Jenny Hawran is a professional genealogy researcher and educator specializing in record retrieval and social media for small societies. She has a degree in Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University and is certified in web design. She is the Volunteer Information Specialist for Windsor’s Abigail Wolcott Ellsworth Chapter of the DAR, a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists as well as the Recording Secretary of the Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor. She is also proud to have been a part of RootsTech’s volunteer media promoters for many years. She is the owner of the blog, Like-Herding-Cats.com , which chronicles her genealogy journey. When she is not chasing ancestors, Jenny is the Executive Director of Windsor Community Television.

Ed came from a family of packrats on one side and a family of true Yankees of the other (use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without). In 1973 he was searching for a unique wedding present for his brother that could not be returned. He settled on copying his grandmother’s information on his paternal line. In short order, two great aunts supplied material on five more ancestral lines. As they say, the Hunt was a Foote! He joined CSG in 1974 and began working on the other female lines.

In 1983, he served on the committee to establish The Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor, where he has continued as genealogist for 16 years and is a past president. With his retirement from the University of Connecticut Health Center in 2000, he has turned his attention to editing, teaching, lecturing and serving the greater genealogical community.

After 30+ years at Yale University, Peg retired in 2009. She began her hunt for her Scottish ancestors in 1975 while on a trip to Scotland where her mother was born. After meeting a couple of her mother’s aunts, Peg (who is an only child, only grandchild on both sides and an only niece) hoped that she had some Scottish relatives, just waiting to be found. She has found several cousins in Scotland, including one who is a genealogist. As to her German side, she has yet to make the break-through on the birth of her great-grandfather in New York, but she has re-united with Limbacher cousins on the West Coast, so hope continues. Peg has taken a number of genealogy courses, including a one-week course at the University of Stirling in Scotland on “Researching your Scottish Ancestors.” She is a member of several genealogy organizations, both in Connecticut and in Scotland.

Rita Barredo holds a BA in History, MA in Public History, MS in Accounting and MBA. Ria has completed the BU Certificate of Genealogical Research program, ProGen Study Group, and GenProof Study Group. She has worked and retired from the federal government as an Auditor for 31 years. Rita has been doing genealogical research for just over 20 years with experience in researching New England, New York, and Pennsylvania records online and in various repositories. She has also travelled to Italy to research her maternal ancestry in various church, town and provincial archives.
Rita has attended many institute courses at SLIG and GRIP and continues to learn through many webinars. Rita serves as the Membership Director for the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council. She is also a member of the National Genealogical Society, APG, NEHGS, NYG&B, and UGA. Rita is also a member of the Torrington Historical Society serving as a Corporator and volunteers as a docent and researcher upon request.

Diane began working in the public library during high school, got her bachelors and masters degrees in library science and made it her profession. She retired after 36 years as a high school library media specialist, including some part-time work at the Connecticut State Library, St. Joseph’s College Library and the Simsbury Genealogical & Historical Research Library.

Diane has enjoyed digging up her Irish, French-Canadian and colonial roots for over 45 years. She is especially proud of her colonial ancestry, traced back to Thomas Stanton, Capt. George Denison, Capt. John Gallop, Thomas Dudley (a founder of Harvard University and 2nd Gov. of MA Bay Colony), Gov. William Bradford and a distant cousin Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Diane joined CSG and was briefly on the Board of Governors in the 1980s. She has been an active Life Member since retiring. Diane accepted the office of assistant treasurer, created CSG’s Facebook page and has given group lectures about vital records, censuses, online resources, genealogy related references, and more. A member of the Publications Committee, Diane frequently authors articles and assists in the editing of the Connecticut Genealogy News magazine Born in Massachusetts, Diane moved to Connecticut with her parents and sisters in 1959, and resides in East Windsor.

Suzanne grew up in CT hearing the names of distant family members which sparked a lifelong interest in history. What started as a dare in 2005 triggered a passion for genealogy and a trip down many a rabbit hole in the search for ancestors’ names and their stories, as well as a few scandals. Throughout Suzanne’s professional career, research has been at the core, regardless of the industry. She spent over 15 years an equity analyst on Wall Street, where she won several awards for her analysis and industry recommendations. Since 2011, Suzanne manages software product development and integration projects in the fintech industry.
Applying that research and analytical expertise to family history has led to 20+ years working with local history, government and non-profit organizations to preserve the collections of historical documents and artifacts for future generations as well as providing genealogical research and reports for individuals and various historical projects. Past roles include serving on the board of Norwalk Preservation Trust, the Norwalk Historical Society and as chair of the Norwalk Historical Commission and as registrar for several state and local lineage societies. Suzanne is currently registrar for her DAR chapter and provides custom research to clients on a wide range of topics.
Suzanne holds two master’s degrees and continuously seeks opportunities to learn more about history and genealogy. In her free time, she volunteers with several non-profits and is prone to lingering obsessions with houseplants, tea and vintage paperweights.

