Awards Presented to Deserving Individuals & Organizations at FGS 2016 Conference

We presented awards this morning at the FGS 2016 National Conference, “Time Travel: Centuries of Memories,” in Springfield, Illinois, to fellow genealogists and organizations who provide excellent work, assist other genealogists, and aid in the preservation of records.

Loretto (“Lou”) Szucs from Illinois was presented with the Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Humanitarian Award for being a constant supporter and visionary for the genealogical community.

Judy Russell from New Jersey, also known as “The Legal Genealogist,” was presented with the Directors Award for her role as a leader within the genealogical community in helping to raise awareness and funds for the Preserve the Pensions project.

Mike Hall from Utah was presented with a Presidential Citation for his constant dedication and support of FGS’ Preserve the Pensions project.

Julie Cahill Tarr from Wisconsin was also presented with a Presidential Citation for enriching FORUM's readers with dynamic new content and resources as FGS FORUM editor.

John Fisher from Vermont was presented with the FGS Award of Merit in recognition of exemplary and outstanding service to FGS Member Society, the Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society.

Phyllis Snider from Illinois was presented an FGS Certificate of Appreciation for her tireless work in promoting genealogy for and with the Iliana Genealogical and Historical Society.

The FGS Technology Advances Award was presented to the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) Wiki in recognition for their impact on the genealogy community with their promotion and education of genetic genealogy and their advocacy for education of genetics as a tool for genealogical research.

An FGS Technology Advances Award was also presented to JSTOR (Journal Storage) for their impact on the family history community by providing access to more than 2,300 digitized academic journals.

Eight individuals received the FGS Award of Merit in recognition of meritorious service or distinguished work on the 2016 FGS Conference and are as follows:

• Paul Milner
• Teri Flack
• Caroline Pointer
• Ed Donakey
• Julie Cahill Tarr
• Jane Haldeman
• Cindy Foreman
• Laura Kovarik

Additionally, sixteen individuals received a Certificate of Appreciation to express FGS’ thanks for work performed for the 2016 FGS conference in an outstanding manner and are as follows:

• Diane Gagel
• David McDonald
• Jane Van Tour
• Joan Kitchen Murray
• Sara Taylor
• Jackie Lyell
• Dawn Carey Henry
• Linda McCauley
• Rollie Littlewood
• Stephanie Carbonetti
• Pat Rand
• Shellee Morehead
• Lynda Keenan
• Howard Manthei
• Angela McGee
• Donna Hartwig

“Congratulations to all FGS Award winners,” said FGS President D. Joshua Taylor. “Thank you for your service and creativity. Each worthy recipient is representative of the tremendous accomplishments made in the genealogical industry.”

"Lou D. Szucs Service Award" Announced at FGS 2016

During this morning’s Keynote Session at the FGS 2016 National Conference, “Time Travel: Centuries of Memories in Springfield, Illinois, we announced a new FGS award category, The “Lou D. Szucs Service Award.” 

A founding leader of FGS, Lou D. Szucs has represented FGS for nearly every year of the organization’s 40-year history. Her work for Ancestry.com worked to foster collaboration and growth amongst the genealogical community. Her humanitarian efforts towards genealogy and family history have forever impacted the field and will continue to be seen for generations to come.

In response to the new award category, FGS President D. Joshua Taylor said, “Lou was one of the first leaders I met as a young genealogist. Her commitment to FGS and the genealogical community is truly awe-inspiring. The creation of this award is a true testament to her lasting legacy in the field of genealogy.”

The “Lou D. Szucs Service Award” will be presented to recognize the contributions of an individual whose positive personal influence and extraordinary service to FGS and the genealogy industry have gone above and beyond the norm, impacting the overall benefit to the genealogical community at-large and spreading the awareness of family history to the general public.

Two FGS Awards Given at Southern California Genealogical Societies' Annual Jamboree

Paula Johnson Hinkel and J. Paul Hawthorne (Photo Credit: Mike Provard)

The Federation of Genealogical Societies presents awards throughout each year to volunteers and organizations. On June 3, 2016, FGS presented two awards during the Southern California Genealogical Society’s Annual Jamboree in Burbank.

