New Voices of Genealogy Release: John Frederick Dorman, CG (Emeritus),FASG, FNGS, FVGS

From guest blogger, Arlene V. Jennings

For the June observance of the 100^th anniversary of the NGSQ, the NGS Voices of Genealogy series presents John Frederick Dorman’s story of “Becoming a Genealogist.” Founder and editor for fifty years of the journal, The Virginia Genealogist, Dorman is highly regarded as the “dean of Virginia genealogy.” This feature is sponsored by the Virginia Genealogical Society.

In this month’s interview, the sixth release in the Voices of Genealogy series, Dorman describes the inspiration he felt as a young child in knowing family members who were born in the 19^th century and who knew other family members born in the decade after the revolution. His delight in the study of genealogy from the age of eight until today is evident in his telling of the story.

Dorman’s contributions to Virginia genealogy are perhaps incomparable. In 1957, when no other journal was devoted to genealogical studies for Virginia, he founded The Virginia Genealogist, which he published until 2006. In his journal he created an invaluable collection of extracts and transcriptions from original records and well researched and documented articles on Virginia ancestry. His publication was the first genealogical journal to follow the model of publishing references in the form of footnotes. Among his extensive publications, Dorman is also known and valued for the third and fourth editions of Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia 1607-1624/5. He continues to engage in a lifetime study of his Slaughter family.

John Frederick Dorman was named a fellow of the American Society of Genealogists in 1958, of the National Genealogical Society in 1962, and of the Virginia Genealogical Society in 1995. He is a founding associate and the earliest living associate of the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG), having earned his credential as certified genealogist number four in 1965. He served as president of BCG from 1979 to 1982 and as BCG Executive Director from 1982 to 1986. In 2004 he was awarded Emeritus status for “sustained excellence and service” to BCG. In 2006 the New England Historic Genealogical Society presented him the Coddington Award of Merit recognizing “the highest standard of excellence in American genealogical scholarship and lifetime achievement in the field.”

The video was produced by award winning filmmakers Kate Geis and Allen Moore from an interview by Melinde Lutz Byrne, CG, FASG, co-editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. John Frederick Dorman, CG (Emeritus), FASG, FNGS, FVGS, “Becoming a Genealogist,” is now playing for all NGS members at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org.

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