Above and Beyond: One man’s Titanic story

By Geoffrey Morris

DAR Sponsors Genealogy Workshop

The Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution (CTDAR) is sponsoring a free informational workshop on Saturday, May19, 2012 at the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 661 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This workshop, entitled “Past Generations Come Alive Through DAR Genealogy” is open to the public and anyone interested in genealogy and learning about the work of the DAR and the application process to become a member.

This workshop will allow any prospective member the opportunity to learn how to follow her lineage, generation by generation, back to the American Revolution and work one-on-one with the state DAR’s most experienced genealogists. This Workshop is the fourth in a series of workshops being conducted around the state by CTDAR committee chairwomen and experienced genealogists. The towns directly involved in this workshop are those in CTDAR District 4, the Shore and Country District, which includes Fairfield, Wilton, Norwalk, Darien, New Canaan, Stamford and Greenwich, and every town north, east and in-between.

The workshop is open to the public regardless of the town of residence. The Workshop will consist of a morning and two different afternoon sessions with a box lunch available for purchase or bring your own. The morning session (9:00 – 11:00) will be the Genealogy Workshop for Prospective Members. This session will include topics such as “Getting to Know DAR”, the application process, genealogy assistance and website research. During the afternoon session beginning at 1 PM, prospective members will work individually with an experienced genealogist for personal guidance and to have questions answered. The team will assist and mentor prospective members through the application process and offer help in finding supporting documentation.

As a special highlight, a guest speaker, Elizabeth Oderwald, will be on hand at 11AM to speak about “The War of 1812 – Connecticut’s Connection” Another afternoon session (1:00 – 4:00 PM) will be for current DAR members interested in Chapter Revitalization’s “Gain, Train, and Retain” Workshop. This session will include such topics as increasing membership techniques, the use of eMembership, chapter hints and procedures, ideas for public relations and how to get through all those report forms. As seating is limited, attendance is by reservation only with a deadline of May 8. To reserve a seat, please contact: Beth Witham, at 860-285-8718 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Registration check-in on the day of the workshop begins at 8:30 AM, and at 12:45 PM for those attending the afternoon session only. Tours of the Old Fairfield Academy (1802-1884) at the Town Hall Green will be led by the Eunice Dennie Burr Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution at 9:30 AM and at 1:00 PM.

Ridgefield Clergy Association hosts National Day of Prayer

An interfaith community event will take place this Thursday, May 3, 7:30pm at Temple Sheartih Israel (46 Peaceable Street) with a reception to follow the ecumenical service.

The National Day of Prayer is proclaimed by the United States Congress each year as the first Thursday in May and is observed by communities throughout the country.

Creative Conversation: Award-Winning Author Charles Mann

On Sunday, April 29th from  2 pm to 3 pm, the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum's Creative Conversation welcomes award-winning author Charles Mann to talk about tobacco—the first truly global commodity craze and the focus of Chinese artist Xu Bing’s current Aldrich exhibition, Tobacco Project. The rapid spread of N. tabacum in the early 17th century delivered a near-simultaneous shock to cultures and environments from Edo to Seville and almost everywhere in between. The conversation will focus on British Virginia and, as Mann will explain, the fact that tobacco was the reason for the success of Jamestown and other Chesapeake Bay colonies. Ultimately, tobacco profoundly transformed the American South’s ecosystems—a consequence that was mirrored in Qing-era China.

Charles C. Mann is a Massachusetts-based correspondent for Science, The Atlantic Monthly, and Wired. His books include 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus, which won the National Academy of Sciences award for best book of the year. A companion volume, 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created, was published in 2011 by Knopf.

This event is FREE for members, and $10 for non-members. Register online by clicking HERE.

Please book early! Space for this program is limited and reservations will be taken on a first come, first served basis.

For more information, please contact Tracy Moore: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 203.438.4519, extension 27, during regular Museum hours.