Gen-Fed 2023 Will Be In-Person at NARA

WE ARE BACK!!

We are delighted to announce that the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records will hold its next session in person at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. from August 7th through 12th, 2023.

Registration will be held between March 11th and 17th. Prospective students may submit an application for a seat, and a live drawing will be conducted on March 18th for the limited number of seats.

Students who held reserved seats from the 2019 cancellation have been notified and should contact the office at info@gen-fed.org to confirm their seat for 2023; a seat will not be held for them past 2023.

Thanks to all at NARA who have worked so hard to make this in person institute possible and for all their support in the last two years of virtual institutes!

Application information for registration will be posted at the beginning of March 2023.

Don’t Miss This Update for Gen-Fed 2022

Guess Where I Was Yesterday?

I was lucky enough to have my first appointment for my own research in person at NARA in D.C.  It is a two-hour trip for me, each way, and I do not mind at all.  The staff was amazing and well organized. (Kudos for finding that missing Mexican War pension, Catherine!)

Although unplanned, I had an opportunity to meet yesterday with the gentlemen who liaison with our program at NARA.  I did not have a chance to discuss all this with my Assistant Director, Cinda Baxter before the last chance meeting came up.  The critical information came at the close of the Archives yesterday evening when I met with the head of the archival staff, and was told officially that NARA will definitely not be able to handle a group our size by August. Just can’t happen. We have no option for being in-person.  Gen-Fed will officially be virtual this year.

Now the good news: Last year I took a poll of the instructors and asked that, if we had another virtual session, would they be willing to add students to the list? The response was overwhelmingly positive.  I took a brief testing-the-waters poll of a few instructors yesterday and the feeling was the same.  I am now announcing that we will take 60 students now instead of 50!  I will be contacting those people on the waitlist shortly.

After lengthy discussion while on my long ride home, Cinda and I felt that rather than wait until the end of April to decide, we should announce now. We know people need time to make other arrangements if they need to switch gears. Those students who were on the waitlist from 2019 who want to be put back on the waitlist for an in-person session can email us at info@gen-fed.org.

Thank you so much for your patience as we navigate these still uncertain times. We are excited and gearing up for a strong virtual session.  Staff members have already started volunteering to help me pull records for the promised 2 per person after the institute!

Let’s all keep learning!

Gen-Fed Registration 2022: March 12th

R E G I S T R A T I O N  F O R  G E N – F E D   V I R T U A L – 2 O 2 2

A drawing for the remaining seats plus 20 waitlist names will be held online live on Saturday, March 12th, at 10 am Pac./11 am Mtn./12 pm Cent./1 pm EDT.  We originally planned to host that publicly, but due to privacy concerns, the link will only be shared with those persons who signed up for a chance at registration. Thank you for your understanding.

If you are one of the over 100 requests we received for the remaining seats, please check your emails and your spam folders for the link.  Attendance is not required to gain a seat.

A total of 30 seats will be drawn for registration and 20 waitlist names, in case of cancellations. The drawing will be completely randomized, we want to make this as fair as we can.

Good luck!

Rebecca & Cinda

 

Register Now for Gen-Fed 2022: March 1 to March 7

R E G I S T E R   N O W   F O R   G E N – F E D   V I R T U A L


 

Read the following carefully before registering:

  • Gen-Fed will be held virtually Monday, August 8th through Saturday, August 13th. Classes run everyday 10 am to 6 pm EST, except Saturday which ends at noon.
  • Registration will stay open until Monday, March 7th at 6 pm Pac./7 pm Mtn./8 pm Cent./9 pm EDT.
  • The applicants’ names will be put in a drawing throughout that week, therefore the day and time of application will not determine place in line for a seat.
  • A drawing for the remaining seats (once we know how many of the current students will stay), plus 20 waitlist names will be held online LIVE on Saturday, March 12th, at 10 am Pac./11 am Mtn./12 pm Cent./1 pm EDT.  We will post the link for that a few days before here at this website news page.
  • By registering, you accept the responsibility to pay the institute fee by check or money order of $575.00.
  • Note: Due to limited seating, it is Gen-Fed policy to not allow persons to re-take Gen-Fed again for 5 years.

