Author: Gen-Fed Administration

Gen-Fed registration was held earlier today, and, unfortunately, after two smooth years, we were hit with a yet-to-be-explained website failure at the most critical time of day. We could not make the link live at 1PM or otherwise communicate with people who signed up for email updates. We responded to emails that came in to info@gen-fed.org, posted on Facebook, and tweeted about what was happening.

The registration link went live when the website came back up around 1:28 PM. Those who remained at website link and refreshed their browsers at the right moment were able to register. The course sold out in about six minutes—about the same as last year—but, for good reason, there were some people who were frustrated. The technical failure exacerbated an already-challenging situation. And, for that, we are deeply sorry.

We will explore the possibility of creating a back-up communication system for next year so that everyone who is trying to register has access to updates.

Interest in Gen-Fed exceeds the number of slots. There will always be those who cannot get registered for that reason, but we will work hard to make sure that what happened today is not repeated in the future.

Malissa Ruffner and Debra A. Hoffman

The Genealogical Institute on Federal Records Alumni Association (Gen-Fed Alumni) announces, with great pleasure, the recipient of the Richard S. Lackey Scholarship for 2018, Linda MacIver of Boston, Massachusetts. Awarded yearly, this scholarship covers tuition and some other expenses for the week long seminar, the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed). The scholarship application specifies an “experienced researcher employed in a paid or volunteer position in the services of the genealogical community.”

Linda MacIver is hardly a newcomer to Government records.  After several years as a school, college, and corporate librarian, Linda joined the Government Documents Department of the Boston Public Library, the GPO regional library for Massachusetts.  Over the course of 27 years, and as the Documents and Social Sciences departments merged, Linda attacked the considerable volume of patron genealogy reference requests with her comprehensive knowledge of records; federal, state and local.  When the personal computer/internet era changed everything, Linda developed a variety of computer-based genealogy classes and lecture series, all free to patrons and satisfying a growing public interest in family history.

Now recently retired, Linda takes her show on the road throughout central and eastern Massachusetts.  Whether a one-hour lecture or a 4 or 6-week course, she continues to engage patrons to become “organized genealogists” with critical thinking and valuable print and electronic research skills.

Linda’s interest in records is also evident in her involvement with organizations whose mission is to preserve and protect access to documents.  She serves as Secretary to the Massachusetts Genealogical Council and a board member of the Essex Society of Genealogists in Massachusetts.  Her involvement extends across the pond as she serves as the New England agent for the Essex (England) Records Office, the only county to currently have such a stateside position.

Linda had this to say about her selection: “As much as I really enjoy teaching the beginners, I am thoroughly delighted to be able to spend an exciting week in Washington actually working on tearing down a few of my own brick walls.  I am so appreciative of the opportunity that the Alumni Association has provided me and the honor of receiving the Lackey scholarship.”

The Gen-Fed Alumni Association is pleased to award the 2018 Richard Lackey Scholarship to Linda MacIver and we all look forward to welcoming her to Gen-Fed in July.

Registration for Gen-Fed will take place on Saturday, February 24, at 1PM. For information on how to register, click here.

Details on how to register for Gen-Fed 2018 are posted HERE. The link for registering will go live on Saturday, February 24, at 1 PM EST.  If, after reviewing the instructions, you have any questions, please send them to info@gen-fed.org.

Two adjustments to note:  we have cleared out all old Gen-Fed profiles so everyone will begin by entering an email address, contact info, and creating a password. Read the instructions on password requirements. You will NOT be asked to enter a short biography; that will be collected at a later date.

We expect the course to fill quickly, but in years past, the waiting list has also been tapped. Good luck!

The Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed) Alumni Association has announced details of the 2018 Richard S. Lackey Scholarship, awarded annually to an experienced researcher active in a paid or volunteer position that directly benefits the genealogical community. This year the scholarship will award $600, which covers full tuition for the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed), and partly defrays hotel and/or meal costs. The Gen-Fed Alumni Association will also host the awardee at the Gen-Fed Alumni Association Banquet on Friday, July 20, 2018, where a check for the amount less tuition will be presented.

