NERGC Hartford 2007: New England CONNECTions

INFORMATION ABOUT NERGC 2009

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NERGC’s tradition of excellence in providing genealogical lectures, seminars and workshops as well as exhibitors’ booths, the Ancestors Road Show, a Society Fair, and luncheons and banquets continues in April 2009 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

The Tenth New England Regional Genealogical Conference, Discovering Family Treasures, will be held April 22-26, 2009 at the Expo Center of New Hampshire and Radisson Hotel in Manchester. National speakers will be Thomas W. Jones, James Hansen, and Megan S. Smolenyak.

Pauline Cusson, Melinde Sanborn, and Allison Ryall will Co-Chair the 2009 Conference, and Program Co-Chairs will be Christine Sweet-Hart and Barbara Mathews.
Watch the NERGC website www.nergc.org ( http://www.nergc.org/ )for updates as they become available.

VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION DRAWINGS AT NERGC 2007

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Cheryl Patten’s daily appreciation drawing for volunteers drew much interest. Daily winners included Joe Hoefflinger (CAS) who took away the L.L. Bean Flashlight, Bonnie Sweatman (CMGS) who won the L.L. Bean Passport Organizer, Linda Pelletier and Oti Wyatt who won Dunkin Donut Gift Cards, and Cindy Knight-Palazzo who won the L.L. Bean Personal Organizer.

MANY THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO PUT IN HUNDREDS OF HOURS PRIOR TO, DURING AND EVEN NOW IN WRAPPING UP THE CONFERENCE!

SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS AT THE CONFERENCE

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During the Conference, the following individuals were recognized for their special contributions to the New England genealogical community:

Rosalie Godfrey
Our special guest, Rosalie Godfrey, was a solid, moving force from the first NERGC planning meeting in 1986 through the initial planning stages of our NGS-NERGC meeting in Providence. She was among the original delegates who conceived, designed, and created NERGC. She performed numerous jobs for NERGC with efficiency, skill, and forethought. Her leadership in helping create NERGC will not be forgotten.

Cherry Fletcher Bamberg
Cherry Bamberg was the recipient of the 2006 Donna Holt Siemiatkoski Volunteer of the Year Award. Since joining the editorial staff of Rhode Island Roots and subsequently becoming its chief editor, Cherry has steadily improved the quality of the publication to the point where today it is among the finest journals published by a genealogical society. Her work to strengthen and grow the Rhode Island Genealogical Society and genealogy in Rhode Island exemplify the very best in volunteer service.

Cheryl Willis Patten
Cheryl Patten was the recipient of the 2005 Donna Holt Siemiatkoski Volunteer of the Year Award. Her efforts on behalf of the Maine Genealogical Society, the New England Regional Genealogical Conference, and genealogy in general have been prodigious. Over a period of many years, she has time and again gone beyond the call of duty to promote and otherwise advocate for genealogical concerns in the state of Maine. Cheryl Patten's life has been dedicated to promoting genealogy in Maine and in every aspect of her career she has symbolized the ideal volunteer.

Joseph V. Camposeo, CMC
Joe Camposeo, the newly elected President of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association, has been the Town Clerk of Manchester, Connecticut eleven years and in 1999 became a Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC). His Family History Days in Manchester were popular with the public and genealogists and have evolved into annual Genealogy Road Shows. He responded to a genealogists’ initiative for better communication between Town Clerks and genealogists by Co-Chairing an Action Group that has served both communities.

SOME COMMENTS FROM COMMITTEE CHAIRS

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From Janet Wallace, Hospitality and Queries Chair:
WASN'T IT GREAT????? We are definitely now in the Big League! That Conference was a mighty big mountain to come down from!

From Nancy Pexa, Society Fair Chair:
Everyone deserves a huge thank you for a job well done - Hartford was actually a shining star. All the sessions were appropriate to the setting and occasion. I thank you for letting me be a part of the event. I want to thank everyone who helped make the conference so great. I did not know what to expect, and it was everything I hoped it would be.