Please use the airtable link here to register: https://airtable.com/shrYzeJRCxg5M7Zwn.

For your information (and anticipation!) the classes and events you can expect for the virtual session:*

  • Pre-Class Videos: History of NARA & Understanding Accessioning; Ordering Records; Using Finding Aids
  • The National Archives’ Catalog by archivist Claire Kluskens
  • NARA’s Records—Coast to Coast by archivist Trevor Plante
  • Q&A with NARA Archivists
  • NARA Records in Other Online Sources by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
  • US Immigration & Nationality: Beyond Basics with Marian L. Smith
  • Blasting Brick Walls with Legislative Records by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
  • Mining Land Entry Records with Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
  • Basic Military Records at NARA by archivist John Deeben
  • Pension Records at the National Archives by Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL
  • Reward for Service: Bounty Land Records by Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
  • Introduction to the Records of NARA Fort Worth by archivist Jenny Sweeny
  • Records of Archives II: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Records by Archives Staff
  • Records of Archives II: Federal Civilian Agency Records by Archives Staff
  • Introduction to the Library of Congress for Genealogists by Ahmed Johnson & Staff
  • Underused Sources at the National Archives by Debra Hoffman, PLCGS
  • Unique Map Holdings by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
  • Researching Enslaved African Americans in Federal Records by LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG
  • Introduction to Federal Records Documenting Native Americans by Kenneth W. Heger, PhD
  • Court Records: Making a Federal Case Out of It by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
  • BCG Board Certification: Your Questions Answered with LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG
  • Busted, Bankrupt, Banged Up: Stories in Federal Court Records by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
  • Introduction to the Daughters of the American Revolution Library by Elizabeth Ernst
  • …and throughout the week: 1) hands-on practice exercises dealing with many of the records we learn about, 2) each student signs up for a 20-minute personal session with a archival records specialist, 3) one each personal military consultation with specialist Jonathan Webb Deiss, and 4) each student is promised 2 record pulls (within reasonable limits!) once the Archives opens. (*sessions subject to change)

We can’t wait to see you there!

Rebecca & Cinda

 

Registration for Gen-Fed 2022: March 1 to March 7

GEN-FED 2022 WILL BE A VIRTUAL SESSION

As much as we hope that the National Archives may be open in August, we fear it may not be as open as we wish or that it may be forced to close again just as we are ready to start classes.  So it is with an abundance of caution (and disappointment) we make the decision to hold Gen-Fed virtually again.  Our instructors’ and students’ safety is our primary consideration.

  • Gen-Fed will still be held Monday, August 8th through Saturday, August 13th.
  • A registration link will be posted to this website, here at Gen-Fed.org News on Tuesday, March 1st. The link opens that day at 6 am Pac./7 am Mtn./8 am/Cent./9 am EDT and it will stay open until Monday, March 7th at 6 pm Pac./7 pm Mtn./8 pm Cent./9 pm EDT.
  • The applicants’ names will be put in a drawing throughout that week, therefore the day and time of application will not determine place in line for a seat.
  • A drawing for the remaining seats (once we know how many of the current students will stay), plus 20 waitlist names will be held online LIVE on Saturday, March 12th, at 10 am Pac./11 am Mtn./12 pm Cent./1 pm EDT.  We will post the link for that a few days before here at this website news page.
  • The price for Gen-Fed will remain the same as it has since 2020: $575.00 for the week.

