Hotel Reservations Open for FGS 2016 Conference

HOTEL RESERVATIONS OPEN FOR FGS 2016 CONFERENCE

Book Your Room Today!

Two Springfield, Illinois hotels are now taking reservations for The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) 2016 Conference, “Time Travel: Centuries of Memories,” which will be held August 31 – September 3, 2016 at the Prairie Capital Convention Center.

The Wyndham Springfield City Centre (formerly the Hilton Springfield) and The President Abraham Lincoln Springfield (a DoubleTree hotel by Hilton) will offer reduced rates to attendees of the FGS 2016 Conference. Each hotel is conveniently located near the Prairie Capital Convention Center and each hotel will offer a courtesy bus from the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport and Amtrak station.

Left: Wyndham Springfield City Center; Right: President Abraham Lincoln Springfield (a Doubletree Hotel by Hilton)

MAIN CONFERENCE HOTEL

Wyndham Springfield City Centre
700 E Adams St, Springfield, IL 62701
(217) 789-1530

The conference rate is $129/night, available from August 27 to September 6, 2016. Reserve your room by August 6, 2016 to receive the discounted rate. Visit www.fgsconference.org to reserve your room online. NOTE: For the Wyndham, phone reservations will be taken ONLY after January 1, 2016, while online reservations can be made now.

Sold Out! The President Abraham Lincoln Springfield
701 E Adams Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701
(217) 544-8800

The conference rate is $129/night, available from August 30 to September 4, 2016. Reserve your room by August 3, 2016 to receive the discounted rate. Visit www.fgsconference.org to reserve your room online. NOTE: The President Abraham Lincoln Springfield has a connected walkway to the Prairie Capital Convention Center.

Book Your FGS 2016 Conference Hotel Room NOW!

Rooms will be in high demand. Reserve yours now through the FGS conference website at www.fgsconference.org. Registration for the FGS 2016 Conference will open in late January 2016. For additional information about the FGS conference visit www.fgsconference.org.

Latest FORUM Issue Out: Freedmen's Bank Records, genealogy self-education & more!

While temps are dropping in many places before the holiday season begins in earnest, now is the perfect time to delve into this latest issue of FORUM. Stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey, this issue is abundant with genealogy advice, how-tos, and tech tips that will leave you thankful you took a little "me time" to gobble it up.

Adding context to your ancestors' stories

"Freedmen's Bureau & Freedmen's Bank Records" can lend context to your ancestors' lives and narrative to their stories. Ted Bainbridge, PhD, takes an in-depth look at these records.

Worry-free goodies

In "Just 37 Words" Judy Russell, JD, CG, CGL, explains there are wonderful goodies you can use without worrying about copyright.

Continuing your genealogy education

Shannon Combs-Bennett gives Next Generation ways to continue your genealogy education in "Keeping Up with the Ancestors: Self-Education.

And that's not all. Take a peek inside:

Table of Contents

3 ...... From the Editors

6 ...... President's Message: Capturing the Energy by D. Joshua Taylor

8 ...... Freedman's Bureau & Freedmen's Bank Records by Ted Bainbridge

18 ...... Build a Digital Library with Scribd by Denise Barrett Olson

24 ...... Join Us for the FGS 2016 Conference by Thomas MacEntee

28 ...... Considerations for Conducting a Family History Writing Contest by Jill Morelli

32 ...... FGS Experiences New Frontiers in Genealogical Cruising to Alaska by Deena Coutant

38 ...... How to Index Genealogical Records at Home by Ted Bainbridge, PhD

41 ...... Spotlight on Member Projects, Surname Project, Webinars, 'Human Scanners' & More by Caroline Pointer

45 ...... Ethics and Standards, Just 37 Words by Judy Russell, JD, CG, CGL

49 ...... Next Generation, Keeping Up With the Ancestors: Self-Education by Shannon Combs-Bennett

52 ...... Records Preservation and Access, New Records Online, Opened Adoption Records & More by Linda McCleary, MLS

How to access FORUM:

Current FGS Member Societies: Sign-in now to start reading immediately or download it to read on your desktop or mobile device. (After signing in, click on FGS FORUM – Latest Issue in the sidebar.) Don't forget to renew your membership in order for your society's leadership to continue to access FORUM and its archives.

