The National Genealogical Society (NGS) is one of the most important genealogical societies in the United States. This service organization, which is over 100 years old, leads and educates the national genealogical community and assists members in tracing family histories.

On its website (www.ngsgenealogy.org), you’ll find announcements of NGS seminars, workshops, and programs; information on its home-study course; youth resources; and other NGS activities. This is an excellent site for learning genealogy standards and methods.

NGS was organized in Washington, D.C., in 1903. The preliminary first meeting was held on April 24, and then it formally organized that year on November 11. Now, the NGS has over 17,000 members, including individuals, families, genealogical societies, family associations, libraries, and other related institutions.

About the NGS

The NGS is one of the best broad-based organizations for family history. Its workshops, meetings, and publications are invaluable. You can see its home page in Figure 17-1.

FIGURE 17-1. The National Genealogical Society website has searchable data as well as information about the organization.

On the home page, you’ll find links to the newest and most relevant items on the site, including upcoming meetings, trips, courses, and competitions. On every page of the site, you’ll find a navigation bar at the top that leads to the following sections.

Educational Courses

Free to NGS members, the online, self-paced, self-graded Family History Skills course is good for beginners or for those who need a refresher course. Other online courses cover population census records, special agricultural or mortality census schedules, deeds, and more, and range in price from free for members to $50 per course for nonmembers.

The famous NGS American Genealogy: Home Study Course is now on CD-ROM. Members and nonmembers can opt for the course to be either self-graded or graded by a professional genealogist. You can buy the three-CD course one at a time for $85 apiece or in bundles for as much as $565 (graded course, nonmember price).

Publications and Videos

Written and edited by leading experts in the genealogical field, NGS periodicals and books show you the best techniques to help you research and record your family history. The publications and videos cover the latest technology tools, case studies of how to solve a difficult research problem, and reference books on particular geographic areas. You can view for free the video Paths to Your Past in this section of the site.

Conferences and Events

Many people first learn about the NGS as an organization at the conferences and events held around the country every year.

The NGS Family History Conference is the biggest event of the year for the society. Everyone from neophytes to those who want to become Certified Professional Genealogists will find something interesting at this conference. The location changes yearly, and fee ranges from $100 for one day to $275 for nonmembers for the whole conference.

You can also sign up for a research trip where a professional genealogist leads a tour to help you research in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. Two are held each year.

Family reunions and other genealogy groups also publicize their events on the NGS events calendar, so this is a place to bookmark for future reference.

Awards and Competitions

NGS awards are given each year at the annual conference. They are:

    • Award of Honor To recognize an individual or organization for dedicated and sustained service in support of an NGS Family History Conference.

    • Award of Merit To recognize exceptional contributions to the field of genealogy by an individual or nonprofit genealogical or historical organization over a period of five years or more.

    • Certificate of Appreciation To recognize an individual or organization for service during an NGS conference. A nominee need not be a member of NGS. This award may be presented to an individual or institution more than once.

    • Distinguished Service Award To recognize outstanding contributions to the work of NGS. A nominee must have been a member of NGS for at least one year.

    • Fellow of the National Genealogical Society (FNGS) To recognize outstanding work in the field of genealogy or the related fields of history, biography, or heraldry, in addition to outstanding service to the National Genealogical Society.

Several competitions, such as the Family History Writing Contest and scholarships for students and adults, are also outlined in this section.

Calendar

You might want to bookmark the calendar at www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/event_calendar, where not only NGS events but also events from other genealogical organizations are listed.

My Account, My Orders, My Downloadable Products

Whenever you order from the website, whether a member or not, the transactions are stored here. This is one reason to fill out the registration when you first visit the site so that you can trace your activity later.

Store

The NGS has several excellent publications for sale. Members receive a discount, but nonmembers can also buy the research guides (available as PDFs and in hard copy) and the excellent book, Mastering Genealogical Proof (National Genealogical Society, Inc., 2013)—now available for the Kindle—among others. If you want to order, you need to create a profile with your e-mail and contact information. This does not sign you up as a member of the National Genealogical Society or give you access to the members-only section of the website; it just helps you keep track of your purchases and redownload your PDFs later.

Wrapping Up

    • The NGS is a broad-based American institution for education and resources in genealogy.

    • You can take online and at-home genealogy courses from NGS, take research trips, and attend NGS conferences to learn about genealogy.

    • Certain databases can be searched online at the site by members; you can also pay a fee to have NGS staff do research for you.