Our next most important consideration, besides safety, is the quality of instruction. While none of us can really predict what will happen about closings, we can certainly predict the excellence of our instructors’ talents, no matter the situation.  As a precursor, here are the classes and events you can expect for the virtual session:*

  • Pre-Class Videos: History of NARA & Understanding Accessioning; Ordering Records; Using Finding Aids
  • The National Archives’ Catalog by archivist Claire Kluskens
  • NARA’s Records—Coast to Coast by archivist Trevor Plante
  • Q&A with NARA Archivists
  • NARA Records in Other Online Sources by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
  • US Immigration & Nationality: Beyond Basics with Marian L. Smith
  • Blasting Brick Walls with Legislative Records by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
  • Mining Land Entry Records with Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
  • Basic Military Records at NARA by archivist John Deeben
  • Pension Records at the National Archives by Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL
  • Reward for Service: Bounty Land Records by Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
  • Introduction to the Records of NARA Fort Worth by Archives Staff
  • Records of Archives II: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Records by Archives Staff
  • Records of Archives II: Federal Civilian Agency Records by Archives Staff
  • Introduction to the Library of Congress for Genealogists by Ahmed Johnson & Staff
  • Underused Sources at the National Archives by Debra Hoffman, PLCGS
  • Unique Map Holdings by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
  • Researching Enslaved African Americans in Federal Records by LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG
  • Introduction to Federal Records Documenting Native Americans by Kenneth W. Heger, PhD
  • Court Records: Making a Federal Case Out of It by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
  • BCG Board Certification: Your Questions Answered with LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG
  • Busted, Bankrupt, Banged Up: Stories in Federal Court Records by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
  • Introduction to the Daughters of the American Revolution Library by Elizabeth Ernst
  • …and throughout the week: 1) hands-on practice exercises dealing with many of the records we learn about, 2) each student signs up for a 20-minute personal session with a archival records specialist, 3) one each personal military consultation with specialist Jonathan Webb Deiss, and 4) each student is promised 2 record pulls (within reasonable limits!) once the Archives opens. (*sessions subject to change)

Please stay safe and well everyone. We hope to see you there!

Rebecca & Cinda

 

Update on Gen-Fed 2022

The big question in my emails all month has been “When does registration start for Gen-Fed 2022?”

The answer is: hopefully soon.  The wave of different variants of the COVID virus and rates of inoculation have changed the dynamic this year, but it is still too soon to tell if we can have Gen-Fed in person at NARA in Washington D.C., or if we should hold it virtually.  So we ask you to wait patiently with us a little more.

Updates to research room policies at NARA are found at https://www.archives.gov/coronavirus.  If NARA does take a large group, we still do not know if they will take our full capacity of students (so we do not know how many yet to register if we go in person).  If we are there in person, be prepared that the current NARA vaccination status rules state that researchers/students will have to be fully vaccinated and sign an attestation form. Or unvaccinated researchers/students must bring a negative COVID-19 test, see: https://www.archives.gov/research/news/faqs-research-room-reopenings.

We will do our next update and hopefully make a decision by President’s Day, February 21st.  As with last year, if Gen-Fed is virtual this year, those who already have a seat will be allowed to defer to another year. Whatever does happen, we have the most amazing staff of instructors and archivists to make your learning a success.

Thank you,

Rebecca & Cinda

 

Gen-Fed Alumni Announces 2022 Scholarship

The Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed) Alumni Association is sponsoring the Richard S. Lackey Scholarship in 2022. The Gen-Fed Alumni Association’s purpose is to promote, conduct, and foster education, research, study, and analysis related to genealogy and to disseminate information and support other similar undertakings.

Richard S. Lackey (1921–1983) of Mississippi was a leader in the drive to improve the professionalization of the genealogical community. In addition to lecturing and teaching, he was an author/compiler of standards for genealogical writing, and of Mississippi source material. His work exemplified the highest standards of competent research and scholarly citation of sources. His books Cite Your Sources: A Manual for Documenting Family Histories and Genealogical Records (1980) and Write it Right (1983), co-authored with Donald R. Barnes, promote proper documentation of sources within family histories and genealogical papers. At the time of his death, Richard was President of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®.

The scholarship is awarded annually to an experienced researcher active in a paid or volunteer position which directly benefits the genealogical community. This year the scholarship will award $1000, which covers full tuition for the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed), and partly defrays hotel and/or meal costs. Provided the public health situation allows it, the Gen-Fed Alumni Association will also provide dinner at the Gen-Fed Alumni Banquet on Friday night, Aug 12, 2022, where a check for the amount less tuition will be presented to the recipient.