Linda was born and raised in New York City until age five when she moved to Long Island. She is a descendant of Jewish immigrants. She moved to Connecticut in the 1970’s to attend the University of Hartford and never left. Linda began her genealogical research at age 15 as part of a school project and now keeps the many branches of her family connected. Her husband is descended from English, Irish, Danish and Swedish immigrants which has allowed her to expand her research skills into these areas.

Following a long career as a high school special education teacher with a Master’s in Educational Technology from the University of Connecticut and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in School Administration from American International College, Linda is now the Education Director for a small private special education school. She is a board member of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut, and a member of the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council.

Midge was born in Boston but raised mostly in CT. She has a BA in History and an MBA in finance – and her first career was managing real estate portfolios. 30 years ago her mother had a stroke, and the only thing that seemed to engage her was a book claiming descent from Francis Cooke of the Mayflower. Midge decided to research the facts for her mother – proving only that this was totally untrue! However, this was a dramatic demonstration to her of the power and impact of family history – and she’s been devoted to it ever since as the Historian for the Mayflower Society CT, the Historian General for the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, and the genealogist for the National Society of Colonial Dames of America – CT. She has been an active member or volunteered with the Connecticut Historical Society, CPGC, CSG, and numerous other genealogical groups.

Intermixed with all of this has been volunteer work – some on boards and some direct service – for organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Foodshare, mentoring teenage mothers, and the American Red Cross.

Julia A. McAleer is a resident of Coventry, Connecticut, wife of a veterinarian, and mother to two teenagers and twenty-eight animals. She is the proprietor of Heartstone Genealogy LLC which provides client-focused genealogical research. Julia has over twenty years of experience along with formal education credits including the National Genealogical Society’s Guide to Documentation and Source Citation 2018, Boston University’s Certificate in Genealogical Research 2018, and GenProof Study Group 2024. She was elected Vice President of Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council in 2023 where she organizes programs and enjoys volunteering in as many Genealogical Roadshows as they will allow her to! Julia was elected to the Board of Governors for the Connecticut Society of Genealogists in 2024 and has volunteered to serve as Program Chair.

Pauline C. Merrick holds a BSBA in Accounting. She worked in the business world for over 30 years. She continues to study methods of genealogy; attending classes and seminars, enjoying genealogical conferences, and learning through hours and hours of research in libraries and archives. She started taking clients in 2014. She has submitted articles to journals and published a full genealogical work in 2015. Her experience lies mainly in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York research, making the most of online resources, and interpretation and correlation of records. DNA for genealogy has fascinated her for several years, and she has planned DNA research programs and assisted others in interpreting their results. Her website can be found at PaulineCMerrick.com.

Don completed a 30-year career in 1990 as a U.S. Coast Guard officer, specializing in electronics engineering and information systems. Since then he managed the Communications Department of a large County in California, was co-owner of a computer business in Newington, and works independently as a computer and telecommunications consultant. He has pursued genealogy as a hobby for many years and enjoys helping others get started in ancestry searches.

Don is a Connecticut native, born and raised in New Britain, where his Italian and Irish ancestors settled in the mid-to-late 1800s. He is a long-time member of the Connecticut Society of Genealogists. He was elected to the CSG Board of Governors in 2004. His extensive, practical computer experience has been very valuable in assisting with technology planning and implementation for the Society.

Richard Clarke Roberts is the former Unit Head of the Connecticut State Library’s History and Genealogy Unit. He is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and holds master’s degrees from the University of Connecticut and the University of Rhode Island. He is president of the Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor, a board member of the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council, and a member the New Hampshire Society of Genealogists, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society, and the Association for Gravestone Studies. He is a past president of the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium, Inc. and was co-chair of the 2007 New England Regional Genealogical Conference held in Hartford, Connecticut and tri-chair of the 2011 conference in Springfield, Massachusetts and the 2015 conference in Providence, Rhode Island.

