Check out the conference brochure!

If you missed seeing the NGS 2009 brochure at NGS 2008 or you have yet to see it locally here in NC, you can download it by clicking here. (Beware, it is about 3 megabytes in size and so may download slowly depending on the speed of your internet connection.)

And, we encourage anyone to share NGS 2009 brochure with interested individuals, societies, libraries, etc. Also feel free to print it out to share that way.

We are currently distributing print copies locally, state-wide and regionally to libraries, archives and local genealogy and related societies and we could use your assistance! Please help us get the word out! Please do share this information with any individuals or organizations that you think might be interested.

Just yesterday we learned that a local retirement community with an active genealogy club didn't know that NGS 2009 was coming to Raleigh -- they do now and they are excited and already starting to plan to attend -- for many this will be their first National Conference!

In the future, we will also be posting press releases and other publicity materials! Watch this blog for news of that!

Volunteers Needed!

As you can imagine, many volunteers are needed to present a conference of this size.

The local host, the North Carolina Genealogical Society, has been hard at work planning special events and activities for attendees.

But there’s still much work to be done in advance of the conference coming and during the run of the conference. Your help is needed!

If you can volunteer your time, either before or during the conference, please contact Rob Elias (rcgenealogy@aol.com) or Cathy Elias (cathyelias@aol.com). Provide your contact information and indicate whether you can help before or during the conference or both and they will get back with you.

The Lost Colony

Before the pilgrims came to Plymouth Rock and before Jamestown became the first permanent English settlement in North America, a group of colonists arrived at Roanoke Island. With the assistance of his friend, artist John White, Sir Walter Raleigh made plans to start an English settlement in America. More than a dozen families signed up for the adventure that would send them across the ocean. They set sail from England on 8 May 1587. The ships made their way to what is now the North Carolina outer banks by mid-summer after sailing through the Caribbean. The 150 brave men, women, and children settled on Roanoke Island in July 1587 and were left to build a community.

Roanoke Island lies between the mainland of North Carolina and the barrier islands of the Outer Banks. A small island, it is eight miles long and two miles wide. When the colonists arrived, they found woods of cedar, cypress, and gum trees. Deer, rabbits, and wild birds were abundant. Grapes grew wild in the dunes at the water’s edge. After three days on the island, a group a American Indians peacefully approached the group. The settlers offered the Indians gifts and the Indians returned the gesture by using their canoes to paddle into the sound to provide a catch of fresh fish.

When ships returned to Roanoke Island three years later to check on these early colonists there was no sight of them. Their village was ransacked, burned, and abandoned. Four hundred years later, it remains a mystery as to what happened to the Roanoke colonists. Some theorize that they abandoned Roanoke Island to live either with the Indians or to move further north into Virginia. Other believe the settlers died from disease or starvation. Recent research has revealed that North Carolina suffered its worst drought in eight hundred years at the time the Roanoke colonists arrived. Surely they would not have survived the hot, dry, rainless summer and fall if they had not moved on.

The Lost Colony is commemorated at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on Roanoke Island, North Carolina, which is a part of the National Park Service. In addition to North Carolina’s natural beauty, the Site preserves the history of the early Roanoke colony. For more information, visit the park’s website at http://www.nps.gov/fora/.

Annually, the Roanoke Island Historical Association, produces the outdoor drama "The Lost Colony."

And, don't forget to checkout The Lost Colony Center for Science and Research.

Reference: The Mysterious Disappearance of Roanoke Colony by Zachary Kent, Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2004.

Reserve your conference hotel today

Three hotels in downtown Raleigh are offering special conference rates. Make your hotel reservations early. A number of local colleges and universities will be holding graduation ceremonies on the weekends before and during the conference.

Raleigh Marriott City Center -- Cut off date 17 April 2009
501 Fayetteville Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
Room rate - $124 per night plus tax.

The Raleigh Marriott City Center hotel, opening in September 2008, is connected to the new Raleigh Convention Center. Guest rooms feature wireless Internet access, in-room safe, 37-inch plasma TV, and a complimentary weekday newspaper. The hotel offers a full-service business center, indoor pool, fitness center, and a Starbucks coffee shop.

Parking - The Marriott will offer complimentary parking for one car per sleeping room (not transferable to another room or attendee).

Reservations number: 888-236-2427 with discount code NGS or Book Online at http://cwp.marriott.com/rdumc/ngsconference/

Sheraton Raleigh Hotel
421 South Salisbury Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
Room rate - $120 per night plus tax.

The recently-renovated Sheraton Raleigh Hotel is just one block from the new Raleigh Convention Center. The hotel offers an indoor heated pool, jacuzzi, and high-speed Internet access.

Parking - The Sheraton includes parking for one car per guest room complimentary.

Reservations number: 919-834-9900 or book online at http://specialoffers.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton_raleigh/so.htm?PS=PS_aa_Google_Sheraton_Raleigh_Hotel_010307_NAD_FM

Raleigh Clarion Hotel State Capital
320 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
Room rate - $79 per night plus tax.

The recently-renovated rooms at the Raleigh Clarion Hotel State Capital all have scenic views of downtown Raleigh. The hotel is located 8 blocks from the Raleigh Convention Center. The hotel offers free high-speed Internet access, a free weekday newspaper, and a free five-story parking deck for guests. The Top of the Tower restaurant offers panoramic views of the city.

For reservations, call 919-832-0501 or book online at http://www.clarionhotel.com/ires/en-US/html/HotelInfo?hotel=NC376

Come to Raleigh in May 2009

Mark your calendars! You won’t want to miss the next Conference in the States, sponsored by the National Genealogical Society, when the nation’s genealogists will come together in Raleigh. The conference will be held in the new Raleigh Convention Center on 13–16 May 2009. Opening in September 2008, the 500,000-square-foot facility offers the finest amenities for visitors including a large exhibit hall, twenty meeting rooms with state-of-the-art audio/visual equipment, and spacious reception areas throughout the center to foster an informal and comfortable environment in which conference attendees can socialize and network.

Raleigh and the surrounding area is home to a number of important repositories of records, documents, and original manuscripts relating to North Carolina genealogy and history. The North Carolina State Archives and the Genealogical Services Branch of the North Carolina State Library are located just a few blocks from the Raleigh Convention Center. In nearby Chapel Hill is the Southern Historical Collection and the North Carolina Collection housed at the Louis Round Wilson Library on the campus of the University of Chapel Hill. Duke University in Durham is home to the U.S. Southern History Collection.

Downtown Raleigh is home to the North Carolina Museum of History, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, the Raleigh City Museum, and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. From fine dining to small cafes to friendly pubs, Raleigh offers restaurants for any taste.

Make plans now to come to Raleigh in May 2009. Enjoy our southern hospitality while you immerse yourself in four days of genealogy heaven.

Watch the National Genealogical Society’s website and this blog for registration information.