Nancy Calhoun, our 2017 scholarship recipient says, “Receiving the Lackey Scholarship has not only benefited me but also the genealogy and local history staff at Muskogee Public Library and the patrons we assist. We never know what people are going to request. The training received will assist us in being better equipped to search out that information in the vast collections of National Archives.”

For more information about the Institute, visit www.gen-fed.org. The application can be downloaded from the Scholarships page.

All applications and additional attachments must be submitted in PDF format, combined in one file. The completed application form and attachments should be emailed to Jonathan

  1. Deiss at jdeiss@soldiersource.com with “Lackey Scholarship 2022” in the subject line. The PDF file name should include your last name and first initial, such as “DoeJ Lackey Scholarship 2022 Application.”

 A complete application must be received by midnight, (EST) 31 December 2021. The winner will be notified by 15 February 2022. Other applicants will be notified shortly after that date. The scholarship winner will automatically be accepted for the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records to be held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., from Aug 8–13, 2022.

Cinda Baxter, CG, Announced as New Gen-Fed Assistant Director

Following a successful first institute thanks in great deal to her wonderful talents, Darcie Hind Posz, CG®, will step down as Assistant Director to Gen-Fed.  We want to express our sincere and deep appreciation for Darcie and support her decisions moving forward.

Having met today, the Board of the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed) and Director, Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG®, CGLSM, are pleased to announce that Cinda Baxter, CG®, will serve as the newest Assistant Director of the institute, effective immediately.

As a Minneapolis-based genealogist, Cinda Baxter, CG, earned board certification in 2019, and has been an avid proponent of continuing genealogical education since attending her first institute—Gen-Fed—in 2017.

She is a Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate alumnus (OL25) and has served as a Course Facilitator for both the BU Certificate and BU Principles courses; an alumnus of ProGen 38 and Mentor for ProGen 53; Website Coordinator for the Board for Certification of Genealogists® (BCG); and was Virtual Technical Coordinator for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG 2021 and SLIG Academy for Professionals 2021). She is currently engaged in post-graduate study at the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, Scotland) for Genealogical, Palaeographic, and Heraldic Studies, and midway through the process of earning accreditation through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen), specializing in Scotland research.

Of her experience with this institute Cinda stated, “Beyond the one-of-a-kind education provided by Gen-Fed, that week served as an introduction to a broad spectrum of peers who were as excited about research as me. The freedom with which they shared their ideas, advice, laughter, enthusiasm, and (much deeper) experience was the noodge I needed to make a massive—and never regretted—career change.”

Her passions beyond the genealogical realm include technology, fountain pens and lovely inks, growing African violets and streptocarpus, sourdough bread baking, knitting, and—of course—a wee dram of lightly peated Scottish whisky with a nibble of dark chocolate on the side.

Welcome, Cinda, Gen-Fed is in good hands with you in its future!

Follow-up on Virtual Gen-Fed 2021 & Announcement for 2022

Hello! Thank you all for your patience in this year of change and innovation for Gen-Fed.  We’d like to share some highlights from our first virtual Gen-Fed. There have been many questions asked of us, some we could not answer right away but we would like to now.

This year we focused on offering as much education as possible to prepare students for future visits to the National Archives in Washington, D.C.  Speakers included archivists Trevor Plante and Claire Kluskens, and genealogists including Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA, Rick Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA, Pamela Sayre, CG, FUGA, LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, [now FASG!], Judy Russell, JD, CG, CGL, Timothy Pinnick, Jonathan Deiss, Marian L. Smith, Debra Hoffman, Kenneth W. Heger, Ph.D, and myself. Ahmed Johnson joined us to discuss the Library of Congress and Elizabeth Ernst gave us a virtual tour of the Daughters of the American Revolution Library.