Greg Thompson is a professional genealogist and has been researching his family for about 40 years. He is currently Governor of the Ct Society of Mayflower Descendants and Registrar for the David Humphrey’s branch of the SAR. He also, is the President of the Elder William Brewster Society. He has taught classes on genealogy and has written articles and books on his family. He is a retired restauranteur and enjoys traveling and helping others research their family lines. He specializes in New England research and those interested in finding their Mayflower Ancestors.

Born and raised in Bridgeport, Lisa spent ten years in the computer industry first as a programmer and later as a database administrator before getting the chance to pursue an interest in genealogy that was sparked by a college anthropology class. Her research has taken her from various cities in Connecticut to Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, French Canada and records of the former Austria-Hungary Empire with the promise of Galicia, Poland, Russia and Albania yet to come.

In addition to her CSG board and committee positions, Lisa served as liaison for the New England Regional Genealogical Conferences (NERGC) in Portland, Hartford and Manchester. For the Hartford and Manchester conferences, Lisa was responsible for producing the written syllabus given to attendees.

Keith Wilson has been researching his family since 1976 and was President of the Mansfield Historical Society from 2012 through 2017. He is a member of NEHGS and Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor. Keith is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and retired from the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services after twenty-eight years of service. The majority of his ancestors settled in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Ancestors include Mayflower lines, Great Migration Immigrants, Slovaks and Prince/Prentiss Crosley, a slave of LT. Governor (Later Governor) Matthew Griswold of Lyme (Now Old Lyme). Prince/Prentiss Crosley served in the Revolutionary War and earned his freedom. Since 2008, Keith has taken Y-DNA, Mitrochondrial DNA and Autosomal DNA tests. Keith manages over twenty DNA kits for his family and his wife, Marjorie’s family. He is the Administrator of the John Daniels of New London CT DNA project at FamilyTree DNA, a Y-DNA/Autosomal DNA project and has also organized an annual Daniels day in the greater New London area for his descendants to meet and share their genealogy.

Keith has written articles for the Connecticut Nutmegger on the Daniels and Bramble families and is currently working on another Daniels article.

Bob was born and raised near Salem, Massachusetts, and was smitten by the history bug early in his life. After serving 4 years in the Navy, including a year in Vietnam, Bob returned to attend Boston University and then completed his Physician Assistant training at Missouri State University.

He was introduced to genealogy by an aunt in the early 70’s. She had discovered that our roots travelled back to the Mayflower in 2 different lines. Bob has since proven two direct lines back to King Edward III.

Bob is a volunteer researcher for the Danbury Museum and Historical Society. He is also a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Godfrey Library, the Connecticut Historical Society, the Association for Gravestone Studies and Sons of the American Revolution. He is also active in his local Lions Club and chapter of Disabled American Veterans.

Bob lives in Danbury, Connecticut, with his lovely wife of 45 years

Catherine “Casey” Zahn is a Norwich, CT native and NFA graduate- growing up in Pachaug, Voluntown, and Baltic. She was a member of the Mountain Laurel 4-H Group and ran the “Raggedy Ann and Andy” 4-H group while a senior in high school. A retired third grade teacher of the Robbinsville Board of Education, Casey is a former trustee of the Genealogical Society of NJ. She served on the National Alumni Council for her college, Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, WV and was a 1997 recipient of the NJ Governor’s Teacher of the Year for her school district. Casey has written two teaching guides for the National Genealogical Society and had two articles published about teaching children genealogy which appeared in the November 2004 Heritage Quest Magazine. In 2008 she was the national program chair for the FGS Conference in Philadelphia. She is an America History Fellow for the Nathanael Greene Liberty Foundation, past president of the Huntley National Association, and often teaches adult genealogy classes throughout NJ. Currently, Casey resides in Pennington, NJ with her husband, Gary.

Jennifer Zinck is a Professional Genealogist with nearly twenty years of research experience. Jennifer is a researcher, writer, and speaker who specializes in Connecticut resources and DNA evidence for genealogy. She helps individuals to break down genealogical brick walls and identify biological family through her research company, Ancestor Central.

Jennifer is serving her third term as the President of the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council. She has served as an Academic Professional at Boston University, Metropolitan College, instructing the Forensic Genealogy module for the Genealogical Research Certificate Program. Jennifer frequently speaks and presents workshops at libraries and senior centers on topics including beginner and intermediate genealogy, online resources, genetic genealogy, methodology and problem solving, and technology for genealogy.