Sept. 24, 2015
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A two-day genealogical research conference presented jointly by the Virginia Genealogical Society (VGS) and the Mining Your History Foundation (MYHF) will be held at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston, on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2-3, 2015. “Archives and History is delighted to host this important conference, which will give genealogists from both states the opportunity to share information about their common heritage,” said Joe Geiger, director of West Virginia Archives and History. Geiger noted that a VGS conference has not been held in West Virginia since 2006 and stated, “We look forward to the event and hope family history researchers from across West Virginia can join us.”
Friday’s program will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Archives and History Library. This event invites visitors to spend the day touring and researching the information and resources that are available. Staff will be on hand to answer questions concerning the library’s collection and how to do research. Experienced researchers also will be available to answer questions, provide individual assistance to beginners and offer strategies for difficult genealogical problems. Conference registration is not required to attend Friday’s event in the library.
Barbara Vines Little will serve as the guest speaker for Saturday’s program. She is a professional genealogist and will spend the day sharing her knowledge of available West Virginia historical records and resources, and will share research strategies that can be helpful in locating West Virginia ancestors. Little has served on the board of the Orange County Historical Society in Orange, Va., as former president of the National Genealogical Society and Virginia Genealogical Society, and as coordinator and instructor for the Virginia Institute of Genealogical Research Track II and the Virginia track at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. She also has lent her expertise to a number of genealogical publications, including the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, National Genealogical Society Newsletter and the Professional Genealogists Quarterly and served as editor of the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy and the Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter. For the past 25 years, she has lectured locally and nationally at conferences in 30 different states on research methodology, Virginia and West Virginia resources and writing and publishing.
Saturday’s program will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. followed by lectures throughout the day and will conclude at approximately 4 p.m. that afternoon. A registration fee, which includes lunch, is required to attend Saturday’s events and can be paid in person that day. For more information about the conference and registering, visit http://www.vgs.org/ or view the conference brochure at http://www.wvculture.org/history/myhf/event-2015-fall-brochure.pdf.
West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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