Current FGS FORUM subscribers (individuals): sign-in now to start reading immediately or download it to read on your desktop or mobile device. (After signing in, scroll down and click on Vol. 27, No. 2, to read.)

Who can subscribe to FORUM? Anyone. You don't have to be a member of a genealogical society in order to subscribe.

Not already a subscriber? You can subscribe today to FGS FORUM and start reading immediately or download it to read on your desktop or mobile device. No need to be a member of a genealogical society.

Genealogical Societies: If you are not a member society of the Federation of Genealogical Societies, become one today and let your society's leadership begin accessing FORUM and its 25+ year archives which is just one of the many benefits of FGS membership. Read more about how else FGS empowers Member Society Leaders to manage successful societies.

Reader Poll: Genealogy Facebook Groups

About how many genealogy-related Facebook
groups are you a member of?

Reader Poll

About how many genealogy-related Facebook Groups are you a member of?

Answer here.

(Please participate even if you are not a member of a genealogy-related Facebook Group or even if you are not on Facebook at all.)

Results will be in the next issue of The Voice e-newsletter. Not a subscriber? Subscribe now.

Reserve your exclusive space in FGS Society Showcase at Rootstech

Reserve your exclusive spot now!

At Rootstech 2016, the FGS booth will be enhanced giving FGS Member Organizations an opportunity to have exclusive space to meet with the thousands of attendees at this very popular conference for a very affordable price.

Last year, when FGS 2015 Annual Conference was combined with Rootstech, we encouraged Member Societies to send us flyers about their societies to give your society incredible exposure to thousands of attendees for free.

And since it was very popular, we are going to do that again for Rootstech 2016.

But in addition to that, we are now going to provide additional space for your society to meet and greet attendees within the FGS Booth in the Expo Hall for only $25 per Member Society. This will be space for your organization's representatives to have a chance to meet with attendees and talk about how your society can benefit them and their research.

If your society is interested in having exclusive space in the FGS Society Showcase booth in the Rootstech 2016 Expo Hall, please contact Membership@fgs.org to reserve your spot. Don't hesitate as these exclusive spaces will go quickly. 

If your society's leadership or representatives will not be at Rootstech for 2016, we will be providing space for your organization's flyers for free again. If you missed this opportunity last time, do not hesitate to send them now to give attendees an opportunity to see what your society has to offer them. To participate and for more information, please email Membership@fgs.org.

FGS Members and delegates should look for an email this week with all the details for participating. You don't want to miss this incredible opportunity to reach thousands of potential new members.

If your organization is not a FGS Member, join now to take advantage of this great publicity opportunity as well as to start accessing the suite of benefits an FGS Membership offers today's society.

Exclusive FGS Member Discount on First Definitive Textbook for New York Genealogy

Exclusive limited time offer for FGS Member Organizations!

UPDATE: Extended through December 6th!

FGS is pleased to announce an exclusive limited time offer to FGS Member Organizations.

During the month of November only, members of FGS member societies may purchase the NYG&B’s monumental book, the New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer, at a substantial discount. The NYG&B is offering a $20 FGS discount off the retail price of $85. 

This is the first time the NYG&B has extended a book discount to anyone outside the NYG&B membership. The FGS affiliation will enable book buyers to save a total of $20 on their book purchase during November.

And the NYG&B will donate $5 on every FGS-related purchase to Preserve the Pensions, which will be matched dollar for dollar by  FGS and matched again by Ancestry.com. So, your organization's members will save $20 on the book and they will turn the NYG&B $5 donation into $20!

Since its highly anticipated publication in January 2015, the New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer has gathered numerous accolades and quickly sold out its first print run. The comprehensive, 856-page book has become the de facto textbook for New York genealogical research. Henry Hoff, editor of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, declared "This is a volume that every library and New York researcher should have, and indeed must have."

The discount will be valid in the NYG&B online store at NewYorkFamilyHistory.org and on phone and mail orders; the discount is not valid at Amazon.com. The discount applies to books purchased at the non-member retail price of $85 and may not be combined  with other discounts. Discount ends 30 November 2015.

Leaders of FGS Member Organizations, log-in to the Members-only Area of the FGS Website and click on "Partner Benefits" for the discount code, a downloadable PDF flyer to send to your membership, and the full details of this exclusive limited time offer.

Is your organization not a member of FGS? Join now to start accessing the suite of benefits an FGS Membership offers today's society.