From Melinde Sanborn, Distinguished Service Awards Chair:
Although it was part of the Special Award that Rosalie Godfrey didn't have to speak at the banquet where she was our guest (all pleasure, no work), she did spend some time with me reminiscing about the early days of NERGC. It was wonderful to see how much we've grown and prospered through her eyes!

COMMENTS FROM ATTENDEES (TAKEN FROM FULL CONFERENCE EVALUATION FORMS)

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Some of the things "liked best":

"This is one of the best conferences that I have attended."
"Excellent job by committee. Well done!"
"Great presentations"
"So many great sessions/topics to choose from."
"Location - easy to do in a day"
"The great facility"
"Easy parking"
"Excellent Convention Center food and staff"
"Chance to visit with old friends"
"Meeting people"
"Friendly volunteers"
"Friendly people, interesting lectures, and lots to look at."
"Syllabus is wonderful"
"Bags are great! I love the square bottom & place for a water bottle."
"It was excellently run. Thanks for all your hard work."

Some of the things "liked least"
"The price of parking"
"Meeting room layout"
"Cold rooms"
"Too much walking"
"Some sessions were crowded."
"Thursday was too long with no break."
"No time for lunch or supper on Thursday."
"Little dedicated vendor time outside sessions"

The 2007 Evaluation Chair and Conference Co-Chairs appreciate all the feedback we received. Summaries and analyses will contribute to a comprehensive report for NERGC’s Annual Meeting. Conference committees and participating societies will get summaries. NERGC will use the feedback to improve the variety of programming, vendors, and resources available; the quality and expertise of its speakers; and the usefulness of the networking and sharing opportunities to make our next conference even better than this one.

CONFERENCE EVALUATIONS UPDATE

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Pam Roberts, our Evaluation Chair, reports that this year NERGC expanded its program evaluation model to include individual session evaluation feedback forms for each speaker in addition to the overall conference evaluation. New England CONNECTions drew a diverse audience in age, experience, professional background and interests, and the evaluations have a wealth of comments that will assist us in meeting these diverse needs in the future.

The data from each individual session as well as the data from the full conference evaluation will contribute to an overall conference evaluation report for use not only by NERCG 2007 Chairpersons and Committees but for future planning by NERGC 2009 Chairpersons and Committees.

Preliminary data shows that our NERGC attendees participated in session evaluations at a higher rate than the 25-30% voluntary expected return rate for most audiences. In nearly all sessions, over 50% of attendees filled out at least a portion of the evaluation form and in some cases over 80% of attendees returned forms.

This high representation of opinion increases the likelihood that the data summary for each session is truly representative of the audience attending each presentation. Overall, hour-long speaker sessions were rated "very good" to excellent" with strong agreement that participants learned something new and that expectations and needs were met.

PRELININARY REGISTRATION STATISTICS

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Mary Choppa, who did an outstanding job as Registration Chair, has provided an initial breakdown on where attendees came from. While the majority were from New England (including over 300 from Connecticut and 180 from Massachusetts), the conference also attracted attendees from the:

Middle Atlantic States: 65
Southern States: 24
Midwest: 12
Far West: 20
Canada: 4
England: 2

New EnglandCONNECTionsWRAP-UP

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Although the final tally isn’t in, preliminary figures indicate over 720
were on hand at the Connecticut Convention Center and Hartford
Marriott Downtown April 25-29 for New England CONNECTions.

The evaluation forms completed by attendees indicate that the quality
of the speakers was among the most highly rated features of
New England CONNECTions, and the Conference Co-Chairs Tom Howard
and Dick Roberts and Program Chairs Allison Ryall and Christine Sweet-Hart
wish to thank each and every one of them for their wonderful performance.

The Co-Chairs also want to publicly acknowledge the tremendous job done
by our hardworking Committee Chairs. To say that you are the greatest would
be an understatement. Without your enormous effort and on-going participation,
Hartford 2007 would have not been the success it turned out to be. We also thank
the many, many volunteers from many organizations (as well as a number
who were unaffiliated with any NERGC society) who contributed countless
hours of volunteer time.

