October Virtual Presentation Topic Will Be Using Catholic Records

 A Whole New World of Catholic Records 

If you have been researching Catholic ancestors for years, you are most likely thrilled to discover that many of those difficult to find Catholic records are becoming more accessible! 

Our October speaker, Margaret Fortier, will be discussing the exciting recent developments in online Catholic records, both U.S. and international. Included in her presentation will be information on what the specific records mean, what information they contain, and how to locate them, whether online or off-line. These records include sacramental records, as well as other Catholic related resources (newspapers, parish histories, cemeteries, etc.) 

If you are a regular in-person attendee of our Society meetings, you may recognize Margaret, as she has visited us in the past with her presentations on French Canadian research. For those who are not familiar with her, Margaret Fortier is a professional genealogist with more than 20 years experience. Margaret's research focuses on immigrants to New England, particularly Irish, Italian, Portuguese, and French Canadian. She has also worked as a reviewer for the Archdiocese of Boston French-Catholic records being indexed by New England Historic Genealogical Society (AmericanAncestors.org.)

You are invited to join us on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, at 10 AM, for this free presentation on Zoom. Registration will be required for this event. Members will receive an email with instructions on how to register a few days prior to the event. Interested non-members are asked to email us at  info@capecodgenealogy.org to receive a registration link. 

Genealogical Research in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton

 Join us as we learn about researching in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton!

 

Kathy Kaldis first became interested in family history at a young age, when she listened to stories about her great-great-grandfather, who was born in Cape Breton and later moved to Boston, where he helped to build Fenway Park. During her research in Canada, she also discovered many connections to Cape Cod. 

On Tuesday, August 18, 2020, Kathy will be sharing her research knowledge related to Cape Breton and Nova Scotia. Her enthusiasm for the topic, and the extensive list of resources she will provide us, should make this a very worthwhile presentation to attend. 

Kathy is a professional genealogist and lecturer. She has completed the Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University, as well as many advanced level genealogical institute courses. Kathy has worked as a genealogist for both Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants and The New England Historic and Genealogical Society and specializes in New England and the Atlantic Canadian Provinces, lineage and forensic research.

You are invited to join us on Tuesday, August 18, 2020, at 10 AM, for this free presentation on Zoom. Registration will be required for this event. Members will receive an email with instructions on how to register. Non-members are asked to email us at info@capecodgenealogy.org to receive a registration link. 

July Virtual Meeting to Focus on Polish Genealogy

Do you have a story or two about your family’s ancestry, but not much else to go on? Would you like to learn how to trace your family history to discover where your ancestors came from in Poland, but you’re intimidated by the language barrier?
 On Tuesday, July 21, 2020, CCGS will be hosting a virtual meeting, presented by Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz, that will demonstrate how to use those family stories to start your research into your family tree.  She will use examples drawn from her own research into her family of Polish immigrants to Buffalo, New York, and will identify key websites and strategies that will allow you to trace your family in both U.S. and Polish records. She will also offer some resources for overcoming that language barrier, as well. 

Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz is a genealogist, writer, and speaker, with nearly 30 years of experience in researching her family's origins in Poland, Germany, the U.S. and Canada. Her passion for genealogical research started when she was a graduate student, after she was given a copy of her great-grandparents' marriage record as a gift. After reading the names of a previously unknown generation of ancestors on that document, she was hooked!
She currently volunteers as administrator and regular contributor to a number of genealogy related Facebook groups, and serves on the board of directors for the Polish Genealogical Society of Massachusetts. Her articles have been published in the journals of both the Polish Genealogical Society of America and the Polish Genealogical Society of Massachusetts. She is also the author of a genealogy blog, From Shepherds and Shoemakers.  Julie currently resides in Hopkinton, MA, with her husband and youngest daughter.

You are invited to join us on Tuesday, July 21, 2020, for our 10 AM, meeting on Zoom. Registration will be required for this event. Members will receive an email with instructions on how to register. Non-members are asked to email us at info@capecodgenealogy.org to receive a registration link. 

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month

All non-profits are dependent on their volunteers in order to function. Cape Cod Genealogical Society

is appreciative of all the assistance our volunteers provide. Our volunteers serve on committees, assist patrons of our Genealogy Room at the Dennis Public Library, lead and/or provide programming for our Special Interest Groups, provide refreshments at meetings, and help out behind the scenes in many other ways.  Without them, our Society would not exist! 

Although April is Volunteer Appreciation month, the week of April 19 - 25, 2020, has been designated as National Volunteer Week to help celebrate the service of all volunteers. Ordinarily, CCGS would have celebrated at our April meeting on Saturday; however, with "stay-at-home" orders during the current pandemic, that had to be cancelled. Be assured that we have not forgotten the men and women who have assisted us throughout the past months and years. Once we are able to meet again, be assured we will celebrate with you. 

Stay Safe!!  

Patriot's Day Weekend!!

In normal times, this would be a long weekend in Massachusetts... Patriot's Day, marking the beginning of the Revolutionary War, would be a holiday on Monday, April 20, 2020. But these are not normal times! For that reason, there will be no Boston Marathon on Monday; neither will there be a Red Sox home game; and the Commemoration of the Battles of Lexington and Concord will be virtual.

Do you have any patriots in your own family history?  How can you find them? If you have ancestors living in this country prior to the 1850s, you may benefit from a recent webinar presented by Josh Taylor, "Genealogical Resources of the Daughters of the American Revolution," which is scheduled to be rebroadcast on Thursday, April 23, at 7 PM (EDT). Thanks to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society who are providing free webinars to the public throughout this period of isolation due to the coronavirus. For more information on upcoming webinars, visit the NTG&B website.