Classes started before the week of Gen-Fed with pre-recorded lectures on a history of the Archives and how to navigate NARA and request records.  Gen-Fed’s official week covered federal military records, federal land records, congressional records, African Americans and Native Americans in federal records, immigration, using the NARA catalog online, and more. To broaden the experience, archivists & subject matter experts from Archives II (College Park, MD), NARA Kansas City, and NARA St. Louis gave presentations on their repository holdings as well.  Trevor Plante also made special arrangements for each student to have a one-on-one chat with a NARA subject matter expert during the week at our Learning Lunches breaks. Additionally, students were offered three hands-on practical exercises to help familiarize them with the records they had just learned about.

We are happy to announce that if the National Archives is open for in-person research, we will hold Gen-Fed in Washington, D.C., the week of August 8–13, 2022.  If the National Archives is not open or not fully open for a conference-level event, we will repeat the virtual schedule in 2022.

Here are some FAQs to answer questions we have received:

  • Q: When will NARA open?
    • A: I wish we knew!  They are doing the best they can under the circumstances.  The last official word was at this page https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2021/nr21-50, however the public is not currently able to make appointments.
  • Q: When will registration happen and how will it take place?
    • Registration will be in February and the specific date will be announced mid-January.  Registration will be a lottery-based system; prospective students will submit applications over a one-week period.  Those names will be put into a random drawing and chosen by an automated system.
  • Q: How many students may attend Gen-Fed each year?
    • Due to the size of the room at the National Archives, we are limited to taking 50 students (including seats set aside for sponsored scholarship students).  If the program is virtual, we may consider adding more seats.
  • Q: Is there a waiting list?  Can I be on it for next year?
    • We will choose a number of people from the 2022 registration and notify them that they are on the waiting list, should any of the students need to cancel their registration.  We do not hold any waiting lists over until the next year (the only exception was when the 2020 program was unexpectedly cancelled).  People who held over their 2020 registration will be already registered, if they can attend. They will be contacted before the 2022 registration begins.
  • Q: What are the costs and related fees for the program?
    • The program cost for Gen-Fed is currently $575.  There are no additional fees for a printed and digital syllabus, those are included.  Attendees pay their own travel and accommodations.  Gen-Fed does make arrangements with a nearby hotel for a block of rooms for students at a reduced rate.
  • Q: Do I get a certificate for being at Gen-Fed?
    • Yes, each student receives a certificate of participation.  This is not the same as a certificate of merit from a program that tested skills, and not the same as being “certified” in genealogical research.
  • Q: How about holding an in-person Gen-Fed and a Zoom Gen-Fed every year!?!
    • Well…. as the new director who hasn’t had an in-person event yet, let’s hold off on that decision just yet.

Thank you and we hope to see you join us in August!

Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL
Director, Genealogical Institute on Federal Records

info@gen-fed.org

Limited Seats Open for Virtual Gen-Fed 2021

Gen-Fed is going to be virtual in 2021! Although we will miss the in-person experience of researching at NARA, the virtual schedule may interest you.  Typical years at Gen-Fed include about 18 lectures, plus tours to the Library of Congress and Archives II, plus research time at the repository.  There will also be cameos from satellite NARA archives! Archivists will be available to talk to students at lunchtimes during the week, and some instructors will be introducing hands-on exercises to give students a feel for working in the records. Topics will range from military records, immigration records, federal land records, to African American records – all available at the National Archives.

Gen-Fed 2021 will take place from 19-24 July and the cost of the virtual institute is $575, the same as the in-person program in 2020.

With such wide-ranging content, Gen-Fed is going to open 8 additional seats.

Registrants for those 8 seats will be chosen through a randomly drawn lottery.  

Enter your name for a chance at registration on or before Monday, March 22nd by midnight, Eastern Standard Time.

  • Email to info@gen-fed.org
  • Include in the subject: Gen-Fed 2021 Registration Lottery
  • In the email include your name, address, email address and phone number.  Indicate that by entering the lottery you are willing to pay the institute registration fee of $575 and will be available from 19-24 July for the program.
  • All entrants will be notified on March 23rd.  If chosen, payment will be expected within 30 business days.

Thank you and we hope to see you join us in July!

Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL
Director, Genealogical Institute on Federal Records