Very special thanks also go to Dick Eastman for making it possible to
check e-mail and perform other tasks on the Web from the Exhibitors' Hall as
well as his special report on the conference, complete with pictures, in his Online
Genealogy Newsletter of April 29, 2007.

He wrote in part, "I just returned from the New England Regional Genealogical
Conference in Hartford, Connecticut. As expected, this was a great conference.
I believe the total attendance was more than 700, not bad for a regional conference
covering only six small states. The event featured presentations by top national and
regional genealogical experts. The Connecticut Conference Center is a first-class facility
although the attendees, lecture rooms and exhibitors' hall only filled a small part of
the available space.

The convention opened under sunny skies on Thursday although I think that was
the last time the sun was seen. The remaining days were overcast with frequent showers.
Those of us who stayed at the nearby Marriott Hotel didn't mind because we didn't need
to go outside. The hotel, restaurant, coffee shops, convention center, and parking garage
were all connected."

For the full story, see http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/04/nergc
_2007_wrap.html#more

SUNDAY MORNING SPECIAL SESSION

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“Sinners at the Hands of an Angry God” A Portrayal of Reverend Jonathan Edwardswith Rev. Adam Söderberg
Sunday, April 29, 2007 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Sponsored by the Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor

In 1733, a religious revival began in Northampton, Massachusetts and was followed in 1739-1740 by the Great Awakening. During this time, Jonathan Edwards, a Connecticut native—father of twelve, preacher, scholar, missionary, and President of Princeton University—preached his most famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”
Following in the tradition of recent NERGC conferences, Rev. Söderberg will begin the session with a short introduction to Jonathan Edwards and this very famous sermon, and then deliver the sermon in period costume.

UPS SHIPPING AVAILABLE AT CONFERENCE

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Need a convenient way to get all your Conference purchases home? The UPS Store is located across from Starbucks coffee shop in the Marriott hotel. Hours: M-F 7:00 A.M. - 6:30 PM and Saturday 8:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M. They offer packing, shipping, receiving, printing and more. Telephone: (860) 656-7386

HELP WANTED!

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Occasional help manning a book-selling booth in the Exhibit Hall.

Coverage needed for Thursday afternoon move-in 1PM-3PM and 6PM-7:30PM opening; Friday afternoon 3PM-5PM; and Saturday 1:30PM-3PM.

Duties include set-up, assistance, drawing up sales slips, taking money, helping customers.

PAY - a free registration to the full conference and a discount on almost all books purchased from the booth. Contact Melinde at melinde44@comcast.net
or 603-247-4775.

Slavic Research Special Interest Group Added!

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Slavic Research hosted by Matthew Bielawa and Jonathan Shea

"If your family has roots in Eastern Europe then this is the special interest group for you. We will discuss ways to track down and locate your Eastern European ancestors. Join us, make new friends, and exchange tips with other people who share the same interesting heritage as you do."
Special Interest Groups will meet on Thursday, April 26, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm. Room locations will be posted at the conference.

CONNECTICUT HISTORICAL SOCIETY HOURS DURING THE CONFERENCE

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The Connecticut Historical Society Library will be open extra hours until 8:00 P.M. on Thursday, April 26th. The Society officially closes at 5:00 P.M., so visitors coming to use the library after 5:00 will have to ring the doorbell. There will be no admission fee.

April 28th is Connecticut History Day and the Connecticut Historical Society is the site for the day's activities, so the CHS Library will be closed to the public that day.

EVALUATE NERGC 2007 – SHARE WHAT YOU THINK.

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Ever wonder if the time filling out an evaluation makes a difference? Who looks at it and what is it used for?

Well, for NERGC 2007, feedback will be summarized and reported at the Annual Meeting and program speakers, conference committees and participating societies will get summaries. NERGC uses feedback to improve the variety of programming, vendors and resources available, the quality and expertise of its speakers, as well as the usefulness of the networking and sharing at special events, in the hallways and while browsing thru the Exhibit Hall. The “Ancestors Road Show”, “Queries”, the “Message Board”, Luncheons and Banquets with speakers all exist partially because of feedback.

