The Massachusetts Society of Genealogists, Inc. (MSOG) celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025!
The Society was founded in 1975 when the Middlesex and Bristol Chapters held organizational meetings. The original Bylaws were created on May 31, 1975, and Articles of Organization were formally filed with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on June 6, 1975. The first Board of Directors was elected in September 1975, with nominees drawn from the South Middlesex, Berkshire, and Norfolk Chapters.
The Society’s first president was Robert J. Tarte, now regarded as MSOG’s Founding Member. An expert genealogist and active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mr. Tarte authored the newspaper columns Tracing Your Roots in the Boston Herald American beginning in 1977 and Trace Your Roots for the Middlesex News from 1980 to 1987. The MSOG Archives preserve all of these clippings.
MSOG was founded as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to unite individuals interested in genealogy through regular meetings and educational programs. In 1975, a single membership cost $2.00 and a husband-and-wife membership $3.00.
The Policies & Procedures manual was created about 2010. The daily business of running the Society required more information to guide the officers in their work with MSOG members and the genealogical community. Every MSOG member is encouraged to read the Society Bylaws and Policies & Procedures. The Bylaws are located on the Society’s website under the About Us section and the Policies & Procedures are located in the Members Only section of the website.
The Society has published newsletters since its earliest years. Past Times, first issued in 1986, remains the longest-running MSOG newsletter. The scholarly journal MASSOG began publication in 1976–1977 and is indexed in the Periodical Source Index (PERSI).
MSOG’s library history reflects its growth. A small collection was initially housed at the Framingham Public Library in 1981, then moved to Waltham Public Library in 1982. By 1990, due to space constraints, the collection was moved to the home of member Jim Holmes. In 1993 MSOG acquired the former South Worcester Library, opening it as the MSOG Library in 1995. The library operated until 2000 and received more than 20 donations of books and collections.
In 2015, MSOG launched its monthly webinar program, beginning with From Forms to Research Plan presented by Seema-Jayne Kenney. The program was developed by the Education Committee and continues today.
MSOG currently has four chapters: Bristol (established in 1975), Middlesex (1975), (initially two chapters: North and South), Worcester (1987) (initially two chapters: North and South), and Merrimack Valley (2010). Over the years, many additional county chapters existed, reflecting the Society’s statewide reach. Our current chapters welcome members from all Massachusetts counties and New England States, as well as many other states and countries.
MSOG has been a participating member of the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium (NERGC) since its inception, contributing to the biennial regional genealogy conference. The Society’s outreach program, Getting into Genealogy, was created in 2008 by Pat Stano-Carpenter and has been presented at libraries throughout Massachusetts and at NERGC conferences.
The DNA Special Interest Group (SIG) was the brainchild of Peg Plummer, hosted by the Merrimack Valley Chapter from 2017 through 2022. Peg led vibrant discussions about DNA used in genealogy, hosted DNA experts as speakers, and patiently explained the science (more than once!) to the SIG attendees. The group is currently inactive, but may resume meeting in the future.
From handwritten ancestor charts and mailed meeting notices to digital archives in the cloud, MSOG has continually adapted to new technologies while remaining dedicated to preserving and sharing genealogical knowledge. From a small group of local founders, the Society has grown into an international community of researchers committed to the study of family history.