christine Sweet-Hart, CG and Frederick C. Hart Jr., CG, co-chairs

THERE’S STILL ROOM IN NERGC’S HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS

In the last issue, we featured two hands-on Photoshop Elements workshops that will help genealogists master the management of photo and document images on their computers (see http://www.nergc.org/2007/ezine9.htm .) Here are some additional workshops you won’t want to miss. Note that conference registration and an additional fee are required.

On Thursday, 26 April, Marcia Innizzi Melnyk will present a beginner’s primer to genealogy. For those new to the hunt, plenty of basic research tips will be supplied. For those new to genealogy, this is an ideal way to start the conference. Register for Session T-101, $35.

On Friday, 27 April, Maureen A. Taylor and David L. Mishkin present a workshop on identifying and preserving family photographs. Learn to identify family photographs by researching photographers, dating costume clues, and comparing facial characteristics. Participants are invited to bring family photographs with them. Register for Session F-218, $30.

On Saturday, 28 April, Laura G. Prescott will present a workshop on locating digitized images online. From maps to personal documents, discover how and where to find digital images and hidden treasures on websites across the Internet. Participants are required to bring their own laptop computer (either Windows or Mac) with a wireless Internet card. Register for Session S-301, $30.

DON’T MISS THE LUNCHEONS AND BANQUETS

Among the key attractions of NERGC conferences is the opportunity to "CONNECT" with other attendees and learn from genealogical experts during the luncheons and banquets. New England CONNECTions will feature:

Luncheons, with speakers, at noon on Friday and Saturday:

• Friday: Megan Smnolenyak Smolenyak will speak on "Cases That Made My Brain Hurt". Sponsored by Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council.

• Saturday: Marcia Iannizzi Melnyk will speak on "It’s a Small World After All: Genealogy in the Global Perspective". Sponsored by Cape Cod Genealogical Society.

Dinner banquets, with speakers, on Friday and Saturday evenings:

• Friday: Patricia Law Hatcher, FASG, will share the hidden secrets of genealogical successes. Sponsored by the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

• Saturday: Henry Z "Hank" Jones, Jr., FASG will share his adventures behind the NBC-TV dramatization of his ground-breaking bestseller Psychic Roots and even more amazing serendipitous experiences contributed by genealogists worldwide for his sequel More PsychicRoots. Sponsored by Connecticut Society of Genealogists.

The luncheons ($26) and banquets ($37) are open to all. Don’t forget to register for these special meals when you make your conference reservation!

HOTEL ROOMS GOING FAST - RESERVE YOURS TODAY!

Rooms at the Marriott are going very fast. The hotel is sold out on Wednesday. We have negotiated additions to the NERGC room block for Thursday and Friday nights but could only do so on a sliding scale in two stages: 25 rooms at $140 and 25 more at $155. (Rooms outside the NERGC block are significantly higher.) If you have not yet booked your room, don’t delay! The sooner you book, the lower your cost. Make your reservations either on-line or by telephone today!

Hartford Marriott Downtown
200 Columbus Blvd.
Hartford, CT 06103-2807
Phone: 1-860-249-8000
Fax: 1-860-249-8181
Toll-free reservations: 1-866-373-9806
Hotel Web site: http://www.hartfordmarriott.com
Check-in time: 4:00 P.M.
Check-out time: 11:00 A.M.
Group code: NGCNGCA

Please remember that when making reservations on-line to be sure to enter the Group Code above to get the NERGC rate. When making reservations via phone, call Marriott Reservations at 1-866-373-9806 and ask to make reservations for the New England Regional Genealogical Conference.

$99 “EARLY BIRD” REGISTRATION ENDS JANUARY 15, 2007

The early registration deadline is right around the corner! Remember, your registration must be POSTMARKED BY 15 JANUARY to qualify for the $99 full conference price. After that, the price goes up to $125. Your early registration will also help us with space planning, printing requirements, and other important details.

Don’t miss the opportunity to "CONNECT" to ancestors who immigrated to and migrated out of New England, the wealth of information available in New England's archives, libraries, and historical societies, specific types of source records, and advances in genealogical technology for just $99.00.

To see the entire program and get your registration form, go to http://www.nergc.org/2007/program2007.htm

Start planning your conference experience today. Choose the programs that you’d like to attend. And get your "Early Bird" Reservation postmarked by the January 15 cutoff!