Conference and Covington Hotels

We know that many of you made your hotel reservations months ago. Below is a list of the hotels with addresses and phone numbers in case you need them in the coming weeks.

Conference Hotels: These hotels are full.

Hyatt Regency Cincinnati
151 West Fifth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
Telephone: 513-579-1234
Parking: $10 (no in/out privileges)

Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza
35 West Fifth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
Telephone: 800-445-8667
Parking: $10 (no in/out privileges)

Millennium Hotel
150 West Fifth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
Telephone: 800-876-2100
Parking: $15 valet parking

Covington Hotels: Rooms still available.

Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter
10 West RiverCenter Boulevard
Covington, KY 41011
859-261-2900
1-800-266-6605

Courtyard by Marriott Covington
500 West Third Street
Covington, KY 41011
859-491-4000

Embassy Suites Cincinnati - River Center
10 East RiverCenter Blvd
Covington, KY 41011
859-261-8400

Extended StayAmerica Cincinnati-Covington
650 West Third Street
Covington, KY 41011
859-581-3000

Hampton Inn Cincinnati Riverfront
200 Crescent Avenue
Covington, KY 41011
859-581-7800

Holiday Inn Riverfront
600 West Third Street
Covington, KY 41011
859-291-4300
888-400-9714

Radisson Cincinnati Riverfront Hotel
668 West Fifth Street
Covington, KY 41011
859-491-1200
888-201-1718

Conference and Covington Hotels

Ask an Expert at the NGS Conference

Got research questions? The Great Lakes Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists may be able to help! We are sponsoring “Ask an Expert” consultations during the conference. Attendees can sign up for a free 20 minute consultation with a professional genealogist.

Our volunteers have expertise in a variety of locations (domestic and international) and many types of records. Your question can be complex or simple. When you request an appointment you will be asked to provide a synopsis of your question, along with a list of records you've already searched. This will help the expert you meet with prepare for the appointment.

Take advantage of this opportunity to get help from experts! Appointments are still available. The deadline to request an appointment is April 24. You must be registered for the conference to obtain an appointment. For a schedule and to request an appointment, please visit http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/ask_an_expert.

Ask an Expert at the NGS Conference

Exhibitor Spotlight: Indiana Genealogical Society, Booth 503

Formed in 1989, the Indiana Genealogical Society (IGS) strives to help preserve and publish materials relating to the people who settled the state. IGS has been at the forefront of efforts to make Indiana’s historical records more accessible to the public by indexing and digitizing records. IGS has more than 500,000 records on its website, representing all 92 of Indiana’s counties.

Members of the Indiana Genealogical Society receive access to our growing collection of databases. The databases cover a wide range of topics including African American records, church records, cemetery transcriptions, directories, newspaper indexes, military indexes, school records and more. IGS currently has over 700 databases, and more databases are added on a regular basis.

Members of the Indiana Genealogical Society also receive electronic delivery of our publications, IGS Newsletter and Indiana Genealogist. IGS Newsletter contains news items from across the state. Indiana Genealogist contains record abstracts and helpful articles relating to Indiana genealogy research.

Please stop by booth 503 to ask your Indiana genealogical questions and join the Society.

You can also visit IGS online, on Facebook and on Twitter @IndianaGenSoc.

Exhibitor Spotlight: Indiana Genealogical Society, Booth 503

Speaker Spotlight: Dr. Michael D. Lacopo, Session F-357, “There’s More Than Corn in Indiana: Finding Your Hoosier Ancestor”

Michael was born and raised in northern Indiana surrounded by family always willing to tell tall tales. Intrigued by his maternal family’s claim to be kinfolk of Abraham Lincoln, and his paternal family’s stories of murder and mayhem, he took to genealogical research in 1980 to substantiate these family stories.

Combing libraries, archives, cemeteries and courthouses as a teenager, Michael gained the skills needed to become a keen researcher. His first major challenge in the world of research was tackled by finding his adopted mother’s natural parents in 1983. Obtaining his doctorate in 1991, Michael has treated his genealogical research as he would medicine – carefully, methodically and completely.

