CMGS Meetings

September 29, 2026 – 7:00 VIRTUAL program only
Steeped in Secrecy: The Boston Tea Party, 250 Years later
Speaker: Claire Evans & Debra Dudek

The story of tea has always been infused with intrigue, particularly when it became a flash point for tensions between England and Colonial America. Learn about the brewing political problems tea presented in its history with Anglophile and former UK resident Claire Evans. Then, author, genealogist, librarian, and former UK resident Debra Dudek examines the history of the Boston Tea Party’s most famous partiers (and phonies), as well as how to trace bonafide participants through lineage societies and historical groups.

Claire Evans is an author, former journalist, attorney, and college lecturer who started her love of most things British as she and her mother watched countless Britcoms on PBS. She studied abroad in London and, against the odds, she married a Brit she met in Peoria, Illinois. They lived in England for a number of years. Her business, Tea with Claire, grew from friends asking for travel advice. Her memoir, High Tea and the Low Down, is the true story of what it’s really like to marry a witty Englishman, move to Britain, and make every cultural faux pas imaginable.

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.

Handout available on the Member’s Page

August 25, 2026 – 7:00 (Hope Lodge, 42 Central Street, Gardner, MA) – HYBRID MEETING
Streamlining Genealogical Research Plans with AI: A Step-by-Step Guide
Speaker: Diana Elder, AG®, AGL™

This session explores how artificial intelligence can streamline and strengthen genealogical research planning. Attendees will learn how AI tools can help refine research objectives, analyze documents, classify evidence, study localities, and generate well‑supported hypotheses. The session walks through a practical, step‑by‑step workflow for building an effective research plan while emphasizing best practices for prompt design, verification, and integrating AI with traditional methods. As the handout notes, “AI is a tool to enhance, not replace, traditional genealogical research methods.”

Diana Elder, is a professional genealogist accredited in the Gulf South region of the United States and serves as a Commissioner for The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). Diana authored Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide and co-authored the companion volume, Research Like a Pro with DNA: A Genealogist’s Guide to Finding and Confirming Ancestors with DNA Evidence. She created the study group and eCourse that teach the Research Like a Pro process through videos and learning modules. Diana and her daughter, Nicole, share research tips on their website, familylocket.com and host the Research Like a Pro Genealogy Podcast.

Handout available on the Member’s Page

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.

Handout available on the Member’s Page

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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.

Handout available on the Member’s Page

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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

Handout available on the Member’s Page