Paula Johnson Hinkel 

Paula Johnson Hinkel was presented with a Distinguished Service Award. The Southern California Genealogical Society (SCGS) nominated her for this award for a multitude of reasons. She has been instrumental in increasing the visibility of the society and in easing it into the 21st century, enabling it to continue to fulfill its mission of fostering interest in family history, preserving genealogical materials and providing instruction in accepted and effective research techniques.  

Among her many accomplishments at SCGS, Paula has volunteered as President and 2nd Vice-President of the society, as a member of the Long-Range Planning Committee, as champion of the 1890 Project, and as co-chair for the Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree from 2005-2014. Together with her co-chair Leo Myers, she grew Jamboree from a small, local event into one of the most respected and well-attended genealogical conferences. From concept to marketing design and product development, Paula was instrumental in the successful evolution of Jamboree. Paula was also the first to identify and market the use of an App for genealogical conferences. She also expanded the society outreach by making Jamboree available to researchers who could not attend. Her launch of live-streaming Jamboree sessions allowed members of the genealogical community to participate from all over the world.

In 2011, Paula pioneered the launch of the Jamboree Extension Webinar Series. This was the first time a genealogical society had offered regularly scheduled live webinars. This program is one of the most celebrated programs of SCGS, and has helped extend the awareness of the society and promote genealogical education around the world. Paula has utilized her marketing skills through the redesign of the SCGS website, the development of the Jamboree website, and the design of both the SCGS and Jamboree blogs. She was also one of the early champions of social media creating a presence on Facebook and Twitter for both SCGS as Jamboree.

J. Paul Hawthorne

In a few short days at the end of March 2016 the world of genealogy exploded in many shades of color. While genealogy is a world of many shades of color, this specific explosion resulted in the colors of our ancestral migration patterns.

J. Paul Hawthorne, Historian and FGS Delegate for the San Diego Genealogical Society, posted this hashtag on Facebook and Twitter:

#MyColorfulAncestry 

Then he showed what that meant! As he stated on Facebook, “A little visual I created in Excel. 5 Generation chart of my direct ancestors birth state -- starting with me. A good way to visualize migration patterns. He used other Twitter hashtags, too: #genealogy and  #GoofingOffAtWork.”

Goofing off? This meme is still going strong on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other media around the world! Variations of the meme arose. People from across the U.S, Canada, Australia, and other countries participated and posted their charts on social media. They asked questions of one another. They learned about research in specific places from others whose colorful charts showed ancestry in those same places. For spearheading this colorful worldwide sharing of genealogy, the Federation of Genealogical Societies presented J. Paul Hawthorne with the Technology Advances Award.

Please consider nominating a deserving person, organization, or project for an FGS award at http://fgs.org/cpage.php?pt=56.

Awards are presented at various times during each year, but if you are interested in a nomination for an award to be presented at the FGS 2016 National Conference, the deadline is 15 July 2016, which will be held August 31 — September 3, in Springfield, Illinois. Join fellow genealogists and family historians at "Time Travel: Centuries of Memories," designed to inspire you and enrich your family history! Register today at FGSConference.org.

Paula Stuart-Warren

FGS Awards Committee Chair

FGS Awards Presented at the New York State Family History Conference

The Federation of Genealogical Societies presents awards to deserving individuals and organizations in the fields of family history and history in general.

These awards serves multiple purposes:

• To recognize the society or individual that has made a significant contribution benefiting the genealogical community.
• To thank the society or individual for the time and effort they have given.
• To illustrate and serve as examples of the types of projects and activities which are being done.

FGS especially likes to recognize:

Member society exceptional projects that demonstrate longevity and advancements
Member society volunteer accomplishments
Current and past FGS Officers and the Board of Directors
And the fantastic FGS Conference Committees

This past weekend in Syracuse, New York at the New York State Family History Conference, four awards were presented. FGS President, D. Joshua Taylor made the presentations:

Western New York Genealogical Society
The FGS Award of Merit is presented to this FGS Member Society in recognition of meritorious service to the genealogical community with its 30 years of publishing the WNYGS Journal including many unpublished records covering Western New York and bringing county level records to light.

