Hurry! Early Bird Discount Ends for NGS Conference on 19 March

Hurry! Early Bird Discount Ends 19 March

for 2019 Family History Conference

Please don’t miss this opportunity! Time is running out for family historians to receive a discount on registration for the National Genealogical Society (NGS) Family History Conference in St. Charles, Missouri, 8−11 May 2019. After 19 March, the price of registration for NGS members will increase from $215 to $250 for all four days. Non-members will pay $285, up from $250. Genealogists will also no longer be able to order a printed syllabus or flash drive version of the syllabus. To qualify for the early bird discount, you must register online by 19 March or mail your registration postmarked 19 March. 

The conference, “Journey of Discovery,” will showcase more than 150 lectures featuring a variety of tracks and topics including ethnicity, genetics, immigration and migration, military, Missouri, religion, technology, and more. The program will include all levels of genealogical skills from basic to advanced, as well as four days of the Board for the Certification of Genealogists® (BCG) Skillbuilding lectures. The DNA track will feature eighteen presentations on DNA discoveries, science, and methodology.

The Family History Expo will feature more than seventy-five exhibitors and be open to the public Wednesday through Saturday. Check the website for a list of exhibitors and the accompanying floor plan.

The NGS Conference will be held at the St. Charles Convention Center and will run from 8−11 May. For conference information and to register, go to the NGS 2019 Family History Conference website.

Registration for local area tours and social meal events closes on 19 April 2019.

You will not be able to purchase tickets on-site at the conference. Be sure to sign up as quickly as possible.

Add Items to an Existing Registration
To add meals, tours, and pre-conference events to your current registration, log on to the NGS website, click on Store>My Account>Select View next to 2019 Conference>Select View Again>Select Add Sessions.

See you in St. Charles in May!

Reminder for 2020 Call for Proposals Deadline

Last Chance to Submit Lecture Proposals for

NGS 2020 Family History Conference

Time is running out for speakers—as well as organizations interested in sponsoring lectures—to submit lecture proposals for the National Genealogical Society 2020 Family History Conference, Echoes of Our Ancestors, which will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, 20‒23 May 2020. All proposals must be submitted electronically at https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/call-for-proposals/ by 11:59 p.m. EDT on 1 April 2019.

The study of family history gives greater meaning and dimension to our lives. As the prior generations fade from view, the results of our research illuminate the pale echoes of the past and bring our ancestors back to life to resonate for future generations. The NGS 2020 Family History Conference in Salt Lake City will explore our connections to our ancestors and the vestiges of their lives that we can discover through records that still exist. Conference tracks under consideration include the following:

• Impact of wars, poverty, famine, persecution, and the industrial revolution on movement from ancestral homes in the Americas and abroad
• Immigration, naturalization, and passenger records 
• Historical migrations, trails, and events that affected patterns of settlement
• Hard-to-find ancestors who seem to disappear from records
• Approaches to rural and urban research
• Military records
• Occupations and trades
• Modes of transportation
• Religions and related record collections
• Ethnic resources and research techniques
• Postcards, letters, diaries, and manuscripts
• Immigrant, benevolent, and religious associations
• Specialized collections of the Family History Library and other repositories

NGS also requests proposals that include the integration of DNA and technology into family history research as well as methodology and problem solving. NGS encourages proposals that demonstrate methods to help genealogists accurately identify ancestors through reasonably exhaustive research, proper source citations, analysis and correlation, resolution of conflicts, and sound reasoning and coherent writing.
Speakers who wish to submit lecture proposals may submit up to eight proposals electronically. The speaker compensation is described in detail on the website. Visit the website for details about required speaker information and each submitted proposal. NGS has a free webinar, Becoming a Better Conference Speaker: Proposals and Preparations, which can be found on the National Genealogical Society YouTube channel that can help you prepare your proposal.

If your genealogical organization would like to sponsor a lecture, submit proposals to NGS. If your organization would like to sponsor a luncheon, please contact [email protected]. Do not use the sponsored lecture form.