{"id":2243,"date":"2013-12-18T13:18:00","date_gmt":"2013-12-18T18:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.baltimoregenealogysociety.org\/BCGShome\/?page_id=2243"},"modified":"2026-04-26T15:54:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T19:54:12","slug":"program-of-speakers-archive","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoregenealogysociety.org\/BCGShome\/program-of-speakers-archive\/","title":{"rendered":"Program of Speakers Archive"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Baltimore_Church_Locator\"<\/a>February 24 — Baltimore Historical Houses of Worship Locator – Stephen Conner<\/strong>
\nBefore 1900, people walked to the nearest church. Find the address of an ancestor and you can use this locator utility to find the nearest church that may have records.<\/p>\n

This is an online tool that helps users find their ancestor’s houses of worship. The utility also has links to online records at the Maryland Archives and FamilySearch.org.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/connergenealogy.com\/home\/baltimore-city-houses-of-worship\/<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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\"Speaker_Feather_Ann_Davis_500x300\"<\/a>March 24– Feather Ann Davis will speak about The Men from Wetheredsville<\/strong>, Baltimore County, Maryland Company \u201cG\u201d 4th Regiment Maryland Volunteer Infantry, United States Army War of 1861-1865.<\/p>\n

More than 25 men from the mill village of Wetheredsville and the neighboring mill communities of Powhatan and Calverton voluntarily enlisted in a single Union infantry company, Company \u201cG\u201d of the 4th Regiment of the Maryland Volunteer Infantry.\u00a0 The soldiers of Company \u201cG\u201d suffered sickness, deprivation, gunshot wounds, loss of limbs, lifetime disabilities and for some, the ultimate toll, death, which all those who served in the wrenching war were at risk of suffering.<\/p>\n

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\"Speaker_SeanKief_Jeffrey_Smith_28APR2013_500x500\"<\/a>April<\/strong> 28 — Sean Kief & Jeffrey Smith<\/strong> will speak about their new book – Perry Hall Mansion<\/em><\/a><\/strong>.
\nThis chronicle draws on over 200 years worth of images and personal accounts of surviving residents as well as original source documents. Books will be available for purchase, 50% of the proceeds of the sale will go to the Mansion<\/a> fund.<\/p>\n

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\"Michael_Hait_400_300\"<\/a>May 26 — Using Probate Records – Michael Hait, CG<\/a><\/strong><\/strong> will discuss the process associated with the administration of testate and intestate estates. Example documents illustrate the various and detailed information that probate records can hold about our ancestors, their daily lives, and family relationships.<\/p>\n

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September 22 —\u00a0Resources in and around Anne Arundel County\u00a0– Betty DeKeyser<\/strong><\/strong>
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\"Kuethe<\/a>The KUETHE LIBRARY<\/a> <\/strong>includes holdings of both the Ann Arrundell County Historical Society<\/a><\/strong> and the Anne Arundel Genealogical Society<\/strong><\/a>. Although specializing in Anne Arundel County and Maryland material, its holdings encompass the eastern, central states as well as some western material among its 4,000 volumes. In addition to published material, the collection includes manuscripts, maps, photographs, genealogical, biographical and subject files, microfilm & fiche holdings.<\/p>\n

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October 27 — What’s new at FamilySearch.org<\/a> – Dottie Aleshire
\n<\/strong>“FamilySearch, historically known as the Genealogical Society of Utah, which was founded in 1894, is dedicated to preserving the records of the family of mankind. Our purpose is simple\u2014help people connect with their ancestors through easy access to historical records.”
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\"Bob_Barnes\"<\/a>November 24 — Immigration – Robert Barnes
\n<\/strong>Bob Barnes, aged 74,\u00a0is a retired educator with Baltimore City Public Schools.\u00a0 He has been doing research for over 60 years, and has written numerous books, articles, and book reviews. He is, or has been, active in the Maryland Genealogical Society,\u00a0 the Baltimore County Genealogical Society, and the Anne Arundel County Genealogical Society. He has a number of projects in the works, and has no plans to retire!<\/p>\n

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He and his wife Cathy have been married for 53 years, and have four children, five grandchildren, and numerous grand-dogs and grand-cats.<\/p>\n