Since my ancestor's are all Irish and my first immigrant arrived in the mid-1860's, these records would not ordinarily be of value to me. However, my sons have ancestry going back to the Mayflower -- how many patriot's might I uncover in their line?  I knew of one -- Marshall Walker from Massachusetts -- could there be others? So far, using resources Josh recommended on the DAR site, I have found two additional Revolutionary War soldiers... James Dunbar, father-in-law to Marshall Walker and also from Massachusetts, and John C. Keator from New York. 

Locating these names by using DAR records does not mean you do not have to confirm the relationships within your own line. Everything has to be proven! However, what you find on the DAR site will start you off. In my case, I was ultimately able to discover three generations in the Keator family, using digitized records on Ancestry...including the entire pension applications for John Keator and the widow's application of his wife, Rebecca Elmore.

Take advantage of your unanticipated free time to take a look at records you have never explore before. Also, take advantage of the many free webinars that are being offered during this time, in addition to those from NYG&B, there are others on Legacy Family Tree.

Good luck! and let us know what you have discovered!

How Are You Doing?

Well, it has been three weeks since our Board of Directors cancelled all public activities for the Society...followed by libraries and other businesses closing. These are historic times!  This is not the first time that most everything has shut down and people told to stay home and not go out in public. -- think of the Flu of 1918, when many of our ancestors, or their family members and friends, died.  We have also seen other episodes of quarantine during our lifetimes -- polio, scarlet fever, etc. ..I remember going to school one day in the fifties and being told one of my classmates was not in school because a family member had been diagnosed with scarlet fever and the entire family had been quarantined.

Yesterday, we in Massachusetts, learned that we are to stay in our homes until May 4! -- and, depending on how things develop, it could continue even longer.  It is important during this time that we take care of ourselves, both physically and mentally.  A very long article that was shared by someone on Facebook and originally written by a psychologist included a list of 25 tips for us all to be aware of during a period of quarantine.

He recommended that we set up a daily routine for ourselves, which should include a variety of

"Borrowed from a Facebook post this morning!"

activities, making sure to include outdoor activities -- walking in your yard or in a nearby less-traveled area or just sitting on your deck will help lift your spirits.  Keep in touch with family and friends; speaking to them on the phone occasionally or using FaceTime, Skype, whatever.  Pay attention to your own health -- get exercise (there are videos on YouTube of exercise classes or even just put on some music and dance -- don't forget, you are quarantined, no one will see you, so no need to get embarrassed); eat healthy (this is the time to try some new recipes!); keep hydrated -- drink plenty of water.  Consider those projects that you have been avoiding -- clean out a closet; organize your genealogical research or your photographs, take an online course on a subject you know little about (Google and YouTube can find all sorts of things).  Most importantly, limit checking for coronavirus updates to once per day!! -- we do not need too many negative thoughts coming our way; although you will want to stay updated with the public health authority's latest report.

 We always mention that the mission of our Society is to "educate", but within that mission is the statement: "To maintain, develop, and make available to members and the general public a collection of materials relating to genealogy, with the emphasis on Cape Cod and New England, and including both published and unpublished material."   This morning the New England Historic Genealogical Society shared an article titled "Survivng a Pandemic, in 1918 " This article shared the experiences of Catholic nuns in Philadelphia who cared for the sick during the Flu pandemic.  With all this in mind, we have an opportunity to share our own experiences now in the 2020 pandemic...
How are you doing?  What activities, whether genealogical related or otherwise, are you doing to keep your spirits up?  Do you have suggestions for others? Anything you would like to share about your experience is welcome. 

You can comment on this blog below.... or on our Facebook page ... or by emailing info@capecodgenealogy.org.  or.  joan.frederici@capecodgenealogy.org.

Hope to hear from everyone soon!!  In the meantime, stay healthy and safe!

Reliving the Past

We are currently living in a world dealing with a health crisis very similar to the one our ancestors experienced one hundred years ago. Today, however, we are fortunate to have the technology to help us get through this... our ancestors did not have the resources we have to assist us, as we make our way through "social distancing" recommendations. .. TV, internet, Facebook, FaceTime, Skype -- only a few of the tools we can use to keep in touch with the "outside world."  However, we are the proof that life WILL return to normal one day and this crisis will be behind us, just as it did in 1919.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Here at Cape Cod Genealogical Society, we are working to keep you updated with what is happening within our own society, as well as the genealogical world around us.  All our public programs, meetings, events, etc, have been cancelled, until further notice -- this means that through the month of April, we will not be seeing you in person. What happens in May will be determined at a much later date and will be dependent on guidelines that are passed along to us. This is true of all other societies and events throughout the U.S. and the world. We will, however, be sharing information here in our blog, on our  CCGS website and on our Facebook page  This will include links to resources and webinars that are being offered in response to the current situation.

In the meantime:

•  follow the recommendations of public health authorities and please stay home.  
•  It is a good idea to stay in daily contact, by phone, email, or even Facebook, with a couple of family members or friends, so that someone will always know that you are safe and healthy... This is especially important for those who live alone! 
• Follow us on Facebook, or on this blog or our website, to learn about any news of interest, suggestions of resources or educational articles and videos related to genealogy
• If you have questions or content to share with CCGS, email us at  info@capecodgenealogy.org
• Stay healthy!! and we look forward to seeing you all, when our public activities resume.