Here is a most interesting opportunity. The New England Regional Genealogical Conference will be held March 31-April 3 at Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland. The theme is “New England Crossroads 2005.”

You’ve heard of Cyndi’s List, the huge Web site of genealogical resources available at cyndislist.com.

Cindy Howells, compiler of Cyndi’s list, will be one of the more than 40 featured speakers, offering “Evaluating Web Sites” and “Planting Family: Your Family Tree Online.”

A few of the other speakers participating include:

. Elizabeth Shown Mills, longtime editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, “The Identity Crisis: Right Name, Wrong Man? Wrong Name, Right Man?” and “Finding Females: Wives, Mothers, Daughters, Sisters and Paramours.”

. Tony Burroughs, who teaches genealogy at Chicago State University, “The Six Phases of African American Genealogy” and “The Digital Office.”

. Craig Scott, CEO and president of Heritage Books Inc., “Settled Accounts: The New England Experience in Federal Records” and “Putting Ink on Paper: Getting Your Genealogical Material Published.”

. Marcia Melnyk, “Forms, Forms and More Forms.”

. Walter V. Hickey, “Getting the Most from Census Records.”

. John Battick, member of Wassebec Genealogical Society, “Tracking Seafaring Ancestors.”

. Ruth Quigley Wellner, “Making Boston the Hub for Your New England Research.”

. Patricia Vigeant Locke, “French Canadian History and How It Fits into Genealogical Research.”

. Jean Nudd, “They Came from Canada: Finding Your Ancestors in Canadian Border Crossing Records.”

. Kathy Bolduc Amoroso, “Maine Historical Society Resources In-house and Online.”

. George F. Sanborn Jr., “Using Early Maps in Canadian Maritimes Research.”

. Maureen A. Taylor, “Telling Your Family Story: Heritage Scrapbooks to DVDs.”

. Bennett Greenspan, “Uncovering Your Roots with DNA.”

. Sherry L. Gould, “Abenaki Indians: Early Contact and Migration Patterns.”

. Harlan Jessup, “Connecticut’s Barbour Collection: More (and Less) Than Meets the Eye.”

. Diane Rapaport, “Scots for Sale: The Fate of the Scottish War Prisoners in Seventeenth Century New England.”

There are many more speakers, as well. To view the entire list, go to www.NERGC.org

Registration before March 1 is $99 for the full conference – Thursday, Friday and Saturday, plus a special program Sunday morning. Registration for any one day is $75.

After March 1, the fee is $125 for the full conference, $85 for one day.

There also are various prices for the meals, some of which include a genealogical talk by a featured speaker.

Registration may be mailed to Grati D. Mahony, NERGC Registration, 75 Franklin St., Douglas, MA 01516-2334. I suggest going to the Web site and getting the full information and registration info. Room registration should be made directly with Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland.

More than 500 genealogists attended the last conference in 2003 in Falmouth, Mass.

A few of the many organizations participating include Maine Genealogical Society, Maine Historical Society, The Irish Ancestral Research Association – http://tiara.ie, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston, The Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor, Cape Cod Genealogical Society, American Canadian Genealogical Society, American French Genealogical Society, National Archives & Records Administration and societies from the New England states.

Co-chairmen of the conference are David Mishkin, 761-5861; and Melinde Lutz Sanborn, (603) 247-4775.

The Wassebec Genealogical Society will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13, in the Mayo Hospital conference room in Dover-Foxcroft.

Nancy Battick, president-elect of the Maine Genealogical Society, will speak on “Research Pitfalls.” She will offer examples of common and not-so-common genealogical flaws and frauds, as well as ways to recognize and prevent research problems. For information or directions, contact Jack Battick at 564-3576.

Allen Voisine reminds us that the Aroostook County Genealogical Society has moved its meeting night to the fourth Monday of the month in the Caribou Room at Caribou Public Library.

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or e-mail the queries to familyti@bangordailynews.net.