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\"Mary_Mannix_440x600_FEB_2014\"<\/a>February 23 — Thinking About Your Stuff: Estate Planning for Genealogists<\/strong><\/strong> – Mary Mannix
\n<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>Wonder what happened to that family bible? How about the graduation photographs of your grandmother? As a genealogist you\u2019ve probably spent long hours wondering where the \u201cstuff\u201d belonging to your ancestors went. Not just the fun stuff but all the other stuff that provides documentation you are missing. What will happen to your<\/em> stuff when you die? When you have joined your ancestors will your descendants know where to look for your photographs, the family artifacts in your care, and the results of your research? It is never too early to start planning about where everything will go, and time to start thinking about your stuff.<\/p>\n

Mary has been active in the Maryland local history community since 1985. She is currently the Maryland Room Manager of the C. Burr Artz Public Library of the Frederick County Public Libraries, a position she has held since 1998. For eleven years she was the Library Director of the Howard County Historical Society. She has also held positions at the Lilienfeld Library of The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and the Maryland Historical Society. She holds a Masters in Library Science from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Masters of Arts in American History from the University of Delaware with a certificate in Museum Studies. Her undergraduate degree is from Hood College, where she majored in History and Political Science. Mary is very active in MARAC (the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference \u2013 the professional association for archivists in this area) and is in her third term as Vice Chair. She has been very involved in the History Section of the American Library Association. Mary was the 2011 winner of ALA\u2019s Genealogical Publishing Company Award for service to the profession. She teaches genealogy librarianship at the University of Maryland and public history courses at Hood College.<\/p>\n

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\"Debra_Hoffman-BioPic-2012_400x500\"<\/a>March 23 — <\/strong>Researching Your Civil War Soldier<\/strong> – Debra Hoffman<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>
\nAUDIENCE LEVEL: Beginner.
\nLearn the resources for researching your Civil War soldier. Two case studies — one Union and one Confederate — will illustrate the information that can be found.<\/p>\n

Debra A. Hoffman has been researching her family history for the past thirty-five years. She has completed the National Genealogical Society s American Genealogy Home Study Course and completed Brigham Young University s Certificate in Family History. Additionally, she has completed Courses 3 (Research in the South, Part I), 4 (Advanced Methodology and Evidence Analysis) and 5 (Writing and Publishing for Genealogists) at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) held at Samford University. She also completed Course 3 (Advanced German Research) at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. She is a member of numerous genealogical societies as well as the William Winchester Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. (Source: http:\/\/www.apgen.org)<\/p>\n

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\"CurtBWitcher\"<\/a>April 19, Saturday — Special Genealogy Seminar with Curt Bryan Witcher<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Mining the Mother Lode:\u00a0 Using Periodical Literature for Genealogical Research<\/li>\n
  2. Passenger and Immigration Research<\/li>\n
  3. More Than Surname Surfing: Best Practices for Using the Internet for Genealogists<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Curt Bryan Witcher is the Senior Manager for Special Collections at the The Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center<\/strong><\/a> in Fort Wayne, Indiana where he manages The Genealogy Center, serves as general curator for the institution\u2019s Rare and Fine Book Collection, and is the Supervisor for the Lincoln Financial Foundation\u2019s Lincoln Library Collection. Curt is the project lead on the library\u2019s digitization initiatives–initiatives that include partnerships with the FamilySearch International, the Internet Archive, ProQuest, Fold3, and WeRelate–as well as growing a site of free, searchable data files at GenealogyCenter.org. He has worked at Allen County Public Library for more than thirty-four years.<\/p>\n

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    \"Malissa_Ruffner\"<\/a>May 25 — <\/strong>Finding Family History at the Baltimore City Archives – Malissa Ruffner<\/a>
    \n<\/strong>Malissa gave a brief history of BCA \u2013 from the earliest days to its current association with the Maryland State Archives \u2013 and give an overview of its holdings. She will describe the kind of genealogical information you might find, how to prepare for a research visit, and what to expect when you arrive.<\/p>\n

