FGS Distinguished Service Award: Kay Crockette Stone

FGS Distinguished Service Award: Kay Crockette Stone

Another of the deserving genealogists that FGS honored in 2014 is Kay Crockette Stone from Florida. Kay is a member of the FGS member society, Imperial Polk [FL] Genealogical Society. She has been a member for almost 30 years and is the appointed cemetery committee chair.

For more than 20 years she worked with the cemetery committee to survey, transcribe, and publish nine volumes about the county cemeteries. Nine!

She has been one of the most diligent and relentless persons about details and accuracy as she entered all the tombstone transcriptions, checked, and rechecked for accuracy.

Do you know someone that serves your society as a volunteer extraordinaire? Why not honor them with an international award for their work. Please visit the FGS website to nominate these members or others. Visit http://fgs.org/ and click on Awards for the details of each award category and the nomination form. Awards will be presented at various times during 2015 but if you are interested in a nomination for an award to be presented at the next FGS conference, the submissions must be received soon.

As you may know, the next conference will be held 11-14 February 2015 in Salt Lake City in conjunction with RootsTech. Details are on the FGS website and everyone is welcome! Register now.

FGSCruise2015: Featured Speaker D. Joshua Taylor

2015 is a year of adventure for the Federation of Genealogical Societies. From our joint conference in February to September's regional event in New York, there are numerous opportunities to connect with the family history community in 2015.  

One highlight of the year will be the inaugural FGS Cruise, which sets sail to Alaska in August. The event offers the opportunity of a lifetime — the chance to learn from some of the world's leading genealogists while enjoying the incredible landscapes of Alaska and British Columbia. 

The first-class slate of speakers is just the beginning of the adventure. Hands-on workshops, social events, game nights, dinners, and a host of other activities promise to provide a memorable experience for all involved. Whether you are looking to enrich your knowledge of Irish research, DNA methods, evidence analysis, or archival records, there is something for everyone aboard the FGS 2015 Cruise.   

— D. Joshua Taylor, FGS President

Joshua will be delivering four lectures during the cruise:

• Tracing Eastern Origins of Western Families
• Beyond Belief: The Wealth of Genealogical and Historical Societies
• Treasures in the Archives: Using Archive Grid
• Creating a Website for Your Society

D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS is the President of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and a nationally known and recognized genealogical author, lecturer, and researcher. Joshua is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including RootsTech’s Distinguished Presenter Award, the Federation of Genealogical Societies Award of Merit, and the Rubincam Youth Award from the National Genealogical Society. He holds an MLS (Archival Management) and an MA (History) from Simmons College and has been featured genealogist on Who Do You Think You Are? and the hit PBS show, Genealogy Roadshow.

A Virtual Tour of the Family History Library

The FGS 2015 conference is fewer than three months away and many attendees are already starting to dream about visiting the Family History Library while they are in Salt Lake City.

The Family History Library, which houses the world’s largest collection of family history materials, is within walking distance of the Salt Palace Convention Center and many conference hotels.  Some attendees will add a few days to their trip, either before or after the conference, while others may prefer to schedule some research time on conference days.

Library Hours

Normal hours for the library are:

• Monday: 8 AM to 5 PM
• Tuesday through Friday: 8 AM to 9 PM
• Saturday: 9 AM to 5 PM
• Sunday: Closed

The library will will be open 8 AM to 5 PM on Presidents Day (Monday, February 16) for those who are planning to research after the conference is over.

Library Layout

There are five floors: three aboveground levels and two basement levels.

Each floor has computers available for patron use, with access to the FamilySearch website, including the FHL Catalog, FamilySearch databases, and the major commercial databases. Restrooms are also available on each floor. Printers, copiers, and scanners can be found throughout the library.

The Main Floor, which is where you enter the library from the outside, has a reference desk where you can ask questions and buy a copy card (necessary if you want to make print copies from books or microfilm). There is a vending area, in case you want to grab a snack without leaving the library. There are also lockers, so that you can store your coat and other items that aren’t needed while researching.

There is also a new “Discovery Area” on the Main Floor. You can bring photos and documents from home and scan them using them using photo scanning equipment. Family Story booths in the Discovery Area allow you to make video and audio recordings and save them to a flash drive (2 GB flash drive recommended).

Repeat Library visitors will notice some changes to the B1, B2, and second floors. These floors have had reference desks in the past, but are being renovated to include new consultation areas. The B1 International floor, for example, now has separate consultation areas to assist patrons with European, Nordic, and Latin American research.

Finding Research Materials at the Library

Each floor is dedicated to a particular type of research material.

• Third Floor:  US Books and Maps
• Second Floor:  US and Canada Microfilms
• Main Floor:  Family History and Canada Books
• Basement 1: International
• Basement 2: British Isles

3rd Floor – US and Canada Books

The books in the Family History section on the Main floor are compiled genealogies, shelved in alphabetical order by surname. However, these books are being digitized and placed online at FamilySearch, so if you don’t find the book you are looking for, it may have been pulled off the shelf for digitization.

The other floors (as well as the Canada Books section on the Main floor) house locality books and/or microfilms. These include local history books, abstracts and transcripts, or images of original records for the locality.

2nd Floor – US and Canada Microfilm

Not all microfilm rolls are housed at the library. Be sure to review the FamilySearch Catalog ahead of time for any microfilm roll you may want to view.  Any items labelled “vault” must be ordered and can take up to three days to arrive, so it is better to pre-order those.