At the upcoming NGS Conference, Michael will be presenting “There’s More Than Corn in Indiana: Finding Your Hoosier Ancestor.” Although initially designed to be an overview of Indiana research, it will be specialized to complement the other Indiana lectures presented at this year’s conference.

The presentation will be weighted heavily on utilizing court records in Indiana and understanding what records can be located in the county courthouse. In the present day of digitization we often overlook the priceless gems that can be mined from obscure onsite records that may never be brought to the computer screen.

Dr. Lacopo will also review Indiana methodology, state repositories and their holdings, and tips he has found helpful after thirty-two years researching in the Hoosier state!

Dr. Michael D. Lacopo
10525 Red Pine Drive
Granger, IN 46530-7529
574.271.0757 home
574.360.7433 cell
574.277.6533 work
574.277.0145 FAX
www.Roots4U.com

Speaker Spotlight: Dr. Michael D. Lacopo, Session F-357, “There’s More Than Corn in Indiana: Finding Your Hoosier Ancestor”

Volunteers Needed for the Ancestry.com Scanning at the NGS Conference

Ancestry.com will be providing NGS 2012 Family History Conference attendees the opportunity to have family photos and documents scanned at the conference on their professional scanning equipment.

Volunteers are needed to help coordinate the scanning which will include taking sign-ups for the day, helping to return items, and bringing items into the scanning rooms. Time-slots will be 9-5 (Wed.-Fri.) and 9-1 (Sat.). If you are interested, please contact Shirley Wilcox with your time slot preferences. Time slots are listed below.

Wednesday-Friday, 9-11 May
9:00 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m.
1:15 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
2:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
3:45 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

Saturday, 12 May
9:00 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
10:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Volunteers Needed for the Ancestry.com Scanning at the NGS Conference

Last Chance for the Early Bird Discount – Today!

Save $35 by registering online or mailing your registration form and payment today! As of tomorrow, 21 March, member and non-member registration fees will increase by $35, and you will no longer be able to order a print syllabus. (Everyone will receive a syllabus on flash drive.)

MUSEUMS, PART 2

Continuing with Cincinnati museums and their distance from the Duke Energy Convention Center:

Two miles: Cincinnati Art Museum, founded in 1881 and the largest in Ohio, showcases more than 60,000 works spanning 6,000 years, free admission six days a week. The Cincinnati Wing is the first permanent display of a city’s art history in the nation.

Two miles: John Hauck House, ornate Italianate townhouse of a prominent brewer, restored and furnished in period, open Fri 12-3 and 4th Sun 12-3, 812 Dayton St., 513-561-8842

Two miles: William Howard Taft National Historic Site, Greek Revival boyhood home of the 27th president, restored to its original appearance, with exhibits about Taft’s career and family

Two miles: Greater Cincinnati Police Museum, history and artifacts of more than 100 local municipal, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, free admission

Three miles: Harriet Beecher Stowe House, historical and cultural site focusing on the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin and her activist family

Ten miles: German Heritage Museum, in an 1840s two-story log house, the repository of historical artifacts and records of German immigrants and their descendants in Cincinnati and the Ohio Valley

Fourteen miles: Christian Waldschmidt Homestead and Camp Dennison Civil War Museum, a restored, furnished stone house built in 1804 and an outstanding collection of Civil War artifacts including many pieces from Ohio soldiers

Twenty miles: Heritage Village Museum, a living history museum depicting nineteenth-century life in southwestern Ohio in a dozen historic buildings saved from destruction

Last Chance for the Early Bird Discount – Today!

Countdown to the Early Bird Deadline – 20 March!

There’s just a couple days left until the early bird registration deadline. Don’t miss your chance to save $35 by registering no later than 20 March! If you mail your registration form, it must be postmarked before or on 20 March for you to receive the early bird discount.

By now you’ve heard about the Conference’s wonderful variety of top-notch speakers and lectures, special programs and workshops, tours and social events, and research opportunities nearby. Let’s consider the host city’s attractions, starting with museums within one mile from the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati. Distances shown are from the Convention Center.

