Lecture Helps Trace Family Roots

BRIDGEPORT –– Two nationally recognized authorities on Polish and Eastern European genealogy will share their expertise on tracing family roots during a lecture, which will take place on Saturday, October 18, at the Bridgeport Public Library, North Branch, 3455 Madison Avenue.

Sponsored by the Polish Genealogical Society of Connecticut and the Northeast, Inc, the lecture on Polish and Eastern European Family History Research will run from 1 until 4 pm. Anyone with an interest in Polish and Eastern European family history is welcome to attend.

Matthew Bielawa and Jonathan Shea will present a workshop and lecture designed to help beginners and advanced family history researchers navigate the many different sources that are available.

They will also discuss civil and church records and suggest resources for identifying ancestral villages in Eastern Europe as well as archives in Poland that hold relevant records.

The lecture will also include a Resource Center with books, maps and other materials, personal help in translating genealogical documents and an opportunity for informal discussion with the speakers.

Both speakers have extensive experience in genealogy and have been featured at numerous regional and national conferences.

Matthew Bielawa is webmaster of Genealogy of Halychyna/Eastern Galicia (www.halgal.com), a site devoted to Polish and Ukrainian genealogical research in Eastern Galicia/Western Ukraine. He serves as vice president and data coordinator for PGSCT/NE.

Jonathan Shea is the founding president, reference archivist and translator for PGSCT/NE and editor of its journal, Pathways and Passages. An accredited genealogist in the field of Polish research, he is has written many books including the recently released In Their Words: A Genealogist’s Translation Guide to Poland and Russian Documents. He is an instructor of foreign languages in the Connecticut State University system.  

The lecture is free. For more information, see www.pgsctne.org or email pgsconf@yahoo.com.