Conference coming here

Deborah Robinson has researched her family's history for 20 years. Like many New Yorkers, her roots are planted firmly in Lowcountry soil. The Edisto Island descendant has visited this area many times, but her next visit will be different.

Robinson is planning to be among the 2,000 people coming here next year for the National Genealogical Society 2011 Family History Conference. It will be her first time attending an NGS conference, and the Lowcountry location is a big draw. Yet, her reasons for coming mirror those of other prospective attendees.

The genealogist, who also has Maxwell, Gadsden, Brown and Miller ancestors, hopes to discover unfamiliar information useful for plugging holes in her research.

She expects to expand her stable of methods for breaking down brick walls. The family historian and others in her New York circle of genealogy buddies also will take opportunities to research the Lowcountry's rich historical collections.

The conference, "Where the Past is Still Present," will coincide with the 150th anniversary observance of the firing on Fort Sumter and start of the Civil War. The South Carolina Genealogical Society is the event's local host and the conference will be held at the Charleston Area Convention Center on May 11-14.

Attendees will represent a cross-section of genealogists, but those looking for that famous ancestor or connection to nobility will be few and far between. Ideas about genealogy continue to change, and today's genealogists usually are about as happy to discover ancestors who lived in obscurity.

"Each of us has our own way of describing what genealogy means to us," says Elizabeth Shown Mills, former editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and well-known for her genealogical problem-solving techniques.

"Mine would be this: Genealogy is about understanding ourselves and the influences that have made us who we are. It's about understanding the men and women whose genes we carry and whose customs we cherish or purposefully reject.

"It's about understanding the world we live in, and how the actions of past men and women shaped the issues we deal with today. It's about understanding how the problems of those past societies shaped our forebears and how the individual choices they made affected their families and ultimately us."

Conference highlights

Jan Alpert, NGS president and conference chairwoman, says a track of lectures focusing on research surrounding a different war will be available each day of the event. The Revolutionary War, The War of 1812 and the Civil War will be covered.

The nearly 175 lectures also will include tracks that focus on researching ancestors who were African-American, German, Huguenot, Melungeon, Native American and Scot-Irish. There also will be lectures on researching genealogy in each Southern state and researching those who migrated into and out of Southern states. Researching in church records will get a lot of attention as well.

A survey of 2010 conference attendees in Salt Lake City indicated that 12 percent were new to genealogy, 10 percent were professionals, 27 percent had six to 15 years experience, 24 percent 16 to 25 years and 27 percent more than 25 years.

While the national conference will continue to address the needs of experienced genealogists, such as those wanting techniques for finding a wife's maiden name, advancing research by studying collateral relatives, or making use of the latest DNA techniques or Internet websites, organizers also are paying close attention to the needs of beginners.

The popular television shows "Who Do You Think You Are?" and "Faces of America" have prompted a surge in the number of beginning genealogists, Alpert says.

Charleston connections

Marguerite Bishop of Charleston, first vice president of the South Carolina Genealogical Society and local host chairwoman, says Charleston's harbor was once the biggest on the East Coast, so everyone who traces their genealogy back far enough will find they have a Lowcountry connection.

"When anybody comes here, they should feel like they have been personally invited," says Bishop.

A highlight of the genealogy conference will be the presentation by S.C. Sen. Glenn McConnell, H.L. Hunley Commission chairman, on the biographical information uncovered about the Confederate submarine's crew members through genealogical and scientific research.

There also will be a narrated boat tour of Charleston Harbor, emphasizing the history of Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie and Castle Pinckney. An old-fashioned barbecue dinner with entertainment will be held at the Charleston Rifle Club.

Local benefit

The conference will benefit local genealogists enormously, says Pat Kruger, vice president of the South Carolina Genealogical Society's Charleston Chapter.

"Having NGS in the Charleston area helps local family historians put their research on fast forward," she says.

The seminars, lectures, exhibits and attendees each bring an element that assists an individual's family history efforts. Speakers are subject matter experts from around the world. New sources, new methods, experts in geographic areas all provide ways to move your research forward and break down brick walls."

To ensure that everything goes smoothly, the South Carolina Genealogical Society, will need 300 conference volunteers.

Volunteers will work the registration desk, answer attendees questions, assist with seating during lectures and get water for speakers.

They also will stuff conference bags in the days leading up to the conference.

People are asked to volunteer now by calling 766-1741 and leaving a message.

Registration for the conference will begin in December and brochures will be sent to all South Carolina libraries this fall.

Visit, www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/video_conference. A conference blog will be available when registration opens.