It’s time to sign up for the fourth annual Genealogy Conference and Craft Fair, set for 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at Williams Elementary School in Oakland. The event is sponsored by Silence Howard Hayden Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.

Registration, vendors and concessions will open at 8 a.m. Each session will feature a choice of three workshops.

At 9 a.m., the choices are:

. “Civil War,” with Michael Denis, history teacher and genealogist.

. “DAR,” with Carolyn Kelley, organizing secretary of Maine State Organization.

. “Beginning Genealogy,” with Sharon Ann Paradis, professional certified genealogist.

At 10:30 a.m., choose from:

. “Using Maps in Genealogical Research,” with Jack Battick, professor emeritus, University of Maine.

. “U.S. Census,” with Thelma Brooks, past president of Taconnett Falls Chapter, Maine Genealogical Society.”

. “Research Items at Maine State Archives other than Vital Records,” Jeff Brown, Maine State Archives.

The 1 p.m. workshops are:

. “Researching Using Social Security,” with Laurence Decker, district manager, Social Security Administration.

. “Researching Franco-American Lines,” with Roxanne Saucier, Bangor Daily News genealogy columnist.

. “Research Pitfalls: Fibs, Frauds and Flaws,” with Nancy Battick, president of the Maine Genealogical Society and co-curator of the Dover-Foxcroft Historical Society.

The cost of the conference is $12 if preregistered by May 14, or $15 at the door. DAR members may preregister for $10. Lunch is available for $6. Admission to the vendor hall only is free. Send registration to Silence Howard Hayden Chapter, Beverly Kelley, 91 Tukey Road, Oakland, ME 04963.

Directions to Williams Elementary School: Get off Exit 127 of I-95, turn onto Kennedy Memorial Drive toward Oakland. Go 1.7 miles to light. Go straight about one-quarter mile to the school on the right, after the railroad tracks.

For a brochure or information, contact Marilyn Dennis, regent of Silence Howard Hayden Chapter, at 453-8351; or Carolyn Kelley at 465-2278, or e-mail: shhdar@gwi.net.

I promised volunteers at Eastern Maine Medical Center that I would publish some information on a couple of groups they wanted to know about.

The Maine Genealogical Society is a wonderful group of researchers from Maine and other states and countries. Of particular interest are the annual meeting in the fall, which offers a wide variety of speakers, and the quarterly publication The Maine Genealogist, as well as a newsletter. The next annual meeting will be Oct. 8 in Fairfield.

To join the Maine Genealogical Society, send $20 to MGS, P.O. Box 221, Farmington, ME 04938. Add $5 if you wish to receive publications by first class mail. Add $9 in U.S. funds for membership from Canada.

For more information on the society, check the Web site at www.rootsweb.com~megs.

In addition to information about the “Maine Families in 1790” project and special publications, you will find a list of upcoming meetings and special events, and information on the local chapters around the state.

These include the Wassebec Genealogical Society (see item below), and the Penobscot Valley Genealogical Society, which meets at 6 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month at Bangor Public Library. The May 18 meeting in Bangor will feature Ray Webb speaking on “Rum Runners on the Penobscot River.”

The Web site also includes helpful links, such as those to the marriage and death indexes online through the Maine State Archives.

The New Brunswick Genealogical Society was formed in 1978 to encourage and facilitate family historical research in that province of Canada.

The society encourages you to join through one of its branches, such as Charlotte County or Saint John. Individual memberships range from $25 to $30 a year. Here are a couple of addresses:

. Saint John Branch, P.O. Box 2423, Saint John, NB E2L 3V9. Membership is $25.

. Charlotte County Branch, St. Croix Public Library, 11 King St., St. Stephen, NB E3L 3A3. Membership is $30.

Send dues in U.S. funds because of the cost of postage between countries. Membership includes the publication, Generations.

For information on joining the Capital Branch in Fredericton, the Restigouche Branch, Southeastern Branch in Riverview, Miramichi Branch, Carleton County Branch or only the New Brunswick society, check the Web site at www.bitheads.com/nbgs.

The Charlotte Branch has its own Web site at www.rootsweb.com/~nbcharlo

/nbgscb.htm

You can read chapter minutes, find out about meetings, and look at the listing of the holdings of the Charlotte Branch, which are in the St. Croix Library.

The Wassebec Genealogical Society will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 12, in the conference room at Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft.

Brenda Seekins, certified life-writing instructor, will speak on turning family memories into memoirs and leaving a legacy for the future. All are welcome. For information or directions, contact Nancy Battick at 564-3576 or e-mail wassebec@yahoo.com.

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