Current Year’s Meetings
November 17, 2026 – TBD
October 27, 2026 – TBD
September 22, 2026 – TBD
August 25, 2026 – TBD
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July 28, 2026 – 7:00 pm VIRTUAL program only
Holiday Witches: Folklore and Seasonal Traditions from Ireland, the UK, and Beyond
Speaker: Debra Dudek
Celebrate the magic of the season with a twist of witchcraft and wonder! This lecture explores the full calendar year of holidays where witches and other strange creatures are celebrated, reviled, or feared. From quirky, kindhearted witches to folkloric entities who prowl the night, get ready to enjoy a bit of festive fun.
Debra M. Dudek is Head of Adult and Teen Services at the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook, IL. She holds a post graduate certificate in Genealogical, Palaeographic & Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Ms. Dudek is the Book Review Editor of the Illinois State Genealogical Society, an executive board member of the Illinois State Historical Society, website coordinator for the Chicago Chapter NSDAR, and is the author of the World War I Research Guide: Tracing American Military and Non-Combatant Ancestors.
Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87678574509?pwd=rPrz0znGGgIGbJxup14wU0UCd8aRVG.1
Meeting ID: 876 7857 4509
Passcode: 307776
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June 23, 2026 – 7:00 pm VIRTUAL program only
Unearthing 1776 – A Deep Dive into the lives of Revolutionary Era Ancestors
Speaker: Sara Campbell
This month’s program will help us to go beyond the military rolls to help us learn more about how our ancestors experienced the Revolutionary War period. Do you have Patriots or Loyalists in your family? The farther we go back in time, the more we have to draw on the FAN club-friends, associates, and neighbors-to tease out details about our ancestors’ lives. Sara will share resources and techniques to bring their experiences to life. Be prepared to share your thoughts and progress of your research. We will all be better genealogists for sharing.
Sara is a long-time CMGS member, an author, editor, and educator. She has been researching her own family in Western Mass. and NY for 35 years. Her research has appeared in “Western Massachusetts Families of 1790” through NEHGS, and “MASSOG”, the Journal of the Mass. Society of Genealogists. She recently relocated to coastal North Carolina and looks forward to exploring new archives, and gaining expertise in the history of her new home.
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May 26, 2026 – 7:00 pm (Hope Lodge, 42 Central Street, Gardner, MA) – HYBRID MEETING
From Archives to Audiences: Engaging Your Family through AI Generated Videos
Speaker: Bill Duke
Does the mention of “census schedules”, “pension files”, or “vital records” make your relatives’ eyes glaze over? You’ve spent countless hours unearthing the fascinating stories of those who came before us, but sharing a stack of old records doesn’t always capture the imagination of the next generation. This session explores how to use AI Applications to transform raw genealogical data into engaging, short-form videos. Learn how to bridge the gap between rigorous historical research and modern storytelling, ensuring your family’s legacy is not just preserved, but actually watched.
Bill Duke has a professional background in corporate IT, having spent his career as an engineer at several major high-tech firms. Before his retirement, Bill specialized in navigating and resolving complex software issues for global clients.Throughout his career, he established himself as a strong investigator, known for his analytical precision, debugging expertise, and a natural talent for creative problem-solving. As an accomplished communicator, he frequently shared his technical insights through the authorship of technical papers and knowledge articles, as well as delivering presentations at various annual industry conferences.
For over 40 years, Bill has seamlessly transitioned those professional investigative skills into investigating his family history. He is an active member of the CMGS and is dedicated to applying modern analytical methodologies to uncover and preserve ancestral narratives.
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April 28, 2026 – 7:00 pm (Hope Lodge, 42 Central Street, Gardner, MA) – HYBRID MEETING
Citations, Why Did it Have to Be Citations?
Speaker: Sara Cochran
Citations are a necessary part of genealogical research. With the right approach, they don’t have to be the scary part!
Sara is a full-time professional genealogist with over 30 years of research experience. Her research has taken her to nearly every state in the USA and Ireland. She especially enjoys breaking down brick walls, discovering the stories of black sheep ancestors, and helping individuals preserve their photographic legacy.
She holds a Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate, a Bachelor’s Degree in Library Science, and is an alum of the ProGen Study Group. She is a member of DAR and other lineage societies, the Association of Professional Genealogists, and the Genealogical Speakers Guild.
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March 24, 2026 – Annual March 24, 2026 Annual Dinner and Meeting
Hope Lodge, 42 Central Street, Gardner, MA
Annual Dinner 6:00 pm
Menu – Tossed Garden Salad with Croutons and assorted salad dressings. Oven Roasted BBQ Chicken. Mashed Potatoes (no instant). Dinner Rolls. Roasted Carrots. Coffee & Tea and some kind of flavored drink and water and cake.
