Family History Skills

If you have always wanted to research your family but don't know where to begin, the conference will feature a Family History Skills track for people new to genealogy or others who desire to broaden their research skills. This special twelve-lecture track will instruct you on how to research vital records, census, cemeteries, obituaries, city directories, printed genealogies, and county histories as well as how to organize your research and prepare a timeline.

Full conference registration is available onsite with a discount for National Genealogical Society members.  Single day registrations are also available. Program and registration details can be found at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conference_info.

If you don't have time to attend the full conference, a one-day session, "Genealogy 101," will be offered on Saturday, 14 May 2011, from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. This hands-on workshop will review both printed and electronic sources for family history research and will cover essential record groups, how to determine an immigrant ancestor's origins, and how to uncover the facts behind those family stories. You can register onsite but space is limited so arrive early to secure a spot.
An exhibit area with more than one hundred exhibitors will be open and free to the public Wednesday through Saturday, 11–14 May, and will include the latest in genealogical software, online research providers, and DNA testing services.

Family History Skills

26 April 2011 - Pre-Registration Deadline

Countdown to the NGS 2011 Family History Conference - only 15 more days!

There are over 186 lecture sessions at the NGS conference ranging in topic from technology skills; to military records; to ethnic research; to methodology and skillbuilding! Read more.

There will be nearly 90 different exhibitors in this year's exhibit hall -- just about anything you want or need to help you with your genealogical research. Read more.

Location

Charleston, South Carolina has a very interesting history. Did you know that Charleston's cobble stone streets were built built from the ballast (stone weights) of ships? Did you know that the Western Hemisphere's longest cable-stayed bridge, the Arthur J. Ravenel Jr bridge, spans the Charleston Harbor? The bridge connects Charleston and Mount Pleasant. Visit Charleston in May and share your love of family history with over 2,000 other family historians.

Registration

Pre-registration for the NGS 2011 Family History Conference ends 26 April 2011. So be sure you register today! You can also register on-site at the North Charleston Convention Center beginning 10 May 2011. Location details and hours are listed below.

Attendee Check-In and On-Site Registration Hours

The NGS 2011 Family History Conference will be located at the North Charleston Area Convention Center, 5001 Coliseum Dr., North Charleston, South Carolina. Even though you have registered for the conference, you are expected to check-in and pick up your conference bag, program and syllabus on CD (Printed syllabus, if pre-ordered before early bird deadline). Please bring you ID to check-in.

Tuesday, 10 May 2011
12:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, 11 May 2011
7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Thursday, 12 May 2011
7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Friday, 13 May 2011
7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Saturday, 14 May 2011
7:00 a.m.–12 p.m.

26 April 2011 - Pre-Registration Deadline

NGS Opens Registration for the Thirty-Third Family History Conference, Charleston, South Carolina, 11-14 May 2011

Where the Past is Still Present

(1 December, 2010) -- America's fascination with ancestry is increasing because of the recent television series "Faces of America" on PBS and "Who Do You Think You Are" on NBC. The National Genealogical Society is pleased to announce that registration opens today for next year's conference, which will be held at the Charleston Area Convention Center, 5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston, SC 29418, 11-14 May 2011. The Society selected Charleston because of its significance in American history. In addition to attending the NGS 2011 Family History Conference, participants will have an opportunity to tour Charleston's historic buildings, churches and homes as well as its many museums and research facilities. The National Genealogical Society anticipates 2,000 genealogists from around the country will attend next year's event. Read more.

April 2011 will mark the 150th Anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War at nearby Ft. Sumter, so the four day family history conference will feature talks on both Revolutionary War and Civil War records.  More than seventy-five nationally recognized speakers will provide over one hundred and eighty lectures on a wide variety of topics including research in South Carolina and the surrounding states, migration patterns, religious records, research methodology, and problem solving. The conference program will also include lectures about researching various ethnic groups including Germans, Cherokee, African Americans, Huguenots, Irish, Scots, and Scots-Irish.

