30 June 2020

Registration Ends Soon for International & Ethnic Workshops


Registration Ends 7 July for 
Six International and Ethnic Workshops

Time is running out to register for six international and ethnic workshops on German, Hispanic, Irish, Italian, Native American, and Swedish heritages, respectively. Registration ends on Tuesday, July 7. Presented live online and hosted by NGS and FamilySearch, the workshops will be scheduled between 14 July and 17 July. Each will be two hours in length. Information and registration for the workshops is available on the NGS Conference website.

Research specialists from the world-renowned Family History Library will conduct the workshops. Several moderators will assist with the Q&A portion of each workshop as well as with technical questions.
Reading Italian Records Workshop
Brandon Baird, AG, will teach participants how to read Italian civil registration records and church records. Fluency in Italian is not required.
Hispanic Research Methodology Workshop Arturo Cuellar, AG, and Lyn Turner, AG, will provide instruction on how to research ancestors in Mexico, Latin America, and Spain. This workshop for beginners will cover basic research guidelines, finding aids, and language helps, along with a case study.
Strategies for Locating German Records Workshop
Camille Andrus, AG, will discuss the records of your German immigrant ancestor, help you identify what records are available, where they’re located, and how to use them effectively. This workshop is for those beginning research in Germany who have identified their ancestor’s hometown and are ready to research in Germany.
Swedish Research Strategy WorkshopGeoff Morris, AG, will lead a workshop on how to approach common problems and tackle them in an efficient way. Elements will include analysis, translation, records, and prioritizing research steps.
Ireland: Discovering Where and How They Lived Workshop
Craig Foster, AG, Dan Poffenberger, AG, Kori Robbins, AG, and Phil Dunn, AG, will provide insight on family history research in Ireland, a country that presents unique challenges in genealogical research. This workshop will help people understand Irish jurisdictions, as well as key record groups.
Native American WorkshopLyn Rasmussen, CG, Forrest Emmett, and Hellen Bileen will focus on using 20th century records as the foundation for researching Native American ancestry.

Prior to each workshop, registrants will receive an electronic handout. Event moderators and NGS staff will assist anyone who is unsure about how to participate in the virtual workshops.

Each workshop costs $35. Register soon to reserve your spot in these expert led workshops. Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, 7 July.

For more information about the international and ethnic workshops, or to register, visit our conference website.

24 June 2020

NGSQ June 2020 Issue Now Online!

Wister "Wick" Lee Garrett (1863–1928), circa 1917

The June 2020 issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volume 108, Number 2, is available online in the Members Only section of the website. Members should see the new edition in their mailboxes in the next few weeks.

CONTENTS:

FEATURE ARTICLES 
  • “Parents for Isaac Garrett of Laurens County, South Carolina: DNA Corroborates Oral Tradition” by LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL
  • “Parents for Sarepta McMillin: Untangling the McMillin Family in Champaign and Clark Counties, Ohio” by John D. Beatty, CG
  • “Peter Wingate of Cecil County, Maryland: Son of Isabella Stoops or Sarah Johnson?” by Carol Cooke Darrow, CG

COMMUNICATIONS

EDITORS’ CORNER
  • Beware Things That Aren’t So
ADMINISTRATION 

SIDELIGHTS
  • Otto Garrett Killed by Peace Officer
  • When the Cure Was Worse Than the Disease
  • A Case of Being Two-Faced
REVIEWS


The National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ) is published four times per year, in March, June, September, and December. The journal is edited by Nancy A. Peters, CG®, CGLSM, and Allen R. Peterson, AG, CG®.

23 June 2020

New NGS Course: Transcribing, Extracting & Abstracting Genealogical Documents


NGS Introduces New Online Course: 
Transcribing, Extracting, and Abstracting Genealogical Documents

The National Genealogical Society today announced its newest course in our Continuing Genealogical Studies series: Transcribing, Extracting, and Abstracting Genealogical Documents. The course is designed to teach family historians the skills needed to examine, analyze, and apply information accurately from any kind of document to further their genealogical research. It serves both as a refresher course for the experienced genealogist and as a comprehensive tutorial for those who are working to acquire these skills.

The purpose of family history research is not merely to trace your ancestors but also to prove their relationships in your family tree. Simply duplicating documents will not accomplish these goals. The way to build a family tree accurately and successfully is through the careful examination and analysis of those documents. This can be accomplished by fully transcribing a document, extracting selected portions, or abstracting the important information while leaving the nonessential legal language out.

In a step-by-step format, Julie Miller, CG®, CGLSM, FNGS, a full-time professional researcher, speaker, and writer, teaches how to transcribe, extract, and abstract documents along with when to use each process. The course includes multiple examples, videos, and guidelines for working with deeds and wills as well as other types of documents. The many exercises in each of the ten modules give students hands-on experience working with documents and refining their skills. To learn more about Transcribing, Extracting, and Abstracting Genealogical Documents, visit the NGS website.


16 June 2020

Registration Opens for International & Ethnic Workshops


Registration Now Open for Six International
and Ethnic Live Workshops

Registration is now open for six international and ethnic workshops presented live and hosted by NGS and FamilySearch. The workshops, originally scheduled for the in-person NGS 2020 Family History Conference, will be live online between 14 July and 17 July and are each two hours in length. Information and registration for the workshops is available on the NGS Conference website.

