UpFront with NGS: The Villages Genealogical Society

Showing posts with label The Villages Genealogical Society. Show all posts

18 October 2016

Distinguished Service -- What One Person Can Do to Benefit Our Genealogical Community ...

Distinguished Service -- What One Person Can Do to Benefit Our Genealogical Community ...

Family History Month is all about celebrating Family History …

One aspect of that is the dedication of many many tireless volunteers, who, often for decades have enriched our community by sharing their expertise and time to the benefit of us all.

Pat Rand, FGS Project Coordinator - U.S.-Mexican War Soldier Database, mailto:Projects@FGS.org reminded me of one such person … Nancy Heydt, formerly from NJ and now a member of The Villages Genealogical Society received an award in 2013 honoring her dedication to genealogy and genealogists. Here’s the announcement made at the time …

... It is said that we stand on the shoulders of giants, that we do not walk this earth alone. Nowhere is that more applicable than in historical and genealogical research. So it’s with that thought in mind that the Monmouth County Genealogy Society has established the Barbara Carver Smith Distinguished Service Award. The award was named for one of our founding members who passed away in 2004. Barbara Carver Smith was a certified genealogist (CG) and taught at adult schools and community colleges, and also organized genealogical workshops in the 1970’s. She was a pioneer in the Monmouth County genealogical community.

The award “is bestowed upon an individual or organization which has, through exceptional efforts, dedication and scholarly research, advanced the knowledge of, access to and greater understanding of Monmouth County genealogy and family history, within this particular community and the public at large.”

Our inaugural recipient is Nancy Heydt. She will be recognized at Monmouth County Archives Day on October 12, 2013. Nancy was a founding member of the Monmouth County Genealogy Club, the forerunner of the Monmouth County Genealogy Society. She was its first president, chaired several committees and co-served as President for a second time. She wrote the Beekman Index, Updated, and was a frequent submitter to The Monmouth Connection, including many of the “Let’s Visit” columns. She has also had articles published in national genealogy magazines.

The Speakers Bureau of MCGS was started in 1989 when Nancy spoke at the LDS workshop on “Writing Your Own Life Story”. In 1983, before the organization of MCGS, Nancy started teaching classes in beginning genealogy during lunchtime at her place of work. She also taught in the Neptune Adult School and in workshops given by the Church of Latter Day Saints in Toms River. It was Nancy’s idea to start a Memoirs Group within MCGS, and she was instrumental in establishing the highly successful essay contest for 5th and 6th graders during Family History Month.

In 1990 it was Nancy Heydt who created the concept of October as Family History Month, which in the beginning was only celebrated in Monmouth County. She then had it listed in Chase’s Book of Annual Events, and soon Governor Florio recognized it at the state level. By 2001, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) passed legislation that officially commemorated October as Family History Month, and the United States Senate made it a national celebration in 2002. Nancy was then recognized by the Federation of Genealogy Societies with their Distinguished Service Award for fostering this important designation. She was also awarded a Certificate of Excellence by the League of Historical Societies of New Jersey.

It all begins with a spark of genius and overwhelming dedication. And so we stand on the shoulders of giants. Congratulations Nancy.

Share which individual you think deserves a “distinguished” serve award for genealogy contributions?

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Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

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02 June 2016

Twelve Genealogists Win Free Passes to the NGS Conference

The Villages Genealogical Society scholarship winners with NGS President Jordan Jones

Thanks to a “scholarship,” ten lucky individuals attended the recent NGS 2016 Family History Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

The Villages Genealogical Society had a drawing among its 1,500 members to award $400 to ten members so that the recipients could attend the 2016 NGS Conference. Congratulations to the winners: Irene Sherrill Harrison, Pat Adams, Donna Yambasky, Barbara A Bateman, Mary Frances Gerace, Betty MacDuff, Joanne Read, Ruth Bogert Wible, Donna Koeppel, and Pat Rand.