MUSEUMS

.4 mile: Cincinnati Fire Museum, commemorating the first professional fire department in the U.S.

.5 mile: Contemporary Arts Center, a non-collecting museum devoted to presenting contemporary art from around the world

.7 mile: Betts House, the oldest surviving brick house in Cincinnati (1804), interprets the built environment through exhibits on architecture, historic preservation, building trades and materials, and construction technologies

One mile: National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, telling the story of the struggle for freedom in the United States (free admission on the evening of 10 May during the Conference)

One mile: Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, National Historic Landmark containing the Cincinnati History Museum (9 May tour and dinner available during the Conference), Museum of Natural History and Science, and Children’s Museum

One mile: Taft Museum of Art, a Federal-style National Historic Landmark built about 1820, contains twelve rooms of displays including portraits and landscapes by Rembrandt, Turner, Gainsborough, Whistler and Corot, free admission on Sundays

One mile: Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, the largest team hall of fame in all of baseball

For more information about the Conference events at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and the Cincinnati History Museum tour and dinner, visit this page.

Countdown to the Early Bird Deadline – 20 March!

Opening of Official Blogger Registration

The National Genealogical Society (NGS) announces the opening of the Official Blogger registration for the 2012 Family History Conference, 9–12 May, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

NGS welcomes bloggers’ participation at its conference and also wants to welcome them as members of the press to the NGS conference. In recognition of the important media role they play in the field of genealogy, NGS invites bloggers to register at its website to request “Official Blogger – NGS 2012 Family History Conference” designation and use of the NGS logo.

NGS recognizes that the genealogical community is gifted with a large number of engaged and talented bloggers who write regularly about the release of new records, upcoming events, research methods, tools, software choices, and other items of interest to the community. The designation of Official Blogger is a way for the National Genealogical Society to give recognition to the daily contributions these bloggers make to keep the field of genealogy current, particularly with news that is not covered in the mainstream media.

Official Bloggers will have a limited license to use an “Official Blogger – NGS 2012 Family History Conference” designation and logo. The NGS Conference blog will link to their blogs. Official bloggers will have access to the Media Center on the exhibit hall floor. For more information, see the NGS Social Media Policy.

If you write a blog or micro-blog, and would like to be recognized as an “Official Blogger of the NGS 2012 Family History Conference,” please navigate here to fill out a form letting us know a little bit about you and your blog.

Opening of Official Blogger Registration

Free Scanning by Ancestry.com at the Conference

Digitize Your Family Records
Ancestry.com will be providing NGS 2012 Family History Conference attendees the opportunity to have their family photos and documents scanned at the conference, for free, on their professional scanning equipment. It’s a unique opportunity to have your family history records digitized!

Conference attendees can sign up for 30-minute scanning sessions on Wednesday, May 9, through Friday, May 11, to be held from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day and Saturday, May 12 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Scanning-session signs-ups will open each morning—sign up Wednesday morning for a Wednesday time slot, Thursday morning for a Thursday time slot. Scanning will be located in Room 238.

Scanning Details from Ancestry.com You’ll Want to Know
Document types accepted
• We can scan any document type, but the maximum size supported is 22" by 15". Any type of photograph, including tintypes, is accepted. Unfortunately we cannot scan slides.
• More recent photographs or stable documents can be scanned at a much quicker rate on our high-speed scanner – meaning that you can have more documents scanned during your scanning session. Fragile or historical documents, photographs, bound books or albums and similar items will be photographed.
• Copyright and re-publishing rights for the material are strictly the responsibility of patrons, but we reserve the right to reject any document for any reason.
• There is always a possibility that damage to older, more fragile documents may occur during the scanning process. Ancestry.com urges patrons to use their best judgment when choosing documents to be scanned.