    Malissa holds an MLS degree and worked as an archivist before heeding the call of genealogy. She was a volunteer at BCA for several years and has conducted personal and client research on-site. She currently serves as an at-large board member of the Maryland Genealogical Society and launched its Facebook page last April.
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    \"Bill_Amos_Reduced_Glare\"<\/a>September 28 — A Case Study:\u00a0 Connecting the Dots – Bill Amos
    \n<\/strong>A step by step progression using several genealogical tools to come up with an interesting story. By connecting the dots — FACTS — an interesting picture emerges.<\/p>\n

    Bill Amos retired after 40 years as an analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Because of his geographic and analytical background he became enamored with genealogy about 30 years ago. The principles of collecting and analyzing foreign intelligence are very similar to collecting and analyzing genealogical data. Mr Amos has 30 years experience in genealogy and finds that there is an almost universal interest in knowing where you came from and a natural curiosity about your background.<\/p>\n

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    \"Margaret_McMahon_skatingwbookphoto\"<\/a>October 26 — Google For Genealogists – Margaret McMahon<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Join Dr. Margaret M. McMahon<\/strong><\/a> to learn how to search for ancestors using Google and its tools. You will learn\u00a0how to construct searches to look for your ancestors on the web and be\u00a0\u00a0introduced to the use of selected search techniques.<\/p>\n

    Margaret is the hockey-playing genealogist. She has a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering, and with the advent of parenthood, she turned her technical talents to researching her family\u2019s genealogy. She has over twenty-five years of engineering experience, including being a college and graduate school professor. She is an experienced presenter at national and international technical conferences.<\/p>\n

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    \"John_Foertschbeck_450x400\"<\/a>November 23 — Baltimore German Catholic Churches – John Foertschbeck<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    John is a member of the Maryland Genealogical Society, Maryland Historical Society, Carroll County Genealogical Society, Carroll County Community Media Center, Historical Society of Carroll County, Mt. Airy Historical Society.\u00a0 John is a member, and was the Baltimore chapter president, region president and a national director of the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) (formerly DPMA).<\/p>\n

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    \"Sandy<\/a>March 22 —\u00a0The Cyber-Library: Primary Documents and Books Online.
    \n    Sandy Clunies<\/a>
    \n<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Join Sandy Clunies in a discussion about finding documents, books and newspapers online. Tips and tricks are offered to help you find what you need online.<\/p>\n

    About Sandy Clunies<\/strong>
    \nSandy Clunies has been certified by BCG since 1993 and has served as President of the National Capital Area Chapter of APG and on the APG Board of Directors. A past winner of the NGS Family History Writing Contest and the APG Grahame T. Smallwood Award of Merit, she currently serves as an officer for several lineage societies at the state and national level.<\/p>\n

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    \"John_Colletta_new_prof_photo_color_400x560\"<\/a>April 25, Saturday \u2014 Spring Seminar.
    \n    John Colletta<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

    John Colletta will give four presentations.<\/p>\n

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    1. Passenger Arrival Records, Colonial Times- Mid 20th Century<\/strong><\/li>\n
    2. US Naturalization Records, 1790-1930\u2019s<\/strong><\/li>\n
    3. Library of Congress:\u00a0 An Introduction and Overview<\/strong><\/li>\n
    4. Using 19th Century Newspapers for Family History.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The seminar is planned to be held in our LIBRARY<\/a><\/strong>. There is an admission fee and there is LIMITED SEATING.<\/p>\n

      About John Colletta<\/strong>
      \nJohn Philip Colletta is one of America\u2019s most popular genealogical lecturers. Knowledgeable, experienced and entertaining, he resides in Washington, D.C. For twenty years, while laying the foundation for his career in genealogy, he worked half-time at the Library of Congress and taught workshops at the National Archives. Dr. Colletta appears frequently on podcasts and local and national radio and television. He is featured in Episode Four of \u201cAncestors,\u201d the ten-part KBYU-TV series, as well as its sequel. He has received many professional honors, including fellowship in the Utah Genealogical Association and distinguished service awards from the Dallas Genealogical Society and the National Society, Daughters of Colonial Founders and Patriots.<\/p>\n

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      \"Eileen_Souza_Biz_400x500\"<\/a>May 24 — The ABCs of DNA for Genealogy.
      \n      Eileen Souza<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n