The Pinellas Genealogical Society, located in Pinellas County on Florida’s west coast, also encouraged its members to attend the NGS conference, since it was in Florida this year. Members interested in or already planning to attend the conference were able to purchase tickets for a drawing on 13 February 2016. (One ticket cost $1, 6 for $5, and 13 for $10. Members could purchase as many as they wished to increase their odds of winning.) The drawing was held at the Society’s annual seminar. Two tickets were randomly selected, and each winner was reimbursed the full-conference registration costs after they registered. The lucky winners were Debbie Schuler and Patricia Riggs, and both attended the conference.

Has your society ever considered offering scholarships or other incentives so that members might better be able to attend a national genealogical conference? If so, we’d love to hear about it.

Does your society have an Organizational Subscription to NGS? Did you know that if you do, three organization officers or directors can attend an NGS Family History Conference at the membership rate? Please make sure that you are taking advantage of this organizational member benefit.

As we look towards the 2017 conference in Raleigh, NC, consider whether your organization/society might be able to provide an incentive to encourage interested individuals to attend. As The Villages Genealogical Society, your organization might provide a scholarship, or it could arrange a group bus to cut travel costs, find external sponsors to partially underwrite attendance, or whatever other incentive comes to mind and is practical.

Attending a national conference is an unparalleled experience and your society’s creativity in supporting its members’ attendance just might make a difference to at least one genealogist who otherwise would not have attended.

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The Villages is the largest retirement community in the world, occupying approximately 40 square miles in parts of three counties. With the newest Village on the drawing board, the area is now about twice the size of the New York Borough of Manhattan. There are three town squares with nightly entertainment. Villagers get around their community on over 50,000 golf carts (many electric) on over 100 miles of golf cart paths. The Villages Metropolitan Statistical Area has been the fastest growing MSA in the country for three years in a row. The current population is estimated at 115,000. The Villages has by far the world’s largest golf facility, with 621 holes at buildout.

The Villages Genealogical Society was founded in 1993. It began as a club of 15 members. It is now the largest genealogical society in Florida, and one of the largest local societies in the United States. The society currently operates 13 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) including Brick Wall Solutions SIG - Get help from others to solve your problem!, British Genealogy SIG - Join this roundtable discussion and solve your problem!, Eastern European SIG - Discuss problems & share your knowledge on Eastern European Ancestors., Family Tree Marker Users SIG - Ask questions about using this software, and more!

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The Pinellas Genealogy Society was founded by a small group of people whose interest in genealogy led them to establish The Florida Society for Genealogical Research, Inc. on May 27, 1972. On July 16, 1972, the first meeting of the Board of Directors was held in Pinellas Park. The name was changed to the Pinellas Genealogy Society, Inc. (PGS) in 1982. On January 17, 1991 Jay Dobkin, PGS member and Largo Library Special Collections Librarian, facilitated a contract between the Society and Largo Library. A mutual agreement was made that the Pinellas Genealogy Society would provide volunteers in the Special Collections/Genealogy Department and present educational classes and workshops in exchange for the library’s agreement to house the PGS genealogical collection. Thus began the Society’s amiable association with the Largo Library.

Through the Pinellas Genealogy Society quarterly publication The Pinellas Genealogist, the society shares genealogical experiences, family histories, primary records such as death records, bible records, baptismal records, and birth records with members and Societies participating in a mutual quarterly exchange.

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NGS does not imply endorsement of any outside advertiser or other vendors appearing in this blog. Any opinions expressed by guest authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Think your friends, colleagues, or fellow genealogy researchers would find this blog post interesting? If so, please let them know that anyone can read past UpFront with NGS posts or subscribe!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unless indicated otherwise or clearly an NGS Public Relations piece, Upfront with NGS posts are written by Diane L Richard, editor, Upfront with NGS.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Want to learn more about interacting with the blog, please read Hyperlinks, Subscribing and Comments -- How to Interact with Upfront with NGS Blog posts!

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Follow NGS via Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Twitter