September 1, 2017

Conference invites all to unlock their heritage, discover their ancestry

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SOMERSET, N.J. – The Nashi Predky Family History Group of the Ukrainian History and Education Center (Somerset, N.J.) will be host its fourth annual Ukrainian Genealogy Conference on October 6-7 at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Somerset, N.J. The event features internationally known experts in Eastern European genealogy and will span two days, including a full-day dedicated to DNA, along with a workshop on using cadastral maps, opportunity for networking, the choice of seven lectures and ample time for questions and answers.

On Friday, October 6, DNA Day offers participants three lectures, a Q&A, panel open discussion and dinner. The presentations by Melissa Johnson are: “Genetic Genealogy: A Beginner’s Guide,” “Diving Deeper into Genetic Genealogy” and “Using Autosomal DNA in Genealogy.” The DNA panel discussion will be hosted by Ms. Johnson, Natalie Asikainen, Bruce Romanchuk, an administrator of the Facebook group “Lemko Ancestry & DNA,” and Prof. Volodymyr Bodnar, the leader of the FamilyTreeDNA group “Ukrainian DNA Genealogy – Український ДНК-родовід.”

On Saturday, October 7, the second day of the program “Unlock Your Heritage: Discover Your Ancestry” opens with the presentation “Galicia: An Ethnic and Religious Melting Pot” by Zbigniew Stettner, who will describe ethnic and religious mixture in Galicia (Halychyna) and show how this knowledge can help you trace your ancestors. After the opening session, a dual-track day begins with presentations by Rhoda Miller on “Finding Families in Russian Era Ukraine: Census Records and More” and by the Rev. Dr. Ivan Kaszczak on “Ukrainian Catholics in America: A History.”

The afternoon sessions continue the dual-track offerings: “1920s-1940s Polish State Archives Records for Lemkos” by Mr. Stettner; “Ten Ways to Jumpstart Your Eastern European Research” by Lisa Alzo; “Did My Great-Grandmother Have a Family?: A Problem Solving Case Study” by Ms. Miller; and “Immigrant Cluster Communities: Past, Present and Future” by Ms. Alzo. An optional workshop “Using 19th century Cadastral Maps to Trace Our Galician Ancestors” hosted by Mr. Stettner will show how to find the records in archives, interpret them and teach how to compare cadastral maps with current maps using various software and websites.

A light dinner on Friday, and breakfast and ethnic lunch on Saturday, are included in the registration fee. Registrants can chose to attend both days or either Friday or Saturday sessions. Registration for both days is $100; Friday only – $50; Saturday only – $65. Register by September 7 and save $15 on two-day registration. Visit NashiPredky.org for the schedule, speakers’ bios and registration information. Additional information is available by calling 732-356-0132 or e-mailing [email protected].

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