COST – $15.00/PERSON – RSVP on or before March 18, 2026 – Send checks to CMGS, PO Box 811, Westminster, MA 01473-0811 or you can pay via PayPal on our Payments page.
Annual Meeting 7:00 pm- HYBRID MEETING
Meeting starts with the election of officers and Board of Directors, followed by the presentation:
Land of the Living
Speaker: Rev. Timothy E. Crellin
Join us for an evening with Rev. Timothy E. Crellin as he presents and reads from his acclaimed novel The Land of the Living. Stay afterward to purchase a signed copy and connect with the author.
Timothy Crellin is an Episcopal priest and author whose novel The Land of the Living is inspired by his Sicilian heritage and his study of the generational effects of 20th-century wars on immigrant families. Educated at Brown University and Harvard Divinity School, he has served in parish leadership for more than two decades, including founding major youth and community programs in Boston. He is currently Rector of St. Paul’s Church in Gardner, Massachusetts, and remains active in social justice, hospice chaplaincy, and community service.
In addition to being Rector of St. Paul’s Church in Gardner and Dean of the Wachusett Valley Deanery, Tim is a chaplain with a local hospice provider. He serves on the Ethics Committee at Heywood Hospital in Gardner, and on the Beloved Community Commission of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts.
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January 27, 2026 – 7:00 pm VIRTUAL program only
Genealogy Escape Room: Esther Howland and the Case of the Missing Valentine
Speaker: Thomas MacEntee – Sponsored by the Friends of the Leominster Public Library
Test your research skills with our virtual escape room!
Join us for a fun evening of “watch as it happens” genealogy research and pick up some new skills with genealogist Thomas MacEntee!
You MUST complete your research on Esther Howland by answering a set of questions related to her genealogy and family history to UNLOCK the main door and ESCAPE!
Google research form with the questions:
https://forms.gle/kqPgYmU5SFYYsEjB7
Questions & Answers:
https://genealogybargains.com/genescape-howland-QA
Research Log:
https://genealogybargains.com/genescape-howland-research-log
Past CMGS Meetings
January 28, 2025
Tracing Your Bootlegging, Shimmy-Shaking and Repeal-Seeking Ancestors During and After Prohibition
Speaker: Debra Dudek
February 11, 2025
Escape Room – The Case of Lou Little
Speaker: Thomas MacEntee – Leominster Public Library in Partnership with CMGS
March 25, 2025
ANNUAL DINNER MEETING
How to Research Genealogy In 20 Minutes a Day
Speaker: Susan Navarre – Fitchburg Historical Society
April 2025
I have a Civil War Ancestor: Now What?
Speaker: Brian Rhinehart
May 2025
Postcards From the Past: Bringing Deltiology to Your Genealogy?
Speaker: Michael Cassara
June 2025
Identifying a Plantagenet King: Richard III
Speaker: Bonnie Wade Mucia
July 2025
How History Helps Genealogy Research
Speaker: Lucy Allen – Barre Historical Society
August 2025
Philly Museum of History with a film on historic sites
Speaker: Philip Johnson
September 2025
Meet Mrs. Hamilton
Speaker: Anne Barrett – Leominster Public Library in Partnership with CMGS
October 2025 – No Meeting
CMGS Members were attending the NERGC conference in Manchester, NH
November 2025
Learnings from NERGC – Sharing new ideas from the conference
CMGS Members
January 23, 2024
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Speaker: Sara Campbell
February 27, 2024
Escape Room – The Case of Martha Sleeper – The Gadget Girl
Speaker: Thomas MacEntee– Leominster Public Library in Partnership with CMGS
March 26, 2024
ANNUAL DINNER MEETING
Lighthouses of New England and the People Who Kept Them
Speaker: Jeremy D’Entremont
April 23, 2024
Records That Tragedy Leave Behind
Speaker: Gena Philbert-Ortega
May 28, 2024
Have a Computer, Will Document-A Review of Genealogy Software for Windows and Mac
Speaker: Richard Reid
June 25, 2024
Cemetery Projects
CMGS Panel
July 25, 2024
Mixers and Shakers – Tracing Your Saloon, Tavern and Bar Keeping Ancestors Before Prohibition
Speaker: Deborah Dudek
August 27, 2024
The Unlocked Path
Speaker: Janice Robinson Daley
September 24, 2024
History at Play
Speaker: Judy Kalaora
October 22, 2024
