If you live in New England and you have some free time this coming weekend, there is a genealogy event in Franklin, Massachusetts that you may want to attend. The annual New England Family History Conference will take place on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at the Franklin LDS Chapel. The Conference is free, and it is sponsored by the Hingham Stake Family History Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While pre-registration for the conference is closed, walk-ins are welcome to attend classes that are not yet filled.
The New England Family History Conference has classes that will appeal to all kinds of genealogists. I looked at the class offerings, and they include a diverse selection of topics. There is a class about doing research in early census records, such as those from 1740 to 1840. These early census records are sometimes disregarded because they are thought to lack information, but Patricia Hardesty, the presenter for this class, can show you what information is found in the early census records and how you can interpret it.
Other class topics include organizing your genealogy information, tracking down British ancestors using both common and less common records, creative family history projects, using land records to find ancestors, how to research your Italian ancestors, and other topics. Some of the topics are tailored to help members of the Church with their genealogy work, but most of the classes are applicable to all genealogists.
If you think that you may be interested in attending the annual New England Family History Conference, visit their web site to learn more. You can get directions to the chapel, download a syllabus, and check which classes still have space available for walk-in attendees. The Conference looks like a great, free resource for genealogists in the New England area.