The BCG Education Fund is pleased to announce our Spring 2025 Putting Skills to Work event which will be held at the Galt House, Louisville, Kentucky as part of the National Genealogical Society 2025 Family History Conference.

The event will be held in-person at the National Genealogical Society 2025 Family History Conference on Friday 23 May 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided by the National Genealogical Society.

Registration opens at 12 PM (ET) on 9 December 2024.  Attendance is capped at 60 attendees. The fee is $150. The event will not be recorded or live-streamed.

Applying Standards to Writing for Publication

Instructors: Margaret Rose Fortier, CG, and Mary Kircher Roddy, CG, CGG

Detailed Workshop Description:

Chapter 4 of Genealogy Standards covers the standards for writing genealogical proofs and assembling research results into a variety of written products. This hands-on workshop is geared toward writing for publication, including peer-reviewed journals.

We will examine organization and flow of the material, and how to avoid repetition and dead-end arguments. Effective use of headings helps the author organize the material and provides an outline for the reader to understand the evidence and a map to find detailed information.

The class will discuss when to use running text for presentation of evidence and when and how to use other formats including charts, diagrams, lists, tables, maps, and other illustrations.

We will review working with an editor and avoiding common errors in writing for and submitting to journals.

Attendee Prerequisite Knowledge:

Understanding of Genealogy Standards, especially those related to reasoning from evidence (Stds 35–50) and writing (Stds 58–61, 64–71).

Pre-Workshop assignment:

Write a biographical sketch of an ancestor. It should be 350 to 500 words. Due to instructors by 1 May 2025. Additional information will be sent to registrants.

Mastering Reasonably Exhaustive Research: Identifying, Analyzing, and Prioritizing

Instructor: Patti Hobbs, CG, CGG

Detailed Workshop Description:

In today’s digital age, the abundance of online genealogical resources can create the illusion of thorough research. However, the first tenet of the Genealogical Proof Standard—reasonably exhaustive research—requires much more than database searches. This workshop will guide participants in identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing all “potentially relevant” information, with a focus on navigating both traditional and digital sources. Through lectures and hands-on exercises, you’ll learn to identify source locations, evaluate their comprehensiveness, and assess their limitations.

Instructor Bios

Margaret Rose Fortier, is a Board-certified genealogical researcher, writer, editor, and lecturer. Named after her grandmothers and inspired by her mother’s phenomenal memory, she specializes in immigrant ancestors to New England. A graduate of Boston College (BS) and Bentley University (MS), she holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University. She is a lecturer for Tracing French-Canadian Ancestors and Telling Their Stories scheduled at SLIG [Spring 2025]. She serves on the board of the Association of Professional Genealogists, where she chairs the Professional Development Committee

Patti Lee Hobbs, Certified Genealogist^®, Certified Genetic Genealogist^SM, resides in Clever, Missouri. She considers herself blessed to have ancestors from many geographical locations leading to research in varied repositories. She serves on the editorial board for the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and is former trustee for both the Board for Certification of Genealogists and the BCG Education Fund. Patti is the coordinator for the week-long course “Genetics for Genealogists: Fundamentals of DNA” at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR). Her two articles “DNA Identifies a Father for Rachel Lee of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania," in March 2017 and "DNA Merges the Families of Stephen Stilwell of Dutchess County, New York; Cornwall, Upper Canada; and Coshocton County, Ohio," in March 2024 were published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. She is a contributing author of Advanced Genetic Genealogy: Techniques and Case Studies.

Mary Kircher Roddy, CG^®, CGG^SM, is also a Certified Public Accountant. She lectures in Washington State and across the US, and is a regular presenter for LegacyFamilyTree Webinars.  She has written for The National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Internet Genealogy, NGS Magazine, FGS Forum, and Family Chronicle Magazine, and numerous society publications.  Mary served as Treasurer for the Association of Professional Genealogists.  She is currently a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. She is co-editor of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. She is one of the founders of the Applied Genealogy Institute. You can read more about her at MKR Genealogy – www.mkrgenealogy.com