FGS 2011 Story Ideas
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FGS 2011 Story Ideas


Here are some story ideas and angles related to the FGS 2011 conference as well as the soaring popularity of family history among the general population.

  • Why Is Family History Popular? Ask any of our FGS 2011 Conference attendees how they got involved in tracing their roots and if they’ve found any interesting ancestors or stories. Also try to get a sense of what their family history means to them personally.
  • Caution - US History Anniversaries Ahead! Attention is focused on the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, which produced records like pension files and troop rosters used by genealogists. Did you know that 2012 is the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, the 150th anniversary of the Homestead Act (which helped settled the Midwest and the Plains) and that the 1940 US Census will be released on April 2, 2012? Ask FGS officers about its “Preserve the Pensions” fundraising efforts to digitize the War of 1812 pension files at the National Archives and to make them freely available online.
  • Who Do You Think You Are? The popular show on NBC will be in its third season in Spring 2012. Did you know that two of our speakers – D. Joshua Taylor and J. Mark Lowe – are researchers who appeared on several episodes of the show and helped celebrities locate their ancestors?
  • This Is Not Your Grandmother’s Genealogy! The face of genealogy is constantly changing and includes a varied demographic. The industry is seeing huge increases in popularity with first-time mothers, Baby Boomers who’ve recently retired as well as the Silver Surfers (seniors on the Internet). Talk with representatives of Ancestry.com about the popularity of its Ancestry Days, or with FamilySearch about its Kids Camp. Both events take place here on Saturday, September 10.
  • Why Do Genealogy Societies Matter? The Federation of Genealogical Societies is all about helping genealogy societies succeed. Our member societies may focus on specific ethnic groups, specific geographic locations, specific surnames, and more. Genealogy societies are often the first local contact a person interested in family history has with others also interested in genealogy. Several conference lecturers address how societies can attract new members. Visit the Illinois State Genealogical Society (ISGS) booth to talk with society members about their programs and outreach efforts
  • Family History Goes High Tech! 21st Century technology allows genealogists to find out more about their ancestors. Advances in DNA testing provide genealogists a global picture of where they came from. Several DNA-related genealogy vendors are in the Exhibit Hall, available for interviews and more information. Social media has taken the family history world by storm. Our Official Bloggers located in the Media Hub can help with stories on how they’ve met cousins on Facebook, how they’ve used Twitter to solve family mysteries, and how they’ve used blogs to document the stories of their ancestors. From computer software to electronic databases, online indexing projects to wikis, people are connecting in ways unheard of even a decade ago. Visit our sponsors such as FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, and Roots Magic to learn more about these tools.