Got a brick-wall ancestor? FAN research—research into an ancestor's Friends, Associates and Neighbors might help you answer your research questions. Sometimes the paper trail fails us and crucial information about place of origin or parents' names is not found in documents pertaining to our ancestors. However, research into our ancestor's social network and extended family can often help us to break through these brick walls. Julie will demonstrate how this can be accomplished using a variety of case studies which illustrate the process in action, and identify some of the best FANs on which to focus for one's research.

Led by Julie Roberts Szczepankiewicz, a genealogist, writer, and speaker with nearly 30 years of experience in researching her family's origins in Poland, Germany, the U.S. and Canada. She currently volunteers as administrator and regular contributor to a number of genealogy-related Facebook groups, and serves as secretary for the Polish Genealogical Society of Massachusetts, trustee for the Polish Genealogical Society of New York State, and vice-president for the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium, Inc. Her articles have been published in the journals of the Polish Genealogical Society of America and the Polish Genealogical Society of Massachusetts, and she is also the author of a genealogy blog, From Shepherds and Shoemakers.

Presented in partnership with the Tewksbury Public Library and other area libraries.

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