Upcoming Events

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Upcoming Events & Meetings

Our meetings are hybrid, combining in—person and Zoom participation.

In-person location: Freeport Memorial Library, Freeport, Long Island, N.Y.

Via Zoom: For members who prefer remote participation.

Meeting Schedule

10:00 a.m. Refreshments, Meet and Greet, Ask the Experts

10:45 a.m. Announcements/Webinar Begins

11:00 a.m. Lecture

Saturday, June 20, 2026

Using AI in Family History Research

with MELANIE McCOMB

Artificial Intelligence seems to be able to do everything from producing digital images to creating songs. It can also help your family history research. In this lecture. Melanie McComb will discuss exciting possibilities for using AI to support your research—including assistance with report writing, digitally restoring photos, and more. And she will address aspects of AI that we should be cautious of, such as accuracy and copyright concerns.

Melanie McComb, a senior genealogist at American Ancestors, is also an international lecturer who teaches on various genealogy topics. An honorary fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society, she has written for American Ancestors Magazine and Fifty Plus Advocate. She is also a blogger, known as The Shamrock Genealogist.

Saturday, September 19, 2026

Tracing Irish Ancestors from America to Ireland

with SUSAN McKEE

For most Americans of Irish descent, locating Irish ancestors requires first researching family in the U.S. The goal is to find key information needed to cross the Atlantic and to continue the search in Ireland. Genealogist Susan McKee will discuss research skills to successfully work back through the generations in America and strategies to navigate the wealth of information this research generates. She will address the importance of understanding the historical and geographical context within which our Irish ancestors lived, both in the U.S. and Ireland, and how these factors affected what records were created, and whether and where those records might still exist.

Born and raised in Dublin, Susan McKee developed her love of family history growing up enthralled by the stories her mother told. She is now a U.S. citizen, and a longtime resident of Seattle, Washington. She is a member of the Seattle Genealogical Society, where she facilitates the monthly Irish Special Interest Group. She presents seminars on researching Irish ancestors at the annual Seattle Irish Festival and to genealogical societies across the U.S.

Saturday, October 17, 2026

The Making of a United Ireland: How It May Happen and What Needs to Be Done

with BRENDAN O’LEARY

A century ago, the solution to the Irish struggle for independence was to have six of the country’s northern counties stay in the UK while the other 26 became the Republic of Ireland. Since then, the unification of these two areas has seemed impossible, especially because of the bloody legacy of the past.

Will Ireland ever reunite? Soon the demographic advantages of Ulster unionists, who wish to remain in the UK, will end. And other current factors make Irish unification referendums more likely: Brexit, the popularity of Sinn Féin, and political developments on both sides of the border and within the UK. Brendan O’Leary–a global expert on divided places who has been engaged with the Irish question for close to 40 years-–will argue that the time to consider the future of the island of Ireland is now. He will address how unification could happen and what needs to be done.

Brendan O’Leary is Lauder Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author or editor of 30 books, including the prize-winning A Treatise on Northern Ireland and Making Sense of a United Ireland. He advised key actors in the making of the Good Friday Agreement and is a former Senior Advisor on Power-Sharing to the U.N.

Saturday, November 21, 2026

Quick Ancestor Sketches: Turning Research into Readable Family History

with DEVON NOEL LEE

Writing and sharing your family history helps connect living and future generations to all the ancestors you’ve sought out and documented. However, writing is a genealogy task few attempt. Devon Noel Lee will discuss a simple way to turn your genealogical findings into engaging short stories of your ancestors. She will explore how to organize your research, develop reusable templates, and add enough context to bring an ancestor’s life into focus. No advanced writing skills are required. Whether or not you’ve written a story before, ancestor sketches offer an accessible way to preserve the stories behind the records.

Devon Noel Lee is the author of A Recipe for Writing Family History. She and her husband run the YouTube channel Family History Fanatics.