Our 2017 recipient, Nancy Calhoun, said, “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 Angela McGhie at mcghiefamilyhistory@gmail.com with “Lackey Scholarship 2018” in the subject line. The PDF file name should include last name and first initial, such as “McGhieA Lackey Scholarship 2018 Application.”

A complete application must be received by midnight, (EST) 31 December 2017.  The winner will be notified by 15 February 2018. 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 July 16-20, 2018.

The Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed) Alumni Association purposes are to promote, conduct, and foster education, research, study, and analysis related to genealogy and to disseminate information and support other similar undertakings.

The Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed) 2017, held July 10–14 at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., proved every bit as successful as the historic institute’s updated 2016 session. Attendees agreed that the week met their genealogical educational needs and even exceeded expectations. As one participant said, the institute provided “invaluable information regarding the breadth of holdings at the Archives and how to access them, but also served to develop more general skills of problem-solving and looking beyond the ‘usual’ records.”

The Class of 2017 experienced moments like this:

“While going through over a dozen land entry file records for my ancestors, I was able to come across a couple of letters written in their own hand. How amazing it was to hold a document created over 150 years ago by my 3rd-great-grandfather!”

To read more tales, visit  Tales of Discovery. Our photo album is here.

The next Institute is set for July 16–July 20, 2018. Online registration will be held on Saturday, February 24, 2018.  To receive news about next year’s program and announcements, enter your email address in the “subscribe” box on the bottom right of the institute website, https://www.gen-fed.org.

The Genealogical Institute on Federal Research Alumni Association (Gen-Fed Alumni) announces, with great pleasure, the recipient of the Richard S. Lackey Scholarship for 2017, Nancy Calhoun. Awarded yearly, this scholarship covers tuition and some other expenses for the week long seminar, the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed). The scholarship application specifies an “experienced researcher employed in a paid or volunteer position in the services of the genealogical community.”

Nancy Calhoun is the Department Head of Genealogy and Local History at Muskogee Public Library in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where the staff provides research assistance with particular focus on Native American genealogy. She frequently speaks for societies and other groups in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas, often in period dress and with baked goods in hand made from historic recipes. Her writings have placed in the annual contests held by the International Association of Family History Writers and Editors. She was the recipient of the librarian scholarship to attend IGHR.

Nancy’s genealogy journey began at her grandfather’s knee as he told stories of his family in southwest Virginia. While in Teacher Corps and graduate school in Kansas, she enrolled in a semester long genealogy class and has been chasing family, both her own and others’, since that time. For Nancy, genealogy is the “perfect combination” with her educational training in history, English, photography, vocational home economics, curriculum and instruction and 20 years of newspaper experience.

Nancy has attended several NGS and FGS national conferences, in addition to many regional educational events. “My last trip to DC was during college and before catching the genealogy bug. So I am excited to have the opportunity to delve into the mother lode this summer and learn how to access records for our library patrons from Revolutionary War to Indian Territory’s tribal records … and maybe a little for myself.”

The Gen-Fed Alumni Association is pleased to award the 2017 Richard Lackey Scholarship to Nancy Calhoun; her enthusiasm is catching.

Registration for Gen-Fed took place on Saturday, February 25. Enrollment is currently at capacity but the waiting list is open here.

Online registration for the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records, held yesterday, was over in a flash. Enrollment reached capacity in eight minutes, but the waiting list is still relatively short. We highly recommend adding your name, particularly if you can be flexible or live within commuting distance of Washington, D.C.

Those who registered hail from 22 different states and will write the next Tales of Discovery in federal records.  We look forward to welcoming them to the second installment of the new version of the oldest genealogical institute in the country.

Check out the 2017 program here. You can put your name on a waiting list here.

Malissa & Debra