Saturday, July 31, 2010

Greater Portland Chapter of MGS August Meeting

Our meetings are held at 1:00 on the first Saturday of every month at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at 29 Ocean House Road in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. New members are always welcome. Refreshments are served before the meeting at 12:30 and admission is free.

August 7, 2010 Having Fun with Newfield's Early Families

Ruth Bridges Ayer, author of Families of Newfield, Maine, will speak about digging into the records of folks who lived in Newfield, Maine, which resulted in many interesting stories - most of them printable.

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION REMINDER

Hello everyone -

The Maine Genealogical Society's 2010 Annual Family History Conference will be held on Saturday, September 25 at the Point Lookout Resort & Conference Center in Northport, ME. This conference will feature ten workshops, a national keynote speaker, vendors and exhibitors.

The main featured speaker is Dick Eastman. Dick is a long-time favorite speaker of MGS members. With Maine roots, he has been involved in genealogy for over 30 years. Having also worked in the computer industry for more than 40 years, he offers a unique approach to how technology can assist in the search for, and recording of, your family history. In 1996, he launched Eastman's Online Genealogy newsletter (www.eogn.com) which has grown into a daily publication and is read by more than 40,000 genealogists each day.

Breakout Workshop topics include:

Session One - concurrent
Wikis for Genealogists
Researching your World War II ancestor
Preserving your digital photographs

Session Two - concurrent
Conservation - keeping up with technology
Full Fathom Five - A Daughter's Search
Tips in interpreting town clerk's handwriting

Session Three - concurrent
The Organized Genealogist
Treasures in the town vault
Researching your Swedish ancestors

In addition to the workshops, the general session keynote address by Dick Eastman is entitled "Maine Outhouses I have known and loved", which should be quite entertaining!

Be sure to register soon for this great conference - registration deadline is September 11. Registrations are $40 for MGS members and $50 for non-members. Be sure to register early and share this information with fellow researchers who might be interested in attending.

On Saturday, September 25, the registration table will be open at 8am and the vendors and exhibitors will be available. There will be a luncheon buffet ($20 a ticket) which will feature some great networking time. The conference will end at 5:00pm. For those not wanting to participate in the luncheon, feel free to bring your own lunch and enjoy an outdoor picnic on the grounds.

A query board will be available again this year in the lobby area for anyone interested in posting a genealogy query. This was a popular feature last year, so bring your query and you might find a connection!

For more information on this conference such as a full description of each workshop, description of the workshop speakers, full conference schedule, conference brochure and registration form, please visit the website at

Hope to see you there! Should you have any questions, please feel free to email us at mainegenealogical@yahoo.com or phone MGS President Dale Mower at (207) 942-9375.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Parker Lawry

Seeking information on Parker Lawry, b. c. 1820, m. Thursha Powers (b. c. 1834, d. c. 1858). Appears in 1850 US Fed Census with Thursha in Islesboro. Son Charles Lewis Lawry, b. c. 1858, Bangor, later moved to Washington state. Charles stated that his father was a mariner and that his parents lived in Bangor. Need names of Parker's and Thursha's parents, residence(s), etc.

Polly Ballance, MGS #4440, 22649 Climbing Rose Dr, Moreno Valley, CA 92557; e-mail: pballance@msn.com