Barbara J. Mathews became CG no. 388 on 12 January 1996. She served as a trustee of BCG from 2002 to 2013, as secretary from 2004 to 2005, and as vice president from 2005 to 2008. Mathews was also BCG’s representative to the Records Preservation and Access Committee (RPAC).

Mathews served as a trustee of the BCG Education Fund from 2002 to 2013. In this role she helped establish the 2005 Putting Skills to Work hands-on workshop. She also was the Conference Coordinator between the BCG Education Fund and the NGS conference coordinator chair.

Barbara has supported BCG’s mission to inform and educate by authoring several articles for  SpringBoard, the BCG’s blog. Her efforts include “The New Renewal Requirement: What Does It Mean for You?”, “Skillbuilding: Structural Elements of a Good Genealogy,” and “Insight: Lineage Work, An Inside Look.”

Besides her support to BCG, Barbara is also a distinguished scholar, author, and educator. Mathews contributed to excellence in genealogical education by serving as an instructor in Boston University’s Genealogical Research Program, as mentor to ProGen Study Groups 6 and 21, and as a mentor to the GenProof study group.

Her genealogical scholarship was recognized by her election as a fellow of the American Society of Genealogists in 2014. She has published several books, including the three-volume Descendants of Gov. Thomas Welles of Connecticut and his Wife, Alice Tomes. She has authored many articles for a variety of publications, such as The American Genealogist, Connecticut Ancestry, Connecticut Nutmegger, and The Virginia Genealogist.

She co-authored, “Lineage Applications,” in the 2018 version of Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice, and Standards. She is a popular columnist and author of methodology articles in professional publications such as the NGS Magazine. She actively blogs under the handle The Demanding Genealogist.

On behalf of BCG and the entire genealogical community, thank you, Barbara!