The Maine Franco-American Genealogy Society officers and new board members, from left, are Connie Beliveau, corresponding secretary; Marie Murphy, Camden Martin, vice president; Connie Hitchcock, recording secretary; Father Robert Parent, president; Pauline Dionne, and Normand Lamie, treasurer. Submitted photo

AUBURN — The Maine Franco-American Genealogy Society elected new officers and board members Oct. 26.

Connie Beliveau, a Lewiston native who now lives in Lisbon, worked for a few local businesses, retiring after 18 years at Marshwood Center Nursing Home. She was a regular patron at the MFGS Library researching her ancestry, discovering that one of her grandfathers came from France to Acadie in the mid-1600s. Beliveau was first elected to the board as corresponding secretary in 2016 and continues to volunteer in the library to help members research their roots.

Marie Murphy of Lewiston, employed by the city of Lewiston for 37 years, was born and raised in Lewiston. Her Canadian roots include the family names of Cloutier, Dostie, Nadeau and Veilleux.

Camden Martin of Auburn won a scholarship that permitted him to study in France for two months, but the end result was a stay of two years. He graduated from the Lycée Albert Camus in Nîmes, France. Upon returning to Maine, he worked at Museum L-A, now known as Maine MILL, before becoming the French teacher at Saint Dominic Academy, where he continues to spread his love of the French language and culture, and to inspire future generations. Martin is also a board member of the Alliance Française du Maine and of the Franco-American Collection at the University of Southern Maine.

Connie Hitchcock of Lewiston, a retired school librarian, joined the board as recording secretary in 2016. She is a second-generation Franco-American hoping to expand the information in her genealogical lines of Bissonnette, Laplante, Duclos and Cloutier. She is also active with the Maine Music Society, serving as its vice-chairwoman and singing in the MMS Chorale.

Father Robert Parent of Auburn has served as a board member, librarian and president for several terms.

Pauline Dionne of Leeds retired after 47 years in finance and human resource functions. She has been working on family genealogy research for over 30 years, tracing most lines to France. These lines consist of Choret/Charette, Cloutier, Dionne, and Pelletier families.

Normand Lamie of Lewiston is an independent contractor and licensed professional engineer. He has served on the board of directors and as president of the Maine Water Utilities and the New England Water Works Association. His position as treasurer for the Auburn Lewiston Rotary Club adds to his extensive experience in financial management, developing numerous professional working relationships with various officials in the area.

The Maine Franco-American Genealogical Society is a nonprofit, primarily self-help genealogical research library dedicated to aiding Americans of French-Canadian and Acadian ancestry in discovering their history.

For more information, visit mfgen.org.

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