Genealogy Club Begins Its Fourth Year

By Jan Howard

The Genealogy Club of Newtown will begin its fourth year on September 8 at 7 pm in the meeting room of the C.H. Booth Library on Main Street.

The club, although based in Newtown, is comprised of members who live throughout Fairfield County. The members share a common interest in learning about the past. They not only share their own experiences but also learn from the experiences of guest speakers.

“We welcome all people who are interested in finding their roots,” President Ray Maki said this week. “The club is open to anyone at any level. Our speakers reflect the spectrum of our members.

“Visitors are always welcome,” he added.

The club, which numbers about 34 paid members, offers speakers and roundtable discussions to help people find their ancestral roots. It meets the second Wednesday of each month except July and August.

Dues are $15 for individuals and $25 for families.

The club features guest speakers with a wide range of topics, Mr Maki said. Past speakers have offered help on how to search the Internet and to preserve old records and photographs.

Program chairman Jerry Reidy noted the guest speaker for the September 8 meeting is Toni McKeen of Ridgefield, who teaches a genealogy class to seniors at Ridgefield’s Founders Hall.

“She will lecture on immigration and census records,” he said.

On October 13, Jean Nudd, an archivist with the National Archives and Records Administration, will discuss how to begin research at the archives. On November 10, Brigid Guertin, curator of the Danbury Scott Fanton Museum and Historical Society, will speak.

Katie Pasko will speak on French Canadian genealogy at the club’s January 12 meeting. Other future speakers include Virginia Banerjee in March and Janet Pesty in May.

In December, genealogist Harlan Jessup, a member of the club, will conduct a tour of the genealogical collection in the C.H. Booth Library. A roundtable discussion will follow.

The club is also planning a trip in April to the National Archives in Pittsfield, Mass. Another possible day trip would be to the Godfrey Library in Middletown.

Club members also help out in the library’s genealogy room. Mr Jessup volunteers on Monday afternoons for those people who need help in locating information on their ancestors.

“The library has excellent resources in its genealogy room,” Mr Jessup said, noting the town histories, family genealogies, genealogy how-tos and reference materials and much more that are available to the genealogical researcher.

The library also subscribes to a number of genealogical websites, and there is a computer dedicated for that use.

In addition to Mr Jessup’s help, other club members have also contributed to the resources available in the genealogy room. Mr Maki and his wife, Mary, indexed the 1890 census and the library’s manuscript collection. Ms Maki also responds to genealogical queries through the club’s website, Rootsweb.com/~ctgcnc/. They and other members also recently brought records from the town’s early school districts for storage at the library.

For more information about the club, call Ray or Mary Maki at 203-426-3889 or at rmaki@rcn.com.