Helping You Unearth the Story of Your Family
Speaker: Sara Cochran
November 19, 2024
Mount Auburn Cemetery
January 2023
Genealogical Treasures in Military and VA Pension Files
Speaker: Lori Miller
February 2023
How to Clean the Mess on Your Desk
Speaker: Kelli Bergheimer
March 2023
The Angel Project
Speaker: Kate Kelley
April 2023
Records That Tragedy Leave Behind
Speaker: Gena Philibert-Ortega
May 2023
Have A Computer, Will Document, A Review of Genealogy Software for Windows and Mac
Speaker: Richard Reid
June 2023
Grand Mason Lodge of Massachusetts
Speaker: R.W. Walter H. Hunt
July 25, 2023
The Revolutionary War Murder Conspiracy of Bathsheba Spooner
Speaker: Andrew Noone
August 26, 2023
Genealogy and History Fair
Hope Lodge, Gardner, MA
September 26, 2023
Workshop on CMGS Cemetery Books
CMGS Panel
October 24, 2023
Welcome to the Graveyard Virtual Tour Chronicling Art History and Symbolism of the N.E. Burial Grounds
The Gravestone Girls – Leominster Public Library in Partnership with CMGS
November 15, 2023
Have a Computer, Will Document-A Review of Genealogy Software for Windows and Mac
Speaker: Richard Reid
January 2022
Gone A Whalin’: Western Mass Crews on Whalers
Speaker: Dennis Picard
February 11, 2022
The Maine-Canada-Ireland Connection – Seeking Rogers’ Roots
Speaker: Carol McCoy
February 28, 2022
Genealogy Escape Room – Donald Featherstone and the Case of the Pink Flamingo
Speaker: Thomas MacEntee – Leominster Public Library in Partnership with CMGS
March 22, 2022
Paddy on the Railway: Irish Labourers and the Building of the Great Western Railroad
Speaker: Dennis Picard
April 26, 2022
Family Medical History and the Importance for Generations
Speaker: Carol Bosworth
May 24, 2022
Ellis Island-Gateway to a Dream
Seema-Jayne Kenney – Leominster Public Library in Partnership with CMGS
June 28, 2022
Militia of the Seas: Massachusetts Privateering Records from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812
Speaker: Kathleen Kaldis
July 26, 2022
Publish On Demand
Speaker: Leslie Ray Sears
August 23, 2022
The Family Search Catalog: A Researcher’s Best Friend
Speaker: Diana Elder
September 27, 2022
Location, Location, Location: Putting Your Ancestors in Their Place
Speaker: Diana Elder
October 25, 2022
Yours for Humanity: Abby (a one woman play about Abby Kelley Foster)
Speaker: Lynne McKenney Lydick – Leominster Public Library in Partnership with CMGS
November 15, 2022
Murder, Mayhem and Town Tragedy
Speaker: Liza Alzo
January 26, 2021
How do I Know What I Don’t Know? Fast racking Your Genealogy Research
Speaker: Thomas MacEntee
February 23, 2021
1950 Census: Are You Ready
Speaker: Thomas MacEntee
March 23, 2021
Immigration Regulations & Experience
Speaker: Seema-Jayne Kenney
April 27, 2021
The Family History Guide
Speaker: Bob Taylor
May 25, 2021
From Pilgrims to Pioneers: Researching Your Colonial New England Ancestors
Speaker: Kathleen Kaldis
June 22, 2021
Another Boarder: The Reception of French-Canadians to New England
Speaker: David Vermette
July 27, 2021
Members Sharing with Members
CMGS Members
August 24, 2021
Sanborn Insurance Maps, Census Records, and City Directories
Speaker: Ari Wilkins
September 28, 2021
Irish History II
Speaker: Tom Toohey
October 26, 2021
Huzzah! Researching Your Revolutionary Roots
Speaker: Kathleen Kaldis
November 16, 2021
Naturalization Records
Speaker: Seema Jayne Kenney
January 28, 2020
Beginning Evernote
Speaker: Lisa Louise Cook
February 25, 2020
The Pierce Mansion in South Gardner
Speaker: Ken Watson
March 24, 2020
Using Historic Maps in your Genealogical Research
Speaker: Sara Campbell
April 28, 2020
Gone a Whalin: Western Mass Crews on Whalers
Speaker: Dennis Picard
May 26, 2020
Researching Your Nova Scotia & Cape Breton Ancestors
Speaker: Kathleen Kaldis
June 23, 2020
Overlooked Municipal Records (Secrets of my Vault)
Speaker: Sara Campbell
July 28, 2020
Did I Get Everything? Creating a Checklist for Genealogy Research
Speaker: Thomas MacEntee
August 25, 2020
Much More than Ancestry.com & FamilySearch.org
Speaker: Dave Robison
September 22, 2020
Land Ho! Calling all Mayflower Descendants
Speaker: Kathleen Kaldis
October 27, 2020
Huzzah! There’s a Lineage Society for That!
Speaker: Kathleen Kaldis
November 17, 2020
Timelines: The Straight Line Between You and Your Ancestor
Speaker: Cindy Ingle