The Genealogy Guys
The FGS Award of Merit is presented to The Genealogy Guys, George G. Morgan and Drew Smith, in recognition of meritorious service to the genealogical community upon the 10th Anniversary of their podcast , "The Genealogy Guys."

Central New York Genealogical Society
The FGS Award of Merit is presented to this society for service to the genealogical community by publishing its journal, Tree Talks, since 1961. This journal is mostly transcriptions of original documents that are obscure or hard to locate. These records are arranged by county in each issue CNYGS now offers “County Packets” which include all previously published materials arranged by the county of your choice

New York Genealogical & Biographical Society
An Award of Merit is presented to this FGS Member Society in recognition of distinguished work in family history for the 2015 publication of the 856 page New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer in which more than 100 experts reviewed and contributed content about local and regional resources and key topics in New York family history. The New York Times said of this publication “This volume doubles as an overdue handbook for serious researchers (and an 840-page doorstop), but it also provides an enlightening and eclectic chronological tour of four centuries of New York benchmarks and record-keeping.”

Congratulations to these recipients. Do you know a deserving individual or organization? Please nominate deserving organizations and volunteers at www.fgs.org. Share your organization’s successes widely as FGS publicizes information on award winners. Recognize your outstanding volunteers.

The FGS Awards Committee is chaired by Paula Stuart-Warren of Minnesota and committee members are Amy Coffin of Texas and Cyndi Ingle of Washington.

Awards are surprises unless you want recipients notified ahead of time. Award categories and the online nomination form are found at www.fgs.org.

It's time to recognize those amazing volunteers and organizations!

Submit your nominations today!

This year FGS has scheduled two conferences, which means two times the opportunity for all of you to nominate a well-deserving society or volunteer. Even though the FGS annual conference was already held in February this year, FGS will also be a part of the New York State Family History Conference, September 17-19, 2015 in Syracuse, New York.

In February many deserving individuals were presented with FGS awards. More will be given in September. It’s time to nominate your favorite deserving society or volunteer for a FGS award. We have many unsung folks in the areas of genealogy and history. Let's recognize them for all they do.

Check out the awards categories and use our easy nominations form to let your volunteers know how much you appreciate their hard work for your society. To be considered for the awards presentation in September, the nominations must be received by August 20th.

2014 FGS Distinguished Service Award: Judi Cook of Nebraska

During the last FGS Conference, a FGS Distinguished Service Award was presented for dedicated volunteer Judi Cook, of Nebraska. Judi is a member of the FGS Member Society, Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society. Judi did much to increase visibility of her society.

Among her accomplishments are library educational activities that promoted and highlighted the LLCGS library's extensive resources to members and the public.

She expanded society outreach that resulted in:

• A new dedicated group of individuals (attendance 30-35) attending weekly genealogy classes at the public library.

• Increased public connection as Judi and the society worked with the public Library to promote and highlight "One Book-One Lincoln."

• More participation in the genealogy library resources from members and the public in and out of state.

Don’t forget to nominate other deserving individuals or organizations for consideration by the Awards Committee. 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.

2014 FGS Award of Merit Presented to Michael Nolden Henderson of Georgia

Over the next few days, we will know what individuals and organizations have been presented with special awards from the Federation of Genealogical Societies at the annual conference.

In the meantime, we give you another of the 2014 winners. Michael Nolden Henderson, LCDR USN Ret. of Georgia, was presented with an FGS Award of Merit. Henderson is pictured here with FGS President, Josh Taylor.

This award was in honor of his efforts to discover many men of color who served valiantly in the American Revolution and the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812.

These forgotten patriots—free and enslaved Africans, Creoles, Haitians, Mexicans, and Native Americans fought to help secure an America that later rejected their descendants. Many of these men made critical inroads towards victory and were honored for their bravery, skill, and service. Unfortunately, their stories remain untold and Henderson has developed a kindred connection to them and to their stories and continues bringing to light their contributions and stories so that others can appreciate them too. His research has been displayed in temporary exhibits at the National Archives at Atlanta and at the Louisville International Airport.

Please think about others that deserve to be honored. 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.