Document preparation
• Before your scanning session, please remove all staples, pins, and fasteners as well as any tape or sticky material from your photos and documents. These items can harm the scanning equipment.
• Please sort all of your documents and pictures by size, largest to smallest, before entering your session. This will enable our scanners to more effectively finish your documents in the time allotted.
• Photos mounted in an album will be digitized as a single image. Bound books do not need to be unassembled, but can be quite slow to digitize. Material stored in sleeves should be removed prior to the scanning session; materials remaining in sleeves will be digitized with the sleeves in place.

Scheduling
• You will be able to sign up for a 30-minute time slot, on a first come, first served basis. This time slot will include any document preparation not completed prior to the scanning session, so proper document preparation in advance is crucial (see above).
• Generally we can scan about 50 documents per person in a 30-minute slot, more if documents and photos are newer and/or not fragile.
• Due to demand, we can accommodate only one scanning session per person during the conference.
• The scanned files will be saved to a thumb drive (provided by Ancestry.com) and given to attendees for their own use.

Please send any questions to conferences@ancestry.com.

Free Scanning by Ancestry.com at the Conference

Traveling to Cincinnati

Have you made your Conference travel plans yet? There’s just a few days left until the 20 March early bird discount deadline. See the NGS Conference “Getting There” page for information about traveling to Cincinnati by air and by train, with contact information for the Conference travel agent. As always, look online for bargains.

The airport, located about twenty minutes away in Northern Kentucky, is within an hour’s flight of 50% of the U.S. population. Since Delta has a hub there and influences the market, it may be cheaper to fly to nearby airports in Dayton, Columbus, Lexington or Indianapolis. All four airports are less than two hours from Cincinnati. The Amtrak train station is located in the Cincinnati Museum Center, one mile from the Duke Energy Convention Center.

Cincinnati is easy to reach by car from many cities:

City..................... Miles......... Drive Time
Atlanta................ 461........... 7½ hours
Baltimore............ 510........... 9 hours
Buffalo................ 432........... 7½ hours
Charlotte............. 479........... 8 hours
Charleston, WV... 203.......... 3½ hours
Chicago............... 296.......... 5 hours
Cleveland............ 249.......... 4½ hours
Columbus.............107.......... 2 hours
Detroit.................. 263..........4½ hours
Indianapolis......... 98............ 2 hours
Louisville............. 99............ 2 hours
Milwaukee........... 382.......... 7 hours
Nashville.............. 273......... 4½ hours
Pittsburgh............ 288.......... 5 hours
Richmond............ 520.......... 9 hours
St. Louis.............. 364.......... 6 hours
Toronto............... 492........... 9 hours
Washington, DC.. 510.......... 9 hours

Traveling to Cincinnati

Early Bird Registration Discount Ends in One Week!

Register for the NGS 2012 Cincinnati Conference today! The early bird registration discount ends on Tuesday, 20 March 2012. In addition to enjoying a $35 discount, only early birds have the opportunity to order a printed syllabus. (Everyone will receive a syllabus on flash drive.) NGS members get even deeper discounts, so this is a great time to join.

Space is still available for most conference social events including the Friday night NGSQ 100th Anniversary Reception, Tuesday bus tour, Wednesday Cincinnati Museum Center tour and dinner, and Friday NGS luncheon featuring local celebrity Dan Hurley.

Two workshops are sold out: "The Mechanics of Compiling Your Family History," with Michael Leclerc, and "Understanding Court Records," with J. Mark Lowe, CG. Email Veronica at vtran@ngsgenealogy.org to be placed on the wait-list. The other two workshops still have space available: “Photo Detecting 101,” with Maureen Taylor, and “The Fraktur Type: An Obstacle to German Research That Can Be Overcome,” with John Humphrey, CG.

Early Bird Registration Discount Ends in One Week!

Speaker Profile: Michael Melendez, Session S-404, “How to Get Kids Involved in Genealogy”

For too long, the general public has seen genealogy as something for “old” people. Recently as the genealogy community has undergone a technology revolution and heightened media recognition through television shows like “Who Do You Think You Are?” this notion has eroded. But still the question remains, how does a younger person become interested in genealogy? As a professional or amateur genealogist, how do I share my family history with my children and grandchildren without driving them away?