How to Get Help at the Library

Volunteers are available on each floor to answer questions. You can also sign up for a consultation with a research specialist.  A recent innovation allows you to continue researching while waiting for your consultation; you will receive a “restaurant-style” pager that will notify you when the research specialist is available to meet with you.

Close proximity to the Family History Library is only one of many reasons to attend the FGS 2015 conference. Have you registered yet? If not, check out the full program and register today.

FGS 2015 Early-Bird Discount Extended to Sep. 15th

The early-bird registration discount for the 2015 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference that was slated to expire tonight has been extended to midnight, Monday, September 15. That means you have three extra days to make that decision to gather with the nation's genealogists and family historians at the Salt Palace Convention Center (SPCC) in Salt Lake City, February 11–14, 2015.

This special early-bird discount will save you $20 off the early registration and $50 off the regular registration price! Need another reason? Take a look at the FGS program with three days filled with lectures designed to enhance your research skills. Additionally, Focus on Societies Day aims to give you new ideas and inspiration for helping your own society grow and prosper. Need yet another reason? The famed Family History Library is within walking distance of the SPCC and all four conference hotels.

Visit the FGS 2015 Conference website for details about sessions, speakers, luncheons, special events, and more. If you have questions about FGS 2015, ask them in the comments here or through any FGS social media channel.

Register by Monday to take advantage of this low price.

FGS 2015 Conference Program: Tracks for Researchers and Societies

The Federation of Genealogical Societies 2015 Conference program features a compelling group of tracks for both society leaders and individual researchers presented by many of the best genealogy speakers and educators. Over the next few months, we'll take a close-up look at each track, but today is about the big picture.

FGS 2015, scheduled for February 11–14 in Salt Lake City, Utah, will have a mix of sessions focusing on methodology, records, technology, society issues, and topics specific to the general conference locale. Topics are designed for both the individual researcher and society leaders.

Focus on Societies Day, February 11, offers tracks designed to help society leaders better manage and grow genealogical societies of all sizes and levels.

Society Tracks:

• Benefits & Projects
• Communication for Today
• Genealogical Society Leaders and Visionaries
• Recruiting & Engaging
• Technology for the Future
• The 21st Century Genealogical Society for Today and Tomorrow

Sessions on Thursday, February 12, through Saturday, February 14, are designed for individual researchers of all experience levels from beginners to advanced. Genealogists often talk about brick walls, but learning sound methodology, where and how to find both the usual and unusual records, and information specific to the areas where your ancestors lived will help you tear down those walls.

Research Tracks:

• A Retro Look at Organization and Planning
• Answering Difficult Questions with Leading Questions
• Back to Basics
• Compiling Singular Records into Lively Stories
• Connecting to the Past with Military Commemorations
• DNA
• Ethnic Groups in the West
• Missionaries and Settlers
• Modern Access to Vintage Resources
• Origins
• Record Essentials
• Records and Methods for Your Consideration
• Standards and Practices
• Technology
• The Most Useful Records Hidden in Plain Sight
• Tried and True Methods
• Wagon Trains, Railroads, Migration, & Modern Transportation

The full program, including topics, descriptions, and speakers, is available on the FGS 2015 Conference website. We will spotlight each track over the next few months leading up to the conference in February. 

In the meantime, don't forget that Friday, September 12, 2014 is the last day to register for FGS 2015 for the lowest possible price.

Hotel Reservations Open for the 2015 FGS and RootsTech Conferences

Book your room today!

Four Salt Lake City hotels are now taking reservations for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and RootsTech conferences, which will be held February 11–14, 2015 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City.

The Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown, the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek, the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel, and the Hilton Salt Lake City Center will offer reduced rates to attendees of both conferences. Each hotel is conveniently located near the Salt Palace Convention Center where both conferences will be held.

Conference rates will be honored for reservation dates February 7 – 19, 2015. Reservations must be made by January 13, 2015 to receive the conference rates.

Rooms will be in high demand. Reserve yours now through the FGS conference website at http://www.fgsconference.org/2015/lodging.

Registration for both conferences will open in late August 2014. For additional information about the FGS conference visit www.FGSconference.org/2015. 

Note to media: For the full press release in downloadable PDF format please visit the FGS Media Center.

Federation of Genealogical Societies Announces 2015 Conference

FGS and RootsTech Events To Be Held In Tandem

February 12-14, 2015 in Salt Lake City

22 August 2013 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announced today that its 2015 National Conference will be held February 12-14, 2015, in Salt Lake City, Utah in conjunction with RootsTech, hosted by FamilySearch. RootsTech is held each February in Salt Lake City and helps thousands of attendees from around the world discover and share family connections, stories, and history.

With the Salt Palace Convention Center as the common venue, both FamilySearch and FGS are committed to producing a one-of-a-kind genealogy event addressing the educational needs of the family history, technology and genealogical society communities. As the logistics of this sizeable event are still being worked out, both FGS and FamilySearch will work together to share resources and provide cost benefits for all parties, including attendees and exhibitors. Attendees can expect to see familiar elements of previous FGS and RootsTech events including keynote presentations, a Society Showcase and Expo Hall.

Registration for both events will begin in August 2014, six months prior to the February 2015 dates. FGS will also hold a smaller national event for its members in late 2015, with details to be announced at a later date.

FGS President D. Joshua Taylor states, “FamilySearch has been a valued partner and sponsor for FGS during its past conferences. It only makes sense for both organizations to work together and produce what will be the most talked about genealogy events of 2015.” Taylor added that such an event brings the best of RootsTech and FGS conferences together under one roof and will offer genealogists and family historians a wide array of activities and educational opportunities.