2014 Presidential Ctiation: Billion Graves & My Heritage

In just a little over a week, the Federation of Genealogical Societies will be presenting Awards during the Wednesday, February 11th, Focus on Societies Day morning session. It begins at 8:00 a.m. and is session W-100. It’s the perfect time to applaud deserving members of our genealogical community. The bulk of these awards are chosen from nominations sent by YOU!

The President of the Federation of Genealogical Societies has the honor of choosing individuals, businesses, and organizations for special awards. In 2014, President D. Joshua Taylor chose a special effort for a Presidential Citation. The awards presentation carried these words:

Billion Graves and My Heritage

For their work on promoting the preservation of International burial locations.

Their continuing efforts are a message of terrific collaboration within the commercial family history industry.

Visit their websites for more information on their work. At the conference, don't forget to visit their booths in the Expo Hall at the conference:

Billion Graves: http://billiongraves.com/ or booth #326
My Heritage: http://www.myheritage.com/ or booth #504

Do you know someone or some organization that serves our field as a volunteer or business person 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. 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 or at the door.

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.

FGS Award of Merit: Shirley Sturdevant, Ontario, Canada

FGS Award of Merit: Shirley Sturdevant, Ontario, Canada

Another of the deserving 2014 FGS Award winners was Shirley Sturdevant from Ontario, Canada. Shirley won the Award of Merit. She is a member of the FGS Member Society, Ontario Genealogical Society. She almost single-handedly guided the Society through a complete restructuring process with a Governance Review Committee and has been key in implementing many of its key strategies with the ad hoc Governance Task Force.

Shirley revitalized many of the committees that had slowly dissolved (Awards, Nominations, Policy Procedure & Bylaws committees). She has also overseen the utilization of many new electronic media and the establishment of the Technical Services & Innovation Committee and Webinar Committee. She & her committee personally interviewed all applicants for the new Board structure and put together an innovative & thriving Board for the future.

Congratulations, Shirley Sturdevant!

This is just one example of how wonderful volunteers can assist a society in thriving. Does your society have some of these giving volunteers? 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 deadline is 1 January 2015. 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. [An inside note: we can accept awards nominations for a few more days if you want the award to be considered for presentation at the February conference.]

2014 FGS David S. Vogels, Jr. Award

FGS’ David S. Vogels, Jr., Award is given to an individual in recognition of outstanding career contributions to FGS. Former FGS President, David S. Vogels (1980s), personified such contributions to FGS. At the FGS conference, instead of beginning with the winner’s name, the presentation began with the reasons why this specific person was being presented with this award. This is the text that was given that day:

Where to begin to describe the current winner This person had made immense and dedicated contributions to FGS over many years and has been a devoted conference and event planner with innovative ideas. In addition, has played key roles in FGS leadership, often stepping in when major help and time commitments. Vacations and family events have been arranged around FGS needs whenever possible

As a past president of FGS, this person made many trips related to conference planning for FGS. As of that isn’t enough for a key volunteer, this person also parked her car in the driveway to provide a space in their garage for storing many FGS conference materials. Then she volunteered to handle the voluminous FGS mail, email, phone calls, mailings, and other office duties for several years.

Among the other FGS responsibilities of this person

• Past member, FGS Board of Directors
• Past President, FGS
• Has been active with several FGS member societies
• Continues to be active with FGS

Plus she is always smiling!

In case you didn’t already guess, the person to whom these statements applied is Pat Oxley of Texas. Pat has had a health challenge this past year and there weren’t many dry eyes in the hall as she came forward to accept this award from Josh Taylor, the current FGS President. Once again, congratulations on this well-deserved award, Pat.

Learn more about the lineup of FGS awards for which someone in your organization might be eligible at http://fgs.org/  Then fill out the nomination form for an individual or organization and submit it online.

FGS Presidential Citation: Henry and Loekie Boersma.

Henry and Loekie Boersma with FGS Vice-President Kris Rzepczynski and WMGS President Don Bryant

Another of the awards presented at the 2014 FGS conference in San Antonio, was given for an amazing series of efforts by a couple from Michigan. They were not at the FGS conference so Federation of Genealogical Societies Vice President Kris Rzepczynski of Michigan presented the award personally to them at a recent monthly meeting of the Western Michigan Genealogical Society for "For their contributions in cemetery preservation and historical research that benefits the genealogical community and as an inspiration to the rest of us.”

