BELFAST — On Wednesday, March 15, at 2 p.m., at the Belfast Free Library, the Wawenoc Chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society, and the Belfast Free Library will be hosting Belfast resident and genealogist Dana Murch, who will present a book talk titled "The French Connection: The Ancestors and Descendants of Daniel Thibodeau and Rebecca Jandreau."

In this presentation, Murch will discuss the life and times of some of the Acadian and Québécois families he researched for his recent book on the genealogy and family connections of his maternal grandparents, who were both natives of St. Francis, Maine. Along the way, Murch will highlight many original vital records (recorded in French), as well as various U.S. and Canadian census records, family records, and photos of churches, gravestones, and family memorials. He will also discuss many significant events affecting these families during the more than 400-year history of present-day Maine, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Québec.

A native of Caribou, Murch is a retired state environmental regulator and a 13th-generation "Maine-ah." He is a descendant of many early settlers of both Maine and Massachusetts as well as of Acadia and Québec, and is a multiple Mayflower descendant. Murch is currently working on the definitive genealogy and history of the Murch family of Maine, whose roots have been traced back to 17th-century Devonshire, England.

This event is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Sharon Pietryka at 338-3884 ext. 25 or spietryka@belfastlibrary.org.