THANK YOU!

Thank you for coming to Raleigh for NGS 2009! We hope that you had a great time at the conference and in the Raleigh area!

We were so happy to have you visit and hope that you will come back and visit us soon!

We enjoyed so much re-acquainting with old friends and making lots of new ones!

Maybe we'll see you in Salt Lake City UT in 2010 ("Follow Your Ancestral Trails" ) or Charleston SC in 2011!

Orienting Yourself at the Convention Center -- a Quick Guide

Here's a quick floor-by-floor guide to the Raleigh Convention Center!

Floor 1 -- Exhibit level

• Exhibit Hall A is the one closest to the front of the building -- access it from the Mezzanine level via a dedicated escalator or elevator

Floor 2 -- Mezzanine level

• The level you are on if you enter off Cabarrus St.
• Access to the exhibit hall (use escalator or elevator to go down one level as designated)
• Any classrooms with a number in the 200s
• Connector hallway to the Marriott
• Society Night on Wednesday

Floor 3 -- Meeting level

• The level you are on when you come in the "main entrance" off Salisbury Street
• Registration Area
• Any classrooms with a number in the 300s (301-304 are on the S side and 305 -307 are on the N side)

Floor 4 -- Ballroom level

• The Ballroom
• Classroom 402 (SE corner)

Construction Alert!!!!

Be aware that there is construction going on in the area around the Marriott hotel. This means that you may be inconvenienced slightly as you enter or exit the Marriott. Part of the construction is for another exciting Raleigh addition -- the City Plaza (more below) and other construction is for yet incomplete buildings!

Here is a map showing the plan for the City Plaza that is being constructed in the area. Note that the plan shows the location of the Marriott and Sheraton hotels with respect to the construction project.


If you would like to learn more about this exciting project, click here.

Portions of Video to be Filmed at NGS 2009!

The National Genealogical Society is pleased to announce that nationally renowned filmmaker Allen Moore is producing a video for NGS that will motivate viewers to become interested in their family history and direct them to NGS. Portions of the video will be filmed at the upcoming NGS 2009 Family History Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, 13-16 May. The video will capture the excitement of attending an NGS Family History Conference and present the value of NGS as told by its members.

Allen Moore was the cinematographer for several well-known Ken Burns films including The Civil War and Baseball. He is the recipient of a number of Emmy awards and is an Academy Award nominee. Moore’s production manager is Kate Geis, also the recipient of Emmys and other awards as a documentarian. A current example of Moore’s camera work can be seen in Geronimo, episode 4 of We Shall Remain on The American Experience, premiering 4 May 2009 on PBS.

Society Night

On Wednesday evening, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, the mezzanine area of the convention center will play host to Society Night. Free and open to the public, many county genealogical and historical societies from all over North Carolina and nearby states will have representatives displaying information about their group's activities, answering questions about area repositories and resources, and selling publications and books. This is a great opportunity to network with genealogists from your research areas and to learn more about how you can benefit from the many societies' offerings. Live piano music will add ambiance to the evening. The exhibit hall will also be open that evening until 7:00 PM.

A free lecture series will also be offered at 7:00 PM: [note that these talks will run concurrently!]

1. "How Our Ancestors Moved over the Land in Olden Times: Land Transport Capabilities and Limitations in Colonial Carolina" presented by Tom Magnuson from the Trading Path Association.

2. "Genealogy 2.0: Using Digital Tools to Trace Your North Carolina Roots." Druscie Simpson and Christy Allen from the North Carolina State Library and Archives will present a guided tour of the North Carolina State Archives/State Library's digital resources, such as the Archives' MARS catalog, and will showcase digitized publications and records related to genealogy.

3."Melungeon Voices" is a film by Julie Williams Dixon and Warren Gentry. The Melungeons of East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia have been shrouded in mystery for hundreds of years with theories of who they might be ranging from descendants of the Lost Colony to descendants of shipwrecked sailors who intermarried with Native Americans. For any genealogist looking for a Melungeon ancestor, this one-hour documentary film is a must see. Part genealogy, part geography, part genetics, the story of the Melungeons offers a fascinating look into the earliest days of America and how people put aside ethnic and racial differences to survive.

4. "Irish Emigration to America and Canada," presented by Mary Sullivan from the Irish History Foundation, will explain the reasons for the pattern of emigration from Ireland to America and Canada - who was affected and why.

5. "The Journey of an Ancestry Record: How an Image on Ancestry.com Gets From the Archives to the Website" will be presented by Laryn Brown from Ancestry.com.

Parking in Downtown Raleigh!

Parking in Raleigh has never been easier!

Just a few years ago it would have been so much harder. Most of the new construction downtown has been accompanied by the building of new and large parking decks scattered throughout the downtown area!

The new Convention Center has it's own parking deck and the Cabarrus Deck is very close by. Directions for getting to the Convention Center and Raleigh Marriott City Center Garage can be found here.