Want to see a speaker of your choice in 2009? Do you have ideas for ways the conference could be more family friendly? What caught your eye, why did you come? How can NERGC improve for 2009? THE NERGC 2007 EVALUATION will give each of you a chance to tell us what you thought of the 2007 experience and what you would like to see in the future. Fill out the forms to assure that your opinion will be considered. Watch for the general conference evaluation feedback form distributed in your bag when you register. Fill out the program session forms available in each meeting room and return anywhere you see the NERGC 2007 Evaluation signs.

EXTRA ANCIENT BURYING GROUND CEMETERY TOUR ADDED

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Ruth Shapleigh Brown, Executive Director of the Connecticut Gravestone Network, has generously offered to lead NERGC attendees on informal guided tours of Hartford’s Ancient Burying Ground.

The first tour will be on Wednesday, April 25 at 4:30 P.M., just after the Librarian’s Day closes, the second on Thursday, April 26 at 10:00 A.M. To accommodate those unable to attend either pre-conference tour, Ruth has agreed to do a third tour of on Sunday following the conclusion of the Conference.

The Cemetery is located just a couple of blocks from the Convention Center at the corner of Gold and Main Streets, behind the Center Church (First Church of Christ, UCC). Tours will gather at the front gate of the cemetery near the statue of Rev. Stone. Maps, directions, and information about volunteer escorts to the cemetery will be available at the Hospitality table Wednesday (at the Marriott) and Thursday (at the Convention Center).

Those interested in these tours should email Ruth at shapbrown@cox.net (please insert NERGC Cem. Tour on the subject line) indicating which tour they wish to join. Or, for the Sunday tour, stop by Booth #8 in the Exhibit Hall to sign up. Ruth’s knowledge and expertise should not be missed. For more information about the Ancient Burying Ground see www.theancientburyingground.org.

For those needing to drive or wanting to visit the Burying Ground on their own, there is limited metered 2-hour parking on both sides of Gold St. from 8:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M. Nickel – 2 minutes. Dime – 4 minutes. Quarter – 10 minutes.

ARE YOU ATTENDING NERGC 2007?

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Complete your New England CONNECTions by networking through volunteering.

There is a job for everyone. NERGC is known for quality conferences with low registration fees. In order to keep costs down, increase the services and supports for participants, and to be a warm and welcoming conference, volunteers play a big role. Want to know more about it? Contact Pam Roberts, pamela.roberts@uconn.edu , for all tasks except Ancestor Road Show Support Team, where you should contact Fred Hart at hartfc@aol.com. But don’t delay, the count down is on! There are only a few select opportunities left.

Even when you get to conference and see all the fun had by volunteers, go ahead and stop by the Volunteer Table to chat. There just may be a way for you to get in on the action!

Attention Conference VOLUNTEERS!

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Are you signed up to Volunteer? GREAT….

On arrival in Hartford please stop by the Volunteer Table located:
Wednesday in the Marriot Meeting Room Hallway near the Capitol Room
Thursday-Saturday in the “Town Square” Gathering Place on the Ballroom Level of the Convention Center.

Pick up your volunteer packet and check in. Packets will contain your personal volunteer schedule, general instructions, information and resources, specific instructions for tasks, VOLUNTEER IDENTIFICATION (which should be worn anytime you are on “assignment”) and a little thank you.

WI-FI AT THE CONFERENCE

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If you have a Wi-Fi equipped laptop or PDA, bring it along. There is free Wi-Fi Internet access available at Starbucks at the Marriott and at Seattle’s Best (formerly Starbucks) at the Convention Center.

In addition, thanks to Dick Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter, you should be able to check your e-mail or perform other tasks on the Web from the Exhibitors' Hall. Dick writes:

“The wireless networking signal should be strongest near booths 55 and 56 although I expect it will cover the entire hall. Look for a wireless network that is broadcasting an SSID of "eogn." You should be able to connect and start using the Internet without entering any user name or password. This free network access is being provided by Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.”

He adds, “The eogn network is shared so please use it wisely. I encourage you to use the wireless network to check your e-mail and similar tasks. However, please do not start downloading huge files or otherwise saturating the connection. If you are a vendor, please do not use it for customer-facing use but feel free to check your own e-mail whenever you wish. If the connection gets overloaded, I'll be forced to turn it off. If we all use it wisely, more people can benefit.”