If these and other questions have ever occupied your mind, then you need to attend Michael Melendez’s lecture entitled, “How to Get Kids Involved in Genealogy.” Michael is a 22-year-old genealogist employed by Global Genealogists. He recently founded the Family History Detectives at Brigham Young University for young adults. Michael also has been directly involved with several Family History Kids’ Camps at the SCGS Jamboree in Burbank, CA, including the 2009 Kids’ Camp which had an attendance of over 80 kids between the ages of 8 and 15.

Michael’s lecture will teach you how to approach genealogy from a different perspective which will not only be more exciting for younger people, but for you as well. Learn about different creative projects you can undertake with youth along with fun supplemental websites. After attending this lecture, you will definitely believe that this hobby is definitely not just for retired people!

Speaker Profile: Michael Melendez, Session S-404, “How to Get Kids Involved in Genealogy”

How to Choose? Ten Tracks Per Hour!

Have you checked the 2012 conference program to figure out which sessions you’ll be attending? If so, you’ve already seen how hard it is to pick just one session at a time – out of ten tracks every hour! If you haven’t read the schedule yet, this partial list of tracks and topics included with conference registration is bound to whet your appetite:

GenTech: 29 lectures on iPads, wikis, blogging, social media, privacy, facial recognition, cloud storage, e-Books, genealogy apps, digital archiving, Snagit, Google Earth, Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, RootsMagic, online education and office applications, specialized uses of Excel and Word, searching databases, Israeli resources…

Researching in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio’s Neighbors: 20 lectures on Ohio records, land, Spring Grove Cemetery, Common Pleas Court, Cincinnati; Kentucky records, tax lists, Northern Kentucky, Kentucky Historical Society, court records; Indiana history, orphans, online records, Disciples of Christ, lesser known resources; St. Louis, Pennsylvania, Michigan...

Methodology and Research: 18 lectures on urban research, “unfindable” ancestors, Fugitive Slave Act, indexes, lies and omissions, inferences, compiled genealogies, GPS trails, family legends, solving mysteries, indirect evidence, data management, missing records…

BCG Skillbuilding: 17 lectures on transcribing and abstracting, analyzing evidence, certification, assumptions, collateral associates, lineage societies, documentation, proof summaries, German language skills, creative nonfiction techniques, research reports, handwriting…

German, African American and Ethnic Research: 15 lectures on German records, Palatines, websites, marriage laws, migrations; African American brick walls, key skills, migration to Ohio, nineteenth century women, free people of color; Irish, Native American, English topics...

Working with Records: 15 lectures on tax lists, river and canal records, law, vital records, manuscripts, urban records, chancery records, probate, family records, Catholic records, railroad records, property, local histories, 1940 census, villages of origin…

Military Records: 13 lectures on the records of wars including the War of 1812 and the Civil War

Photos, Writing and Publishing Family History: 10 lectures on finding, dating, identifying, fixing, sharing photos; integrating proof arguments and social history, writing with style, publishing

Migration: 8 lectures on trails and migration to Ohio, westward from New England and Pennsylvania, Kentucky to Missouri

DNA: 5 lectures on testing, mtDNA, results, non-European ancestry, health

Repositories and Records: 5 lectures on special collections, Library of Congress, Cincinnati Library, law libraries, Ohio Genealogical Society

Research Essentials: 5 lectures on newspapers, census, maps, common sense guidelines, Midwest records

Sharing: 5 lectures on involving children, Ohio immigrants, WPA, online resources, interviewing

That’s 180 lectures! Some tracks don’t even have enough room for all lectures related to the topic. For example, German research lectures may be found not only in the German Research track but in the BCG Skillbuilding track and Working with Records track. Search the entire program by track, speaker, suggested audience level and date.

Since 10 lectures take place in each time slot, there may be times when you have to miss some sessions you’d really like to attend. The syllabus will have materials for all lectures provided by speakers and audio CDs for most lectures will be available for purchase.