Street parking is more challenging to find and do watch out for the meter running out. Parking inspectors are very vigilant! Meters are enforced Meters are enforced from 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, except for statutory holidays.

And, parking in Raleigh is not expensive ... the lot in front of the NC Archives charges $1/hour up to an $8 maximum. The other lots run from $1-$3 (typical - the convention center deck)/hour with a $12 maximum. Here is the full rate sheet.

For an overview of the locations of the parking decks, check out this map [now a new link & new map!].

And, with the new R-1 circulator service, you can park further from the Convention Center and yet still have convenient access to it.

Dessert Reception at the NC Museum of History

NC Museum of History Reception

Thursday, May 14th 6:00-9:30p
Cost: $19.50 per person

Co-sponsored by the North Carolina Genealogical Society and the North Carolina Museum of History, we will have the NC Museum of History all to ourselves this evening to explore the many and varied exhibits relating to North Carolina history.

There will be a dessert reception in the museum lobby featuring delicious selections from Irregardless, a popular downtown Raleigh restaurant. Coffee and iced tea will be included.

The museum gift shop will be open and there will be talks given by William Alexander Haley (The Making of Roots), Earl Ijames (Colored Confederates, Myth or Reality?), and Jeffrey Haines (North Carolina People Finders).

NOTE: As a special treat, the exhibit "Knights of the Black Flag" will be open (for free) to those attending this wonderful event! Click here for details on the exhibit.

Traveling Around Downtown Raleigh is Easier Than Ever!!!

Raleigh has introduced a new FREE Circulator Bus Loop! The R-Line.

This is so exciting since it will make it easier than ever for conference attendees to get around downtown, especially for evening dining, visiting the archives and museums and participating in the planned Thursday evening events!

The circulator will run during the following hours:

Mon-Wed Hours: 7:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Thu-Sat Hours: 7:00 AM - 2:15 AM

Sun Hours: 1:00 PM - 8:00 PM

The route will be served by two buses and the service will run every 10-12 minutes.

Check out this map to get a sense of the lay of the land from an aerial perspective ...

• the dirt pits at the bottom is where the convention center and hotel are
• go north and you will see the Capitol building surrounded by it's gardens
• just north of the Capitol building are the Science and History museum buildings
• kitty-corner from the History museum building is where the NC Archives and State Library of NC are located
• the western edge of the loop is Glenwood south -- many restaurants are located along this stretch (as well as long Fayetteville Street, right outside the conference hotel)
• off the eastern evening route addition you are near Moore Square/City Market -- more options for dining

And, this map shows the circulator route, key buildings and where all the downtown parking lots and decks are!

And, now you can view a Google Map of Circulator Route!

So, if you were worried that you would need to walk, now you'll be able to just hop a bus!

Wednesday's FREE Events -- Don't Miss!!

On Wednesday, 13 May 2009 -- The NGS Conference in the States 2009 has several free events that you will not want to miss!

These events are all FREE and are held in the Convention Center!

Join us for a movie, some free lectures, Society Night and extended shopping hours in the exhibit hall Wednesday evening until 7:00 PM. See the conference website for a list of our many exhibitors including book and software vendors, libraries, and organizations.

Society Night
5:00–7:00 PM
Mezzanine area of conference center

Do you have an ancestor from a North Carolina county? Representatives of many county genealogical and historical societies from all over North Carolina and nearby states will staff booths throughout the mezzanine area of the conference center. Society members will display information about their group’s activities, answer questions about area repositories and resources, and sell publications and books. We will enjoy live piano music throughout the evening.

Evening Lecture Series
7:00 PM

• How Our Ancestors Moved over the Land in Olden Times: Land Transport Capabilities and Limitations in Colonial Carolina --Tom Magnuson from the Trading Path Association
• Genealogy 2.0: Using Digital Tools to Trace Your North Carolina Roots -- This presentation will provide a guided tour of the North Carolina State Archives/State Library’s digital resources such as the Archives’ MARS catalog and will showcase digitized publications and records related to genealogy. Participation from attendees is encouraged. Druscie Simpson & Christy Allen from the North Carolina State Library and Archives.
• Melungeon Voices, a film by Julie Williams Dixon and Warren Gentry -- The Melungeons of East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia have been shrouded in mystery for hundreds of years with theories of who they might be ranging from descendants of the Lost Colony to descendants of shipwrecked sailors who intermarried with Native Americans. For any genealogist looking for a Melungeon ancestor, this one-hour documentary fi lm is a must see. Part genealogy, part geography, part genetics, the story of the Melungeons offers a fascinating look into the earliest days of America and how people put aside ethnic and racial differences to survive.
• Irish Emigration to America and Canada -- This lecture will explain the reasons for and the pattern of emigration from Ireland to America and Canada—who was affected and why. Mary Sullivan from the Irish History Foundation
• The Journey of an Ancestry Record: How an Image on Ancestry.com Gets from the Archives to the Website -- Laryn Brown from Ancestry.com

Why attend a national conference?