For Dick Eastman’s entire blog entry about the conference, see
http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/04/
nergc_2007.html

MORE FOOD OPTIONS IN THE AREA

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A Dunkin Donuts is located inside the Central Row Cafe, 20 Central Row.

Another Dunkin Donuts, 487 Main St. , is open daily from 5:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M. and Saturday from 6:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. Closed Sunday.

Subway, also located at 487 Main St. , is open daily 8:00 A.M. – 9:00 P.M. and Saturday from 10:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M. Closed Sunday.

Burger King, is at 811 Main St. (corner of Asylum).

The Cornerstone, 529 Main St. Delicatessen, Italian.

Cappucino’s, 427 Main St. , is open weekdays from 7:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. and Saturday from 8:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. It offers breakfast items, soups, and sandwiches.

Peppercorn’s Grill, 367 Main St., is an Italian restaurant open for Lunch Monday - Friday 11:30 A.M. - 4:00 P.M. and for Dinner Monday – Wednesday 4:00 P.M. – 10:00 P.M.; Thursday 4:00 P.M. – 11 P.M., and Friday & Saturday 4:00 P.M. – 12:00 A.M.

Emperor at the Linden, an upscale restaurant on the corner of Main St. and Capitol Ave., with the entrance at 2 Capitol Ave. , is open for lunch 11:30 A.M. – 2:30 P.M. Monday – Friday and dinner 5:00 P.M. – 11:00 P.M.

WHAT’S FOR BREAKFAST?

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Here are some food options for those not signed up for the Conference’s luncheons and banquets. Here are some breakfast options.

ALL Conference attendees staying at the Marriott will receive a Discount Breakfast Coupon when they register and for each day they are staying at the hotel. It will save six dollars on the buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant. With the coupon, the buffet is $12.00 person – fast, complete, and a reasonable price. For those without a coupon, the buffet will be available at the regular price of $18.

The Marriott also features a Starbucks. The former Starbucks at the Convention Center recently was converted to a Seattle’s Best.

UPS SHIPPING AVAILABLE AT CONFERENCE

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REMINDER FOR SOCIETY FAIR ORGANIZATIONS

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Society Fair move-in time is scheduled from 3:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M. Societies needing to use the loading dock should plan to bring materials in through the dock area between 3:00 and 4:00, the same time as the single-booth Exhibitors, as that is when the dock and elevator will be available. Materials may also be brought through the Convention Center on small 2-wheel airport-style luggage carriers but not on large 4-wheel dollies, etc. Please bring a table cloth or something to cover your materials between the time you finish your setup and shortly before 5:00. The Society Fair will run from 5:00 to 7:00, and break-down is scheduled from 7:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M.

FOR EXHIBITORS PLANNING BOOK SIGNINGS

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If you're an exhibitor or author of a book and have plans for book signings during the conference, please email Jimholms@cs.com with time, book title, and author. Table 1 in the Exhibit Hall has been set aside for book signings, and we’ll be publicizing the schedule during the Conference

REMINDERS FOR EXHIBITORS

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Move-in time for exhibitors with multiple booths is Thursday from 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. Move-in time for exhibitors with single booths is Thursday from 3:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M.

All exhibitors selling materials much have a valid Connecticut sales tax number before making any sales, regardless of the number of sales that may be made or the amount of tax that will be collected. Connecticut does not issue temporary permits to vendors.

The Sales and Use Tax Permit must be prominently displayed at your booth during the show. For further information, see the Department of Revenue Services Web page, which describes the tax requirements and provides options for registering, including registering online or contact the Department at 800-382-9463.

REMINDER ABOUT THE FAMILY PHOTOS WORKSHOP

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If you are registered for "Identifying and Preserving Family Photographs" with Maureen Taylor and David Mishkin (Session F-218, 1:45 P.M. – 3:45 P.M. on Friday), please remember to bring with you any photograph you would like to discus and/or any questions you have about any of your photographs.