FGS Announces New Board Appointments

Kirk Woosley Patton and McKelden Smith Named Directors

19 July 2013 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announces the recent appointment of Kirk Woosley Patton and McKelden Smith to its Board of Directors.

• Kirk Woosley Patton of Fincastle Ancestry Research is a Kentucky native, born and reared in the horse farm country of the state’s central region. He is descended from at least seven generations of Kentuckians, who migrated to the Bluegrass State in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. Kirk is an attorney, having graduated from the University Of Kentucky College Of Law in 1993. Prior to law school, he earned his bachelor’s degree studying Kentucky and early United States history and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa for his undergraduate work. Kirk practiced law in his native state for eighteen years before moving to Colorado in 2011, at which time he combined his love for history and the law to become a professional genealogist. Kirk currently is chair of the FGS Bylaws Committee and is president of the Castle Rock Colorado Genealogical Society. He is an active member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and its chapters in Kentucky and Colorado. Kirk is also a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild and the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors.

• McKelden Smith became president of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society in 2009. He is a director of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of New York; a trustee of Boscobel Restoration, Inc. in Garrison, New York; a director of the New Canaan (CT) Preservation Alliance; and founding member of the New Canaan Shred Dogs. McKelden is the author of Great Estates of the Hudson River Valley (1998), Matisse & Chagall at the Union Church of Pocantico Hills (1999) and the forthcoming William & Sarah McKelden, Immigrants from County Monaghan, Ireland and Five Generations of their Descendants. McKelden has a BA from Williams College and an MBA from Columbia University. His business background includes advertising, marketing, and museum management.

D. Joshua Taylor, President of FGS states, “The Federation brings together so many talented individuals . . . I am delighted to have Kirk and McKelden join the FGS Board.”

FGS Webinar Recording Now Available - Discovering Local & State Militia Records

The recording of this past Tuesday's webinar Discovering Local & State Militia Records
presented by J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA is now available to the public. Click here to view the recording or use the embedded version below.

Upcoming Webinar - Researching in the Post War Records of 1812

Don't forget to sign up for our next webinar, Researching in the Post War Records of 1812, presented by Craig Scott, MA, CG, on Wednesday, 7 August 2013, 8pm Eastern / 7pm Central. Click here to register. This lecture will focus on the records created by the War Department after the War. It will include compiled military service records, pensions and pension payments.


Discovering Local & State Militia Records

Description: Take a closer look at the wide variety of records documenting our local militia companies. From annual muster to supplies and appointment of Officers, learn how these records may be used in your family research. Learn more about the military organization of citizens called for the purpose of local defense, who served this country from the Revolution through 1812 and on to the development of the National Guard.

Presenter: J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA a full-time professional researcher & educator, formerly APG President and FGS officer. You will find him researching for clients including Who Do You Think You Are?, African American Lives or Biography’s uneXplained. With his love for teaching, you will see him at SLIG, IGHR, numerous webinars or at your local society.

FGS Radio: FGS Conference Highlights

Click here to create a reminder to listen to FGS Radio:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mysociety/2013/07/20/fgs-2013-conference-highlights

Saturday, July 20, 2013
2-3pm Eastern US
1-2pm Central US
12-1pm Mountain US
11am-12pm Pacific US

Join us for the next episode of FGS Radio - My Society, an Internet radio show on Blog talk Radio presented by the Federation of Genealogical Societies.

FGS 2013 - A Special Genealogy Conference You Won't Want To Miss!

It's getting closer! The 2013 FGS conference takes place in Fort Wayne, Indiana on August 21-24 with pre-conference activities on August 20th and a Farewell Brunch on August 25th. Fort Wayne is the home of the renowned Genealogy Center which is giving us generous extended research hours during the conference.

• Of course, you may still register online or by regular mail for the FGS 2013 Conference in Fort Wayne!

• Register soon so that in early August you gain access to the online conference syllabus with an expanded subject index.

• We tweaked room arrangements and have ample room for more people to sign up for the luncheons that take place each day.

• Rooms are available at the two added hotels. They will run periodic shuttles to the Grand Wayne Convention Center. Fort Wayne has thousands of hotel rooms so there is space for all of us.

• Ample parking is available near the convention center.

• Don't forget about the wonderful quilt that will be awarded during the Friday evening festivities at the Allen County Public Library. That's an evening to benefit the War of 1812 Preserve the Pensions Project with lots of fun activities. A dessert buffet will be sponsored by FamilySearch.

If you have registered for that evening, you get access to the Genealogy Center from 6:00 p.m. till Midnight!

Want more details on these points and to keep up with breaking news? Follow us on:

• The conference website: https://www.fgsconference.org/
• FGS Conference News Blog: http://www.fgsconferenceblog.org/
• We are also on Twitter and Facebook

We hope you join us for this great educational and fun week.

FGS Announces Two Free Genealogy Webinars

The Federation of Genealogical Societies announces two new webinars focusing on the use of military records in genealogical research.  These webinars are FREE and open to the public!

• Discovering Local & State Militia Records
  Presenter: J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA
  Date: Tuesday, 16 July 2013, 8pm Eastern / 7pm Central
  Register: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/934226718
  
  Take a closer look at the wide variety of records documenting our local militia companies. From annual muster to supplies and appointment of Officers, learn how these records may be used in your family research. Learn more about the military organization of citizens called for the purpose of local defense, who served this country from the Revolution through 1812 and on to the development of the National Guard.
  
  J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA a full-time professional researcher & educator, formerly APG President and FGS officer. You will find him researching for clients including Who Do You Think You Are?, African American Lives or Biography’s uneXplained. With his love for teaching, you will see him at SLIG, IGHR, numerous webinars or at your local society.
  
  

• Researching in the Post War Records of 1812
  Presenter: Craig Scott, MA, CG
  Date: Wednesday, 7 August 2013, 8pm Eastern / 7pm Central
  Register: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/663333166
  
  This lecture will focus on the records created by the War Department after the War. It will include compiled military service records, pensions and pension payments.
  
  Craig Roberts Scott, MA, CG is the President and CEO of Heritage Books, Inc., a genealogical publishing firm with over 4,900 titles in print. A professional genealogical and historical researcher for more than twenty-eight years, he specializes in the records of the National Archives, especially those that relate to the military. He is the Coordinator of the Advanced Military Track at IGHR and SLIG.
  

Image: Survivors of The War of 1812, 23 October 1861 via MediaWiki Commons.