The audience at the FGS conference learned this about Henry and Loekie:

In 1995, a few years after their retirement, Henry and Loekie found an unknown cemetery in Tallmadge Township, close to where they live in Michigan. The cemetery was completely overgrown with brush and weeds. The markers had fallen over and some buried beneath the earth. They spent the next few months working to restore the cemetery, headstones, and the history of those burials, the early residents of Tallmadge, most who were from New York.

Next they volunteered to be the Tallmadge Township historians. They retrieved boxes of unorganized records from the township office, organized each book and every piece of paper from the beginning of records in the 1830s. Loekie then indexed every name in records pertaining to the people who have lived in Tallmadge, up to the early 1900s.

In their 80's today, they continue working on the records of Tallmadge and help neighboring townships who ask for help with their own records."

An article last June on http://www.mlive.com/walker/index.ssf/2014/06/local_historians_honored_for_2.html was published after the couple were awarded the Grand Rapids Historical Society's Albert Baxter Award for their contributions "to the preservation and interpretation of the history of the Grand River Valley."

Please consider nominating other deserving persons, organizations, or projects for an award. Visit the FGS website 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 deadline is 1 January 2015. 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.

FGS Award of Merit: Jim Dempsey of Ohio

FGS Award of Merit: Jim Dempsey of HCGS.

At the 2014 FGS Conference in San Antonio, the Award of Merit was given to Jim Dempsey of Ohio. Jim is a member and volunteer with FGS member society, Hamilton County [Ohio] Genealogical Society. Jim built a working relationship with the county's Probate Court and Recorder's Office to preserve their historical records. For more than a year, Jim coordinated a huge project with FamilySearch to digitize thousands of county records. He works 40+ hours most weeks on this project and is always on the hunt for additional records to digitize. He recently expanded his efforts to include the Common Pleas court records.

Visit the society’s website at http://hcgsohio.org/

Please consider nominating a deserving person, organization, or project for an award. Visit the FGS website 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 deadline is 1 January 2015. 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.

FGS 2014 Awards: The Inaugural Technology Advances Award Recipient

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) presents awards for excellence in a variety of areas related to genealogy and history. At the recent FGS conference in San Antonio, Texas, an array of awards were presented and accompanied by a Power Point presentation extolling the reasons for the awards. Over the next several weeks, watch this blog for postings about the specific individuals and organizations who were the recipients.

FGS was pleased to present its inaugural Technology Advances Award to GEDmatch.com in recognition of an innovative product that enhances the genetic genealogy experience. GEDmatch is a free website that allows us many ways to compare and analyze our autosomal DNA results from different companies and ​with that of fellow DNA testers. There are other components of the website that do require a small fee but the basic comparisons may be done at no charge.

Curtis Rogers and John Olson, the Co-Administrators of GEDmatch, acknowledged the award with these words:

“We are thrilled, and humbled by this award from an organization so long established and recognized as the Federation of Genealogical Societies.  It is an indication to us that our efforts are achieving some success in reaching our goal of helping family history seekers by providing useful genealogical tools. It is all about people.”

They further said “we know that our volunteers, while few in number, will be equally honored and encouraged to continue improving GEDmatch. Please thank your Awards Committee and membership for this strong endorsement of our activities.”

If you or your genealogical or historical organization is interested in nominating a person or project for an award, please visit FGS Awards.

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 deadline is 1 January 2015. Full details and a nomination form are on the FGS website. 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!

FGS Call for Award Nominations

2013 Award of Merit given to Cynthia Grostick
Photo Credit: Jane Haldeman

Not only is the month of April National Volunteer Month, but this week is National Volunteer Week. Without volunteers genealogical societies could not possibly function without the efforts of those who "go that extra mile."

