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2018 NGS Family History Conference—Explore Your Ancestors’ Paths to the Past

In the nineteenth century, the Great Lakes were strategic waterways that aided Americans moving west and immigrants coming from overseas through Canada to settle and develop the Midwest. Cheap land, mining, and the timber industry made the area attractive. Water power from rivers and rapids and access to grain and lumber furthered Michigan’s growth. The cereal and furniture industries, breweries, and ultimately, automobile manufacturing brought wave after wave of migrants from the South and immigrants from abroad. During the second half of the twentieth century, manufacturing slowed down and many left Michigan, moving west and south.

These migrations inspired our conference program, Paths to Your Past. The program will focus on ancestors’ migration paths with an emphasis on the states that border the Great Lakes. Some lectures will enhance your proficiency as a researcher and your methodological and analytical skills. Other presentations will broaden your understanding about your ancestors’ ethnicity, occupation, religion, military experience, economic status, and associations. In addition, the program will also feature tracks that highlight DNA and technology.

The NGS Family History Conference, 2–5 May 2018 is your opportunity to choose from more than 175 lectures presented by many nationally recognized speakers, explore an exhibit hall filled with more than 80 exhibitors, and network with over 2,000 genealogists. Every NGS conference has a different theme with a new program top to bottom—so there is always much new to learn and discover.  

Questions? Contact NGS Registrar Courtney Holmes at registration@ngsgenealogy.org

Ohio was the first gathering place of the LDS Church. Eventually, those who joined with the its membership eventually found themselves displaced into Missouri and Illinois before their trek to Utah. Note: This is not geared toward LDS members. The story of the LDS Church is a story of persecution. This lecture, presented by Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, will focus on the members from both the United Kingdom and New England who were disowned from their families, and finished their lives in the western United States.

Online Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4880554381107385091

Genealogists are always looking for places where records are located. More and more these records are being found in places that are not your typical archives, library or genealogical society. One of these places is a museum. Many museums have back rooms filled with genealogical and historical records just waiting for the genealogist to discover them! Melissa Barker is our presenter for this webinar.

Online Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8386075626899201539

“The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper.” The National Archives at Chicago holds Federal records from agencies in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin dating from the 1800’s. There are General Land Office, Farming and Agriculture, Naturalization, Military, Taxes, Postal Service, Court Cases and many more records that can be invaluable when researching your family history. Our speaker, Jane Haldeman, will discuss what’s available and how to access these rich resources. 

Some records that will be highlighted are: The Record books of the General Land Office, Federal criminal records including the Mann Act, also known as the White-Slave Traffic Act and Farm Ownership Case Files for Illinois.

Online Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7025326633433470723

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was a turning point in Chicago’s history. The rebuilding of the city enhanced Chicago’s (and thus Illinois’s) position on the world stage. For genealogists, the fire presents a challenge as many important records were lost – including vital records. But it didn’t all burn!  Maps, diaries, church records, directories, newspapers, and other records survived. Our speaker, Ginger Frere, will present some of these alternative sources and discuss where they can be found.

Online Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6977633117555548675

• Presenter:  Jean Wilcox Hibben
• Description: The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 put Chicago on the map. Rising from the ashes of the Chicago Fire of 1871, a swampland was turned into an educational and entertainment region for the White City. Inventions surfaced, methods of dealing with potential epidemics were developed, and people cam from around the world to learn about cultures they would otherwise never experience. Listeners will find out how this event in Illinois' history affected personal and educational lives. If your ancestor lived anywhere in the vicinity, chances are he or she attended this monumental event. Chicago is more than the site of a horrendous fire; it rose from the ashes to become a world-famous city. Visitors today can find remnants of the Columbian Exposition all over the region and into Wisconsin so listeners will also find out how to connect personally to this exciting part of Illinois history. "The hog butcher of the world" literally became the leader of the world for six months at the end of the 19th century.
• Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3256193076836331011

Featuring Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG®, CGLSM, FASG, FNGS, FUGA

With 20+ sessions presented by nine expert and well-known genealogists, we are confident there is something for everyone at this year's conference. Our hope is that after attending, you will come away with new tools and techniques to help you discover and Celebrate Your Ancestors.

Register online at www.ilgensoc.org or make checks payable to ISGS and mail with this form to ISGS, P.O. Box 10195, Springfield, IL, 62791-0195. Questions? Email: isgsconferences@ilgensoc.org 

• Description: In addition to Illinois' bicentennial, 2018 also marks the centennial of the end of World War I. Illinois answered Uncle Sam's call and men and women from across the Prairie State served during World War I both in Europe and on the home front. This presentation will highlight some of the ways the Great War changed Illinois and how to research your ancestors who may have served at home and abroad. In particular, utilizing social history resources to help enrich the story of Illinois' war contributions will be discussed.
• Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5825186603980794115

• Presenter:  Angela Walton-Raji 
• Description:   Hundreds of thousands of families left the South in the 1900s headed North. Their destinations were Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and beyond. This workshop looks at communities in the urban North and will illustrate how much can be learned about the county of origin in the South by studying the communities where they arrived.
• Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2762471676044596227