The National Genealogical Society conference was held May 4-7 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with about 1,900 people attending.
The major themes of the lectures and presentations centered on methodology — are you documenting your research to the fullest, using research logs and timelines, and also making plans for the disposition of your research files?
Another theme was using DNA with your research, with the various lecturers showing how to make the best use of your results, how to contact those linked by DNA to you, and what to say to them in return. It’s a given now that DNA results must be used in conjunction with traditional research techniques to make a complete genealogy research report.
Newsletter awards went to GRIVA News & Notes, newsletter of the Genealogical Research Institute of Virginia (grivagenealogy.wordpress.com); the Newsletter of the Irish Family History Forum (ifhf.org); and the New York Researcher, the newsletter of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society (newyorkfamilyhistory.org).
NGS announced the publication of two new Research in the States Series booklets, for Florida and Texas, and there also are a number of new classes offered by the society, at various levels and on various topics. For more information on all these new activities, see ngsgenealogy.org.
The 2017 conference will be held May 10-13 in Raleigh; the 2018 meeting will be May 2-5 in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Lunch and Learn
Dustin Klein, archivist at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, will speak about the museum and its collections at the June 10 Georgia Archives Lunch and Learn. The presentation will be at noon and is free; bring your own lunch. For further information, check georgiaarchives.org or call 678-364-3710. To learn more about the museum, check southernmuseum.org.
Florida voters online
If you need to locate someone living today in Florida, it's easier if they are a registered voter. Check the Florida Voters website at flvoters.com. I used it to find cousins whose address I did not know, a fraternity brother and lost classmates. This free site gives you the person's full name, date of birth, mailing address and sometimes telephone numbers.
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