And in that spirit, FGS is excited to announce its call for award nominations. Each year, the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) recognizes and thanks genealogical and historical organizations as well as individuals who make significant contributions to family history. The FGS awards program honors the award winners’ activities and products, highlights their efforts, and provides examples and ideas on how others can accomplish similar goals.

FGS awards are given to societies and members of societies for outstanding or notable service to the genealogical community. Other awards may be presented throughout the year and announced in FGS publications.

Do you know a person in your genealogical or historical society, library, or archives who has gone above and beyond to benefit the genealogical community on the local, state or national level? Is there a volunteer or group you feel needs special recognition? Has your society or another society produced a publication, done indexing, cleaned up a cemetery or spearheaded a worthy cause? Has your society's newsletter or website grown due to the efforts of specific people? Do you know a society or individual who has organized a fantastic effort to digitize records or advance an organization in today's world of technology?

The Federation invites you to nominate individuals or societies to receive these awards of recognition. You know the societies and the people that do the fantastic work. You know the activities and projects that an individual or society has successfully undertaken. These are the people, societies, and activities that FGS is looking for in order to recognize them and offer our gratitude with these awards.

Please consider those who you know for an FGS award. The deadline for submission of awards is June 15, 2014. FGS especially encourages its member societies to recognize their great volunteers. FGS Delegates should make their society boards aware of this opportunity.

Also, check the FGS awards page after May 1st to see some exciting additions to the lineup of FGS award categories.

For more information about the specific awards categories and a link to the awards nomination submission form, please visit: www.fgs.org/awards/awards.

Thank You,

Paula Stuart-Warren

FGS Director and Awards Committee Chair

Nominations for FGS Youth Award Due July 15, 2012

The FGS Outreach Committee is accepting nominations for The FGS 2012 Youth Award, which honors volunteers under the age of 18 who have made a significant contribution to an FGS member society. The award will be presented during the opening sessions at the FGS Conference in Birmingham, Alabama. Award recipient will receive complimentary registration for the FGS 2012 Conference along with other prizes.

Nominees must be affiliated with an FGS member society, and be eighteen or younger as of July 15, 2012.

Nominations should be submitted via email to fgsoutreach@fgs.org by July 15, 2012 and include the following:

• The society and contact information (include the society president and/or FGS delegate)

• The youth’s name and contact information.

• A brief description of the youth’s contribution to your society

LAST CHANCE FGS Award Nominations - Deadline: June 1

FGS Award Nominations - Deadline: June 1

Each year at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference, awards are given to genealogical societies and members of societies for outstanding or notable service to the genealogical community. This year awards will be presented at the Keynote Session on Thursday morning. These and some other awards are also announced in the FGS FORUM.

You are encouraged to nominate individuals or societies to receive these awards of recognition. You know the societies and the people who make up those organizations. You know the activities/projects that an individual or society has successfully undertaken. These are the people, the societies, and the activities FGS is looking to offer gratitude to with these awards. Note: only FGS-member societies and individual members of FGS-member societies can be nominated for the FGS Awards.

• Certificate of Appreciation: Individual or organization in thanks for duty in exemplary or outstanding manner.

• Award of Merit: Individual or organization for meritorious service or distinguished work in genealogy and family history.

• President's Citation: Individual or organization to whose contributions or service to FGS or the genealogical community are singled out for recognition by the FGS President.

• Delegate Award: Individual Delegate of a member society in recognition of exemplary service to FGS as a member of an FGS standing committee or as an active participant in an FGS project.

• Distinguished Service Award: Individual or organizational recognition of outstanding service to FGS or to a member society. The organization must be a member of FGS, and the individual must be a member of an FGS member society.

• Director's Award: Individual or organizational recognition of both exceptional contributions to the field of genealogy and family history, and extra-mile efforts to promote good will and improve services.

• George E. Williams Award: Individual with outstanding contributions within a single year to FGS, a member organization, or both.

• David S. Vogels Award: Individual for recognition of outstanding career contributions to FGS.

• Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Humanitarian Award: To a rare individual for lifetime contributions and whose positive personal influence and example have fostered unity in the genealogical community, provided leadership to its individual members, and helped make family history a vital force in the community at large.

• Archives Award: Individual or organizational recognition of exceptional contributions in the area of archival access, preservation, or services.