Research specialists from the world-renowned Family History Library will conduct workshops on German, Hispanic, Irish, Italian, Native American, and Swedish heritages, respectively. Each workshop will also have several moderators to assist with the Q&A portion of the workshop as well as with technical questions.


  • Reading Italian Records Workshop
    • Brandon Baird, AG, will teach participants how to read Italian civil registration records and church records. Fluency in Italian is not required.

  • Hispanic Research Methodology Workshop
    • Arturo Cuellar, AG, and Lyn Turner, AG, will provide instruction on how to research ancestors in Mexico, Latin America, and Spain. This workshop for beginners will cover basic research guidelines, finding aids, and language helps, along with a case study.
  • Strategies for Locating German Records Workshop
    • Camille Andrus, AG, will discuss the records of your German immigrant ancestor, help you identify what records are available, where they’re located, and how to use them effectively. This workshop is for those beginning research in Germany who have identified their ancestor’s hometown and are ready to research in Germany. 

  • Swedish Research Strategy Workshop
    • Geoff Morris, AG, will lead a workshop on how to approach common problems and tackle them in an efficient way. Elements will include analysis, translation, records, and prioritizing research steps.
  • Ireland: Discovering Where and How They Lived Workshop
    • Craig Foster, AG, Dan Poffenberger, AG, Kori Robbins, AG, and Phil Dunn, AG, will provide insight on family history research in Ireland, a country that presents unique challenges in genealogical research. This workshop will help people understand Irish jurisdictions, as well as key record groups.
  • Native American Workshop
    • Lyn Rasmussen, CG, Forrest Emmett, and Hellen Bileen, will focus on using 20th century records as the foundation for researching Native American ancestry. 

Prior to each workshop, registrants will receive an electronic handout. Event moderators and NGS staff will assist anyone who is unsure about how to participate in the virtual workshops.

Each workshop costs $35. Register soon to reserve your spot in these expert led workshops. Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, 7 July.

For more information about the international and ethnic workshops, or to register, visit our conference website.

10 June 2020

NGS 2020 On-Demand! Now Available




NGS 2020 On-Demand! Now Available

Nearly 1,900 people participated in the first part of the National Genealogical Society virtual conference—NGS 2020 Live!—in May. Part two—NGS 2020 On-Demand!—starts streaming 1 July.

Sales have re-opened so if you missed NGS 2020 Live! in May, you can still see those lectures as part of every virtual conference package sold starting in June. NGS 2020 On-Demand! packages are now available for purchase at the PlaybackNGS website.

This is your opportunity to choose from three lecture packages offering incredible values and the ability to customize your package. PlaybackNGS will contact all registrants to let them know when they can begin selecting their lecture sessions from more than 85 webinars presented by nationally recognized speakers and explore a virtual Expo Hall with more than 35 exhibitors. With your choice of registration packages, you can choose 10, 20, or 45 sessions, plus all the sessions from NGS 2020 Live! and 18 sponsored bonus sessions. That’s up to 70 hours of exceptional genealogy education from NGS and our expert genealogists! Every NGS conference has a different theme—this year it’s Echoes of Our Ancestors—with a new program top to bottom so there is always more to learn and discover.

NGS 2020 On-Demand! offers you the opportunity to develop genealogy skills that will help expand your family history with a highly comprehensive set of on-demand lectures. View or listen on your computer or mobile device, from the comfort of your home or anywhere! Watch at your convenience from 1 July 2020 until 15 May 2021.

Register now at PlaybackNGS.com for one of these three package options:

The “Full” Package includes all sessions from NGS 2020 Live!; streaming access to your choice of twenty NGS 2020 On-Demand! sessions from 1 July 2020 through 15 May 2021; an electronic copy of the virtual conference syllabus; and 18 sponsored bonus lectures.

The “Works” Package includes everything in the Full Package with an additional twenty-five NGS 2020 On-Demand! sessions (a total of 45 lectures you choose); a USB with audio recordings of ALL the recorded sessions (more than 100 hours of audio content that can also be streamed to your mobile device); plus the 18 sponsored bonus lectures.

NGS 2020 “Light” Package includes all sessions from NGS 2020 Live!; an electronic copy of the virtual conference syllabus; and ten NGS 2020 On-Demand! sessions of your choice. You also will receive access to the full list of 18 sponsored bonus lectures.

Be part of NGS 2020 On-Demand! by joining us in the second part of the NGS Virtual Conference. For more information about NGS 2020 On-Demand! or to register, visit PlaybackNGS.com website.

08 June 2020

A Message for Change from NGS

Dear NGS Members and Friends,

As genealogists, we root our passion for family history in using records from the past. It helps us to understand our families, our history, and ourselves. Looking to history can help all of us better understand the long struggle to fight for equality, justice, and fairness in the face of racial disparity.

That makes our genealogical community an important part of the support, understanding, and actions needed so that all racial and ethnic communities receive fairness and equality.

The flow of American history brought all of us here. As genealogists, it is time for us to acknowledge our past, open our minds and hearts, and build a stronger and more just society. The National Genealogical Society encourages our members to begin an honest dialogue about racism, social justice, and equality.

We share these resources to stimulate dialogue:
The National Genealogical Society takes these issues seriously and we are here to support our members in this learning process.

Sincerely,

The National Genealogical Society