If you've never attended a national genealogy conference, now is the time to make plans to come to Raleigh in May 2009. Join fellow genealogists for four days of lectures, shopping, eating, networking, meeting new friends, and reconnecting with old friends. In all, there are eighteen time slots with a choice of ten lectures per hour. At the early-bird NGS member registration fee, that's less than $10 per lecture. Where else can you find such a large group of nationally-recognized genealogy speakers under the same roof, ready and able to share their knowledge with you.

The early-bird registration fee of $175 for NGS members and $210 for non-members is valid until 31 March 2009. Don't miss out on these savings - register today! It's easy to do on the NGS website.

See you in Raleigh in May.

African-American Genealogy Forum -- Free & Open to the Public!

This exciting forum will be held at the North Carolina Museum of History
Tuesday, May 12, 2009

9:30 AM

Free and open to the public.

The African-American forum, to be held in conjunction with the 2009 NGS Family History Conference, will feature presentations by:

• Dr. John Quinly Williams, agricultural scientist and author of the forthcoming publication, God, Guts, and Game—Survival of Three African American Families: 1747–2000


• Dr. Barnetta White McGhee, author of Somebody Knows My Name (in photo)


• Dorothy Spruill Redford, retired curator, Somerset Place and author of the 1986 publication, Somerset Homecoming


• Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and the Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University. Professor Gates wrote and produced the PBS documentary, African American Lives, the first documentary series to employ genealogy and genetic science to provide an understanding of African American history. His latest production, Looking for Lincoln, will air in February 2009.

A panel discussion will feature the four speakers as well as another special guest, Bill Haley, son of Alex Haley, of Roots fame.

(Somerset Plantation)

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

A moment you have been waiting for has arrived -- information on the NGS 2009 Program is available and online, as is the registration brochure and form! And, soon, you will be able to register online also!

Download registration brochure
Download registration form only
View complete online searchable program
Online registration (now open!)

Registration Fees:

NGS Member Full Registration (all four days)
Early-bird deadline fee if postmarked by 31 March 2009 - $175
Postmarked after 31 March 2009 - $210

Non-Member Full Registration (all four days)
Early-bird deadline fee if postmarked by 31 March 2009 - $210
Postmarked after 31 March 2009 - $245

Single Day Registration Single Day - either Weds, Thurs, Fri, or Sat - $95 per day
After 31 March 2009 - $100 per day

Meet our New Convention Center! Part III

Here are some photos from opening day showing the Ballroom! Future posts will show off other areas of this wonderful new facility!

Come and visit it personally in May 2009!

Meet our New Convention Center! Part II

Here are some photos from opening day showing the large convention center exhibit hall! Future posts will show off other areas of this wonderful new facility!

Come and visit it personally in May 2009!

Meet our New Convention Center!

Several of the local planning committee visited the New Convention Center (home of NGS 2009) on it's opening day! Here are some photos from that day showing the main entrance area/lobby! Future posts will show off other areas of this wonderful new facility!

Come and visit it personally in May 2009!

Why come to Raleigh?

Why should you come to Raleigh in May 2009?

The weather is great. The average daytime highs are in the mid- to upper-70s.

The dogwood trees and rhododendron plants are in bloom, painting the city with color.

You can network with hundreds of genealogists who are also coming to the conference.

The conference is held in the middle of North Carolina history. Enjoy being close to many archival repositories just waiting for you to explore their collections. (Read about the many research opportunities on this blog.)

North Carolina barbeque - need we say more?!

Indulge yourself with four days of genealogy lectures by nationally-known speakers.

Enjoy world-class museums, many within walking distance of the convention center.

Stroll through an exhibit hall filled with vendors offering a wide variety of genealogy products and services.

The Raleigh Convention Center

The much-anticipated Raleigh Convention Center opened in the fall of 2008. The 500,000 square foot building will be an impressive backdrop for the NGS Conference in the States in May 2009. The convention center boasts high-tech capabilities such as state-of-the-art lighting and sound in each room and wireless internet access throughout the building.

The lobby welcomes visitors with floor-to-ceiling windows. The street level mezzanine offers easy access to all areas of the center and to the attached Raleigh Marriott City Center hotel. The spacious reception area will be an ideal location to meet friends and network with fellow genealogists.

For those who are driving to the conference, there is a 900-space attached parking garage plus more than 4,000 parking spaces within a 2-block radius of the center.

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 ([email protected]) or Cathy Elias ([email protected]). Provide your contact information and indicate whether you can help before or during the conference or both and they will get back with you.

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 ==> SOLD OUT!!!
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.