Any member of the public can make a nomination - you do not need to be a member of a FGS-member society in order to make a nomination. More information about the awards and a link to a submission form can be found at the FGS website: http://www.fgs.org/awards/index.php.

The deadline for submission of awards for 2011 is 1 June 2011.

FGS Award Nominations - Deadline: June 1

Each year at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference, awards are given to genealogical societies and members of societies for outstanding or notable service to the genealogical community. This year awards will be presented at the Keynote Session on Thursday morning. These and some other awards are also announced in the FGS FORUM.

You are encouraged to nominate individuals or societies to receive these awards of recognition. You know the societies and the people who make up those organizations. You know the activities/projects that an individual or society has successfully undertaken. These are the people, the societies, and the activities FGS is looking to offer gratitude to with these awards. Note: only FGS-member societies and individual members of FGS-member societies can be nominated for the FGS Awards.

• Certificate of Appreciation: Individual or organization in thanks for duty in exemplary or outstanding manner.

• Award of Merit: Individual or organization for meritorious service or distinguished work in genealogy and family history.

• President's Citation: Individual or organization to whose contributions or service to FGS or the genealogical community are singled out for recognition by the FGS President.

• Delegate Award: Individual Delegate of a member society in recognition of exemplary service to FGS as a member of an FGS standing committee or as an active participant in an FGS project.

• Distinguished Service Award: Individual or organizational recognition of outstanding service to FGS or to a member society. The organization must be a member of FGS, and the individual must be a member of an FGS member society.

• Director's Award: Individual or organizational recognition of both exceptional contributions to the field of genealogy and family history, and extra-mile efforts to promote good will and improve services.

• George E. Williams Award: Individual with outstanding contributions within a single year to FGS, a member organization, or both.

• David S. Vogels Award: Individual for recognition of outstanding career contributions to FGS.

• Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern Humanitarian Award: To a rare individual for lifetime contributions and whose positive personal influence and example have fostered unity in the genealogical community, provided leadership to its individual members, and helped make family history a vital force in the community at large.

• Archives Award: Individual or organizational recognition of exceptional contributions in the area of archival access, preservation, or services.

Any member of the public can make a nomination - you do not need to be a member of a FGS-member society in order to make a nomination. More information about the awards and a link to a submission form can be found at the FGS website: http://www.fgs.org/awards/index.php.

The deadline for submission of awards for 2011 is 1 June 2011.

Paula Stuart-Warren Presented With UGA Fellow Award

FGS Director Paula Stuart-Warren was named a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association on Friday, January 14, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The award took place at the end of a week of genealogy education at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. The Fellow award is given "in recognition of living individuals whose distinguished contributions and on-going commitment to the field of genealogy are of national or international scope. This may be evidenced by any combination of publications, teaching and speaking, or leadership of major genealogical organizations over a significant period of time."

Congratulations to Paula on this well-deserved recognition from the genealogical community for her tireless efforts and work on behalf of genealogical education and the advancement of the field of genealogy.

Photo Source: UGA Names 2010 Fellow (FUGA) via Utah Genealogical Association blog

Nathan Murphy Receives Mosher Award from BCG Education Fund

The Donald Mosher Award was presented at the 2010 National Genealogical Society Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Nathan W. Murphy, MA, AG, for his paper "The Devon Seafaring Origins of William Byrd's Mother's Family: Grace (Stegge) Byrd of London, England, Thomas Segge of Westover Parish, Charles City County, Virginia, and Captain Abraham Reed of Charles City County, Virginia; Including Additional Details about His Father John Byrd's Career as a London Goldsmith."

The happy recipient commented that the $500 award will be applied toward completing his Ph.D on colonial immigration to Maryland and Virginia. Read more about Nathan: www.pricegen.com/staff2.htm.

The Mosher Award, established in 2001 by Merrill Hill Mosher, CG, in honor of her late husband, rewards scholarly research on colonial Virginia. It is administered by the BCG Education Fund. The annual deadline for submission is 31 December. Mosher Award criteria is being updated; for the latest information, contact Kathy Gunter Sullivan (sully1@carolina.rr.com).