FGS Conference 2011 - Epilogue

The Federation of Genealogical Societies 2011 conference in Springfield, Illinois came to a close yesterday.   Today, we attended the first annual FGS Farewell Brunch for the many people who were still in town.  What a ride these past four days! My head is spinning with strategies and techniques for society management and family research (some new, some refreshers).  Once home, I hope to research with renewed vigor and share some highlights with you at the next Root Cellar workshop.

For the first time at a conference we attended every luncheon.  Would it be more convenient than looking for a cafe?  Would it taste better than concession fare?  Yes and yes. It also gave us a special opportunity to interact with many other genealogists at the table and to hear a speaker.  I recommend it if your budget allows.  I may not have otherwise learned about the extensive genealogical collection at the Warren County Ohio library housed in the courthouse building.  In the same building I can go to the archives and recorder's offices - literally a one-stop shop!   My Clark and Brown ancestors lived in and near Warren County.

Silly highlights

• NARA lingo is affectionately called Archi-jive.  If you have used NARA, online or at a research center, you already speak Archi-jive: RG, DP, RIP, PI (record group, descriptive pamphlet, research information pamphlet, and preliminary inventory).
• On the last day (4) of the conference, inside the usually crowded elevator, someone said it was going to the lobby and so, we all broke out in song "let's all go to the lobby, let's all go to the lobby, let's all go to the lobby and get ourself some treats".  We were all howling as we left the elevator!

I took several pictures in the exhibit hall to give a feel of the show if you have not attended a large genealogical conference.  Click on the arrow or box above for a slideshow. Click again to go full-screen and the Esc(ape) key to return to the post.

Classes I attended with speaker's name are listed below. 

• How to Develop and Implement Affordable Member Benefits, George G. Morgan
• Engaging a New Generation of Genealogists, D. Joshua Taylor
• Finding and Keeping Volunteers, Amy Johnson Crow
• Brainstorming:  Marketing Your Society, Thomas MacEntee and Linda Herrick Swisher
• The Jones Jinx - Tracing Common Surnames, Thomas W. Jones
• Immigrant Cluster Communities: Past, Present, Future, Lisa A. Alzo
• After Mustering Out: Researching Civil War Veterans, Amy Johnson Crow
• Navigating the 1890 Gap - Research with State Census Records, Kris Rzepczynski
• Using Records in the National Archives: A Researcher's View, Marie Varrelman Melchiori
• Using Correlation to Reveal Facts That No Record States, Thomas W. Jones
• Gateway to the West: Researching in Ohio, Diane VanSkiver Gagel
• Workshop: Developing a Basic Research Plan, J. Mark Lowe

Mark your calendars for some of the many future conferences and create a travel budget now:

29 Aug - 1 Sep 2012 - FGS Conference, Birmingham, Alabama
2013 - FGS Conference, Fort Wayne, Indiana
9-12 May 2012 - National Genealogical Society (NGS) Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio
8-11 May 2013 - NGS Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada
8-10 June 2012 - Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree, Burbank, California

posted by Denise Hibsch Richmond