Cultural Events

Genealogy Club's Next Program To Dig Into 'Dissecting A Civil War Pension Record'

Published: May 02, 2026 8:00 am

On Wednesday, May 13, at 7 pm, Genealogy Club of Newtown will meet via Zoom. The program this month will feature professional genealogist Jill Morelli presenting “Dissecting a Civil War Pension Record — Union and Confederate.”

Pension files are rich in genealogical information as well as historical context for ancestors. This presentation will look at the law that created the military pension, what is in a typical file, how to analyze a file, and how to obtain pension files.

A Certified Genealogist (CG) and Certified Genealogical Lecturer (CGL), Morelli is the founder of the Certification Discussion Group, an online class which demystifies the Board for Certification of Genealogists certification process. She is also a co-founder of Applied Genealogy Institute, a practicum-based educational opportunity for intermediate and advanced learners.

Morelli is also program director of her local chapter of the Association for Professional Genealogists, is past president of Seattle Genealogical Society, and belongs to many local genealogical societies.

She loves to share her passion for genealogy with others. She has published a number of books about her family, and recently self-published a book, The Orphans of Hamilton County, Iowa, about 46 unnamed orphans from NYC who arrived in Iowa in autumn 1890. Her articles have appeared in Illinois State Genealogical Quarterly, Swedish American Genealogist, and in several other genealogical periodicals.

Meetings of Genealogy Club of Newtown are open to all who are interested in their family history. Visitors may join the Zoom meeting by requesting the link by e-mail to genclubnewtownct.secretary@gmail.com. Requests should include name, address, and phone number, and should be sent by May 11.

The program link will be sent on May 12 or 13. Those planning to attend are asked to join the meeting beginning at 6:45, so that all can be admitted before the meeting starts at 7 pm.

Genealogy Club of Newtown meets the second Wednesday of every month, September through June.

A Certified Genealogist and Certified Genealogical Lecturer, Jill Morelli will be the guest speaker for the May meeting of Genealogy Club of Newtown.

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The editorial took no position on the budget going up or down so you're reading things into the editorial that simply aren't there. The turnout is tied to the lack of passage, in that people who came out to vote last time did not this time, indicating a lack of support on their part. Perhaps it wasn't spelled out clearly enough, but that's what the editorial was driving at, people showing lack of support by not casting a vote. The editorial did address likely concerns among voters that may have led to lack of support and lack of turnout. This lower turnout also follows increasing turnout over the past four referendums in three years (meaning it is an aberration from that), and increased turnout is something that I do push for regularly in editorials. Any disappointment you might be seeing is at the break in that trend, not at whether the budget passed or not. I'd rather see more people come out and vote "no" then not vote at all.

Lower Turnout Results In Two Budget Defeats

Clearly, property owners no longer want to bear the burden of expenses while the state does not meet it’s responsibilities. Rising costs must be addressed by actions that do not include yearly increases of property owners’ taxes. The state of CT must meet its share of the educational costs, and other costs.

Town And School Budgets Fail At Referendum

This feels like an oddly misleading headline and narrative, particularly coming from the Editorial Board. The headline "Lower Turnout Results in Two Budget Defeats" pushes a misleading narrative regarding voter turnout, and then seeks to tie the outcome of the referendum to that misleading narrative. Sure, voter turn out for this year's referendum, 18%, was lower than last year's. However, last year's turnout, 25.4%, represented the highest turnout in the most recent 10 budget referendums. If you take the time to examine turnout percentages between 2017 and 2026 (2017: 19.9, 2018: 15.7, 2019: 17, 2020: 0, 2021: 8.98, 2022: 7.7, 2023: 8.8, 2024: 15.1/17.49, 2025: 25.4, 2026: 18), this year's turnout was actually the third highest in the past 10 cycles. Perhaps the headline of this article should say "Lower Voter Turnout Than Last Year", which is more accurate, rather than creating an impression that this year's turnout is some type of aberration - a narrative that the turnout numbers, in all their binary glory, simply do not support. Further, the headline of this article appears to tie the "lower turnout" to the defeated budgets. Sure, that could be true. But, perhaps, its more likely that Newtown residents are feeling the squeeze of multiple economic influences. In Newtown, we've experienced property revaluations and increased municipal spending. Eversource continues to raise rates. The state legislature gives PURA the authority to impose Public Benefit charges that benefit a tiny percentage of the public (and subsequently burdening the rest of us). At the national level, inflation has run rampant for years and many of those costs remain high to this day. In short, the data tells a far less dramatic—and far more honest—story than the headline suggests. This wasn’t an electorate vanishing in apathy; it was a fairly typical turnout delivering an verdict that, perhaps, some at the Editorial Board didn't like. At some point, it’s worth considering that residents aren’t confused, disengaged, or misled by turnout; they’re simply doing math at their kitchen tables and concluding that “no” is the only responsible answer left.

Enjoyed the forum which only confirmed my support for Brandon Moore as the Democratic candidate to run for the state representative position. Brandon Moore did not waiver about his duty to all the people, if elected, when an issue presents itself that requires that he voice a difference of opinion for the wellbeing of Newtown residents. If Michelle Ku’s 16 years have led to her loyalty being to other elected officials, as she implied, then Newtown is going to continue to witness actions that do not protect its residents. She could not unseat republican, Mitch Bolinsky, during a Blue Wave, and once again, will not do it now. Winning that seat is critical for all. That explains why her previous campaign committee now campaigns for Brandon Moore. It explains all the endorsements he has received from local elected democratic officials. It’s why we need Brandon Moore to be the democratic candidate to run for state representative.

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Appreciated the opportunity to hear from both candidates as we were present for the College Dems forum but only heard from Brandon Moore. It was an opportunity to see who can unseat the Republican incumbent and there is no doubt that Brandon Moore should be the Democratic candidate. One concerned parent posed a question about discrimination unaddressed by the school district and interestingly enough, Michelle Ku, who proudly speaks of her Board membership years, said little, while Brandon Moore passionately addressed the issue along with his experience as an Apache Helicopter Commander. This family is supporting Brandon Moore. We need change and someone who is not afraid to disagree, especially about the rising costs of living in Newtown.

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Genealogy Club's Next Program To Dig Into 'Dissecting A Civil War Pension Record'

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