Exploring Family History at the Congregational Library & Archives

Does your family history include puritans or ancestors who lived in early New England (1620-1850)? Join us for an in-person workshop on Thursday, April 4 from 10 am - 2 pm at the Congregational Library & Archives with New England’s Hidden Histories Project Director Dr. Tricia Peone and CLA Archivist Billy McCarthy.

Participants will learn how to use the New England’s Hidden Histories digital archive and other resources at the CLA to research family histories and fill in context for understanding the lives of people in the past.

The workshop will include time to conduct your own family history research at the CLA. Participants are encouraged to send requests for specific items they wish to look at in advance. You do not need to be a historian to attend. Anyone interested in learning how to work with and interpret historical records is welcome. However, space is limited.

For more information, please email info@14beacon.org.

SPEAKER BIOS

Dr. Tricia Peone joined the CLA in 2022 as the Project Director for New England’s Hidden Histories. Prior to joining the CLA, she was a research scholar at Historic New England for the Recovering New England’s Voices project. She has also previously worked as the public programs director at New Hampshire Humanities, a university lecturer teaching classes on the Salem witch trials, early New England, and public history, and as a researcher for cultural heritage organizations. She holds a PhD in history from the University of New Hampshire with a specialization in the early modern Atlantic world and history of science.

Billy McCarthy graduated with a Masters of Library and Information Science from Simmons University with a concentration in Archival Management. Billy started working at CLA through a graduate internship and stayed on a part-time basis until he was hired full-time in 2018. Billy is the Head of Reader Services, helping the CLA’s visitors with reference requests and facilitating in-person research. Billy also serves as the collection manager for the archives, working with CLA’s offsite vendor to protect and maintain the organization’s archival records. Some of his professional interests include increasing access, collection management, processing of complex materials, and facilitating research.