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2010 TIARA Meetings

January 8th, 2010

Robert Johnson-Lally
The Archdiocese of Boston Archives



Robert Johnson-Lally is the Archivist and Records Manager at the Archdiocese of Boston Archives in Braintree, Massachusetts.

Robert spoke of the holdings at the Archives, the history of record-keeping in the Catholic Church in Massachusetts, and how to access the records. Genealogy researchers are welcome, but since space is very limited, reservations must be made in advance. The Archives do not hold a copy of every sacramental record: often the individual parish churches hold those records. It is important to know the parish your ancestor lived in, particularly in Boston, where there were at one time 60 different parishes! Check the Archdiocese web site for contact information and a list of parish records held at the archives.


February 12th, 2010



Connie Reik

Federal Publications in World War II


Connie Reik, M.S.L., M.A., has been a reference librarian (for history, political science, economics and other related social science fields) and Government Publications Coordinator at Tisch Library at Tufts University, for almost 20 years. She teaches as many as 40 library instruction sessions a year, teaching students how to do research in history and other social science fields. She has a B.A. in History, British Studies and Medieval Studies, an M.A. in Medieval Studies and a Masters of Science in Librarianship. She has been working on her family history since college when she took a mini-course in genealogy. She has written a series of articles for NEHGS's New England Ancestors in 2006-2007. She is Vice President of the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists and a member of APG, the Genealogical Speakers Guild, the American Library Association/Reference and Services Association/History Committee and Government Documents Round Table/Rare and Endangered Publications Committee, and many state and local genealogical and historical societies.

Connie explianed how to use Federal publications to research World War II veterans. Using her father as a case study, Connie discussed the resources you can use to uncover your veteran's story. Some of the publications that have genealogical and historical information include campaign and unit histories of all the armed forces, accounts of African-Americans and women in the armed services, campaign histories, and autobiographies.


March 13th, 2010



Marie Daly

A Virtual Way to Tipperary: Finding Our Irish Ancestors Online


Eileen O'Duill

Newspapers, Street Directories & Occupational Records




This meeting was held at the New England Historic Genealogic Society

Eileen's lecture is part of the Diploma in Family History (Genealogy) taught at the Independent College in Dublin. Calling it her "mixed bag" lecture, Eileen talked about a variety of resources that might help you in your research.


April 10th, 2010



Janis Duffy

Irish Immigration, From Cobh to Boston

Vincent J. Cannato

American Passage: The History of Ellis Island



This was a joint meeting with South Shore Genealogy Society at the Hingham Library.


Janis Duffy presented a new talk on Irish immigration, with photos of Ireland and Cobh, the expereince on the ship, and the arrival at the port of Boston in the mid-1800's. She showed photos of Boston wharves and the Custom House, and explained the process of arriving as a new emigrant. Janis P. Duffy is the Reference Supervisor at the Massachusetts State Archives and coordinator of the Archives Volunteer Program. She is Past President of TIARA (The Irish Ancestral Research Association). Janis has been pursuing her roots for almost 20 years and has led several research trips to Ireland.

Vincent J. Cannato spoke on Ellis Island's heyday - from 1892 to 1924 - which coincided with one of the greatest mass migrations of individuals the world has ever seen, with some 12 million immigrants inspected at its gates. His talk examined U.S. Immigration policy during those years as practiced at Ellis Island. Hediscussed the evolution of immigration law, the process of inspecting immigrants, and their effects on immigrants. He explained not just what immigrants went through, but also why they had to go through such a process in the first place.
Vincent J. Cannato is associate professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where he teaches courses on New York City history, Boston history, immigration history, and 20th-century American history. He is the author of American Passage: The History of Ellis Island (HarperCollins, 2009); The Ungovernable City: John Lindsay and his Struggle to Save New York (Basic Books, 2001); and co-editor of Living in the Eighties, (Oxford University Press, 2009). Prof. Cannato has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

May 8th, 2010



Writer's Workshop for the Irish Researcher

at Bentley University, Adamian Commons, Waltham MA

MANY OF US SPEND YEARS RESEARCHING AND GATHERING INFORMATION OF GREAT VALUE. SOME OF US ARE MORE ORGANIZED THAN OTHERS. SOME OF US NEED HELP WITH THAT. IT'S ALSO VITAL THAT WE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH OTHERS. IF YOU WANT TO PUT ALL OF THAT RESEARCH INTO A NARRATIVE FORM, SO THAT OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS, PRESENT AND FUTURE, CAN SHARE IN YOUR DISCOVERIES, THIS WORKSHOP IS FOR YOU!

Schedule and Presenters

9:00am:

Registration & Welcome - Continental Breakfast is available with bakery-fresh muffins, Danish, bagels, scones and croissants, seasonal fresh fruit and yogurt. Assorted juices, coffee and tea are included.
9:30am:

Between the Lines: Writing and Illustrating Your Family History By: Marcia Melnyk
Marcia Iannizzi Melnyk is a professional genealogist who has taught beginning and advanced genealogy courses for more than 18 years. She is the author of The Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research, Fourth Edition; The Weekend Genealogist: Timesaving techniques for Effective Research, The Genealogist's Question and Answer Book and Family History 101. Marcia is President, and a founding member, of The Italian Genealogical Society of America, a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), former executive board member of the New England Regional Genealogical Conference (NERGC) as well as many local and national societies.
10:30am: Question & Answer Period
11:30am:

Break for lunch (included in the cost of registration.) Basic deli buffet consisting of sandwiches, potato chips, cookies, water and assorted soft drinks.
12:30pm: Telling the Family Story - From Blogs to Scrapbooks By: Maureen Taylor
For the past 10 years, Maureen A. Taylor has been providing in-depth analysis of historical photos, primarily for people who are researching their family histories. In 2007, The Wall Street Journal called her "the nation's foremost historical photo detective." Maureen's books and articles focus on family photography, history and genealogy.
1:30pm: Question & Answer Period
2:15pm:Wrap-up

June 10th, 2010



Kevin O'Hara

The Last of the Donkey Pilgrims


The warm-hearted story of an Irish-American who went back to Ireland in 1979 to discover his roots. He traveled the entire coastline of Ireland with a donkey and a cart, and wrote a book about his expereinces and the people he met.

Some people search for the truth of their lives in their families and in their past. Some go back to their roots in an effort to discover who were the people who helped shape their lives.






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