Register now and choose your sessions later, or do it all at once. This is just for space planning, and you can change your mind if you decide you’d rather attend a different session. Whatever you do, be sure to register by March 20, the early bird discount deadline!

How to Choose? Ten Tracks Per Hour!

Three Rootstech Lectures Win a Place at NGS 2012 Family History Conference

The National Genealogical Society and FamilySearch are pleased to announce their selections for the Best of RootsTech lectures to be presented at the 2012 Family History Conference. Three lectures were chosen from the RootsTech conference held in Salt Lake City, 2-4 February 2012.

Congratulations to the winners, Barbara Renick, Kory Meyerink, and D. Joshua Taylor!

The winning selections were chosen from the many excellent topics and lecturers based on the RootsTech attendee survey, type of content and speaker delivery, and skill level of the lecture. NGS has been a leader in bringing technology to the field of genealogy since its merger with GenTech in 2002. GenTech was created to facilitate communication among persons interested in genealogy and technology. NGS and FamilySearch continue that goal today in partnering to educate the genealogy community by encouraging lectures on identifying some of the best products, techniques, and methods that merge technology and genealogy.

The winning selections are:

"Snagit for Genealogists" presented by Barbara Renick on Wednesday, 9 May, 4:00 p.m.

Snagit (screen capture program from http://www.TechSmith.com) helps genealogists create digital research logs, automate sharing research, and scrapbook family stories in a palatable format.

Barbara Renick is a nationally known genealogy author and lecturer who serves on the NGS Board of Directors and teaches at the Orange FamilySearch Center in California.

"Effective Database Search Tactics" presented by Kory Meyerink, MLS, AG, FUGA, on Thursday, 10 May, 11:00 a.m.

Research success depends on knowing the best way to search different databases. Includes Boolean, truncation, fielded, proximity, phrase, wild cards and wild word searches.

Kory Meyerink is founding partner and senior genealogist with ProGenealogists. He is an adjunct professor, author of Printed Sources, popular speaker and writer, founder of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, past president of the Utah Genealogical Society.

"Do I Trust the Cloud" presented by D. Joshua Taylor, MLS, on Saturday, 12 May, 8:00 a.m.

Discover the basic concepts and "how-tos" of cloud computing and low-cost solutions for storing your genealogical data.

Josh is the North American business development manager for brightsolid online publishing and the vice president of administration for the Federation of Genealogical Societies.

Three Rootstech Lectures Win a Place at NGS 2012 Family History Conference

Exhibitor Spotlight: Family Tree Magazine, Booth 432

We at Family Tree Magazine are super-excited our Cincinnati hometown will be the center of so much family history enthusiasm at the National Genealogical Society 2012 Conference. Here are 10 reasons to visit us in exhibit hall booth 432:

1. Ask what goetta is (hint: you might find it on a menu).

2. Pick up a free copy of the May/June 2012 Family Tree Magazine featuring our Cincinnati research guide plus articles on Irish genealogy, tracing Catholic ancestors, verifying and using information from online trees, and more.

3. Ask about local resources we’ve used to research our own Cincinnati ancestors.

4. Meet author of My Life & Times: A Guided Journal for Collecting Your Stories, Sunny Jane Morton, Friday, May 11, 2 to 3 p.m.

5. Browse our newest family history books including The Genealogist's Census Pocket Reference, Discover Your Family History Online, From the Family Kitchen, and Family History Detective.

6. Pick up favorites such as our Organize Your Genealogy Life! CD, Family Tree Magazine 2011 Annual CD, My Family History Research Planner, and more.

7. See what we have for helping you trace German ancestors (Germans were about 60 percent of Cincinnati's population by 1900) and African-American ancestors (Cincinnati was a Great Migration destination in the 1900s).

8. Drop your name in our fabulous door prize drawing.

9. Take advantage of show specials for Family Tree Magazine subscriptions and renewals.

10. Ask for directions to our excellent Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County or the nearest Skyline Chili.

Exhibitor Spotlight: Family Tree Magazine, Booth 432