Special Saturday workshops include an all day beginner's workshop, "Genealogy 101: Getting Started with Family History" and a "Kids' Kamp" for children and young adults ages eight through sixteen.

An exhibit area with more than one hundred exhibitors will be open and free to the public Wednesday through Saturday including the latest in genealogical software, online research providers and DNA testing services.

Founded in 1903, the National Genealogical Society is dedicated to genealogy education, high research standards, and the preservation of genealogical records.  The Arlington, VA-based nonprofit is the premier national society for everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian, seeking excellence in publications, educational offerings, research guidance, and opportunities to interact with other genealogists.  Please visit the NGS Pressroom for further information.

. . . . . . .

For press information:

Jan Alpert

jalpert@ngsgenealogy.org

http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/

843-837-2177

NGS Opens Registration for the Thirty-Third Family History Conference, Charleston, South Carolina, 11-14 May 2011

Save the date, 11-14 May 2011, Charleston, South Carolina

In 2007 the NGS Board of Directors began looking for a conference location for 2011 in which we could commemorate the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. Charleston was selected because it is a charming city, rich in history, and the first shot of the war was fired at nearby Ft. Sumter 12 April 1861. Come early to enjoy the sites in and around Charleston.

Whether next year will be your first NGS conference or your tenth, there will be many new lectures and programs to increase your family history research skills. A four page pre- conference flyer is available as a PDF at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conference_info and includes contact information for the area hotels as well as a listing of research facilities in Charleston. The flyer also briefly describes the evening social activities.

Program highlights will include tracks on military records, ethnic research, church records, immigration and migration, methodology and an emphasis on research in the southeast.  The Board for Certification of Genealogists will again sponsor the Skillbuilding Track presented by nationally known experts in the field of genealogy. Each day will include two tracks about technological advances in genealogy covering subscription databases, software, Internet resources and more. This year we are also offering a Family History & Genealogy Track which will help you flesh out and record the stories about your ancestors.  Once again, the conference will also have an Exhibit Area with more than 100 vendors including FamilySearch and Ancestry.

The Military Track will begin with a lecture on Revolutionary War records and continue into the twentieth century, with an emphasis on both Union and Confederate records. Our ethnic track will include a series of lectures on both African American and Native American research as well as Irish, Scot-Irish and German research.

If this is your first conference, we will have a Family History Skills Track with a focus on the essential record groups and how to use them.  You can attend any of the lectures that interest you and move from track to track throughout the day.

The NGS 2011 Family History Conference will be held at the Charleston Area Convention Center, 5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston, South Carolina, which is located near the Charleston Airport. The convention center is surrounding by a several hotels in a campus environment. The Embassy Suites hotel is the main conference hotel and is connected to the convention center. However, the Embassy Suites is a smaller hotel, so many of the attendees will be staying at the other nearby hotels including the Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn, Residence Inn, Hampton Inn and newly renovated Crowne Plaza. The Charleston Visitors and Convention Bureau will be providing trolley service between the hotels mentioned above and the convention center. We encourage you to make your hotel reservations early, because we are expecting a large attendance due to the recent television shows and the increased interest in family history. Some of the hotel facilities are suites hotels and most of the facilities include a microwave and refrigerator. Please check the conference website for the details: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conference_info.

The conference registration brochure will be available online about 1 December 2010 at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conference_info. Several of the social events have limited space, so to ensure a space we encourage you to register early. After that date you will be able to register online at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/attendee_registration or print the registration brochure and fax or mail in your registration and payment. If you need help registering for the conference, e-mail registration@ngsgenealogy.org. The conference registration brochure will be printed and mailed to NGS members with the NGS Quarterly early in January. The early bird registration will be available until 22 March 2011.

We hope to see you in Charleston.



-Janet A. Alpert

Save the date, 11-14 May 2011, Charleston, South Carolina