NGS held its annual
banquet on Friday evening, 10 May, at the NGS 2013 Family History Conference in
Las Vegas,
Nevada,
to present awards that acknowledge and honor genealogical scholarship and
service. Each year, these awards are presented to organizations and individuals
who have made outstanding contributions to NGS programs or have performed
outstanding work in the field of genealogy, history, biography, or heraldry.
National Genealogical
Society Hall of Fame: Beginning in 1986, the National
Genealogy Hall of Fame program, administered by the National Genealogical
Society, has honored outstanding genealogists whose achievements in the field
of American genealogy have had a great impact on our field. Qualified
nominations are solicited annually from genealogical organizations. Those
nominated must have been deceased for at least five years and have been
actively engaged in genealogy for a minimum of ten years. Their contributions
to the field of genealogy in this country need to have been significant in a
way that was unique, pioneering, or exemplary. Such contributions could have
been as an author of books or articles that added significantly to the body of
published works, served as a model of genealogical research or writing, or made
source records more readily available. Nominees could also have been a teacher
or lecturer, or contributed to the field through leadership in a genealogical
organization or periodical.
Entries are judged by a panel of genealogists from various
parts of the United States.
This year, Earl Gregg Swem, whose
nomination was made by The Virginia Genealogical Society, was elected to the
NGS Hall of Fame. For thirty-seven years his career was devoted to the
collection and publication of materials on Virginia and Virginians. He was the
assistant librarian at the Virginia State Library for twelve years and then
became the head of the William and Mary College Library from which he retired
in 1944.
Fellowship in the National Genealogical Society recognizes a valued servant of the
National Genealogical Society. This year’s Fellow, Donn J. Devine, is a retired
Brigadier General with the Delaware National Guard and a resident of Wilmington, Delaware.
He has been the archivist of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington since 1989. He
served eight years as a director of NGS from 1994–2002. Donn was one of the
first lecturers on the appropriate use of DNA and serves as the administrator
of two family DNA projects. He has been Board-certified since 1987 and has
performed many services for the genealogical community at large. He chaired
NGS’s committee on standards and currently serves on the Records Preservation
& Access Committee and is a member of the NGSQ Editorial Board.
He is a former trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists (1992–2006),
for which he currently serves as general counsel. He is a past president of the
Delaware Society, Sons of the American Revolution, and is a trustee of the
Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania.
Among Donn’s publications are “Sorting Relationships Among
Families with the Same Surname: An Irish American DNA Study,” published in The National
Genealogical Society Quarterly in December 2005. His articles have been
published in The American Genealogist and The Delaware Genealogical Society Journal. His
most recent article, “The European Origin of George Falk (1823–1900), Brooklyn
Watchmaker,” was published in The New York Genealogical & Biographical
Society Record in January 2013.
For his years of service to the genealogical community; his
dedication to meticulous adherence to best practices in the field of genealogy
as researcher, writer, and lecturer; and for his unflinching volunteer efforts
on behalf of the National Genealogical Society and the genealogical community
at large, the NGS Board has elected Donn
J. Devine a Fellow of the National Genealogical Society.
William Filby Award for Genealogical Librarianship is
awarded to a librarian whose primary focus is genealogy and local history and
who is employed in a public, academic, or special library. This year’s award,
and a $1,000 prize underwritten by ProQuest, went to Elizabeth Crabtree Wells, manager of the Special Collection
Department at Samford University in Birmingham,
Alabama. Active in the
genealogical and historical community, she served as past president of the
Alabama Genealogical Society, the Birmingham Genealogical Society, and is a
founder and past president of the Society of Alabama Archivists. She is a
regular lecturer at the Samford Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research.
She is co-author of The History of Judson
College. Elizabeth holds a BA from Judson College,
an MA from Auburn University, and a MLS from the University of Alabama.
The Award of Merit
is presented to an individual or non-profit genealogical or historical
organization to recognize exceptional contributions to the field of genealogy
over a period of five or more years, which has significantly aided research or increased
interest in genealogy. For over twenty-five years Carolyn Marguerite Hutchinson Brown has taught genealogy classes
and passionately and unabashedly promoted genealogy. She has published six
books on her family and her husband’s family lines and has authored many
articles published in a variety of genealogical publications. She also founded
the Bouse Genealogical Society in Bouse, Arizona,
in 2008. She continues to chair, teach, and mentor the group today. As the
nomination form concluded, “One person can and does make a difference!”
Family History Writing Contest: Paul K. Graham
of Salt Lake City, Utah, was the winner of the Family History
Writing contest with his entry, A Love
Story Proved: The Life and Family of Laura Lavinia (Kelly) Combs. This
award is to encourage NGS members to write a family history that covers at
least three generations and not more than four generations of their family.
National Genealogical Society
Quarterly’s Award for Excellence: This
award is presented for an outstanding article
published in the NGSQ in the previous
calendar year. The winner of this year’s award emphasized the importance of
cultural practices, comprehensive research, and creative problem solving. For
2012, the editors have chosen Without
Land, Occupation, Rights, or Marriage Privilege: The Büttner Family from Bavaria
to New York, by F. Warren Bittner, cg, published in the September 2012
issue of the NGSQ.
Award for Excellence:
Genealogical Methods and Sources: This
year’s recipients were Robert S. Davis
of Hanceville, Alabama,
and Ted O. Brooke of Cumming, Georgia.
The title of their entry was Georgia
Research: A Handbook for Genealogists, Historians, Archivists, Lawyers,
Librarians, and Other Researchers. This award is for a specific,
significant single contribution in the form of a book, an article, or a series
of articles that discuss genealogical methods and sources, which serves to
foster scholarship and/or advances or promotes excellence in genealogy.
Award for Excellence:
Genealogy and Family History Book: This
year’s recipient was Helen Schatvet
Ullmann, cg, fasg, of Acton, Massachusetts.
The title of her entry was Some
Descendants of Roger Billings of Dorchester,
Massachusetts. This award is for
a specific, significant single contribution in the form of a family genealogy
or family history book published in the past five years. Entries serve to
foster scholarship and/or otherwise advance or promote excellence in genealogy.
Senior Rubincam Youth Award (for students in grades 10–12 or between the
ages of 16 and 18): Andrew Staton
of Simpsonville, South Carolina, was this year’s winner. The
title of his entry was My Windsor and
Young Ancestors. The Senior Rubincam Award was established in 1986 to honor
Milton Rubincam, cg, fasg, fngs,
for his many years of service to the National Genealogical Society and to the
field of genealogy. The award encourages and recognizes our youth as the next
generation of family historians.
Home Study Course Scholarship: Kristin Harms
of Alpharetta, Georgia, was the winner of the Home
Study Course Scholarship. Harms received the award for having demonstrated her
serious interest in pursuing a career in genealogy. Criteria include attending
genealogy conferences and training, subscribing to genealogical publications,
and membership in NGS.
The renowned NGS Home Study Course provides a solid
foundation for researchers just starting out and new possibilities for
experienced researchers’ more difficult problems. The self-paced, year-long
course is published on CD and is offered with a grading option. Learners
receive feedback from experts while conducting their personal research.
Ann C. Hilke
was presented with the NGS Past
President’s pin in recognition of her dedication and service to NGS.
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