Conferences & Events

2012 NGS Research Trip to Washington, DC

12–17 November 2012 - Register Now

• Space is limited to 26 attendees. 
• Registration Deadline: 15 September 2012

Do you want to

• hold your ancestor’s Civil War pension file in your hand? 
• utilize a variety of maps, photos, and newspapers at the Library of Congress?
• explore various genealogical compilations, record abstracts, and other materials donated by DAR members?

If you answered yes, then this trip may be your answer! - Register Now

Going to Washington, DC, and researching in the nation’s repositories is a dream of many genealogists. Now with this research trip, you can change a possibility into a reality.

NGS is offering a research trip to Washington, DC. Under the guidance of Marie Varrelman Melchiori, cg, cgl*, and Patricia Walls Stamm, cg, cgl, researchers will use the genealogical resources at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library, and the Library of Congress (LOC).

Learn more about

Trip Details

The trip includes:  

• Five days of research at three noteworthy Washington, DC, facilities:
  
  • The National Archives
  • The Library of Congress
  • The Daughters of the American Revolution Library
• Orientation and dessert get-together on Monday
• Research consultations with group leaders throughout the trip
• Friday evening group meal
• Five nights at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn, which includes
  • daily continental breakfast
  • free Internet in rooms
  • parking
• Fees, taxes, and gratuities included
  

Registration Fees:

Payments are required in full at the time of registration. Register Now

Policies

Roommates: NGS will aid participants in locating a roommate; however, no guarantees are made. 

Cancellation: All cancellations must be in writing and received by 15 July 2012. Fees are based on group participation. Cancellations are subject to a $100 per person fee. After 15 July 2012, refunds are not possible unless a substitute participant is found; however, the $100 cancellation fee still applies. Refunds are not available for missing events or not completing the tour. 

Tentative Schedule (Subject to Change)

Monday, 12 November 2012
Check-in at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn after 3:00 p.m.
6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.: Welcome, introductions, and an overview of DC Repositories

Tuesday, 13 November 2012
9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.: Orientation and research at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Lunch on your own

Wednesday, 14 November 2012
9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.: Orientation and research at the Daughters of the American Revolution Library (DAR)
Lunch on your own

Thursday, 15 November 2012
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Orientation and research at the Library of Congress (LOC)
Lunch on your own

Friday, 16 November 2012
8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Personal research and consultations at DAR, LOC, or NARA
Lunch on your own
6:00 p.m.: Closing Reception and Dinner, Holiday Inn Rosslyn

Saturday, 17 November, 2012
8:30 a.m.: Personal research at DAR, NARA, or LOC
Check-out of hotel before 12:00 p.m.

Featured Consultants

Marie Varrelman Melchiori, cg*, cgl, specializes in records in the National Archives, Washington, DC. Marie has lectured at National Genealogical Society and the Federation of Genealogical Societies national conferences since 1988. She has lectured on military records for Samford University's Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research and the Salt Lake Institute. She was the Assistant Director of the National Institute on Genealogical Research from 1988 to 2002, where she continues to lecture on military records. Marie has conducted workshops on military records and beginning genealogy for the National Archives. In September of 1999 and in 2000 she was one of the trip directors for the NGS Research Trip to Ireland. In 1999 the Association of Professional Genealogists awarded her the Graham T. Smallwood Jr. Award of Merit.

Patricia Walls Stamm, cg, cgl, serves as the Education Manager of the National Genealogical Society. Pat lectures on a wide variety of topics at many of the National Genealogical Society and the Federation of Genealogical Societies national conferences. She is a graduate of the National Institute on Genealogical Research and Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. She is an instructor at Samford University's Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, St. Louis Community College, and the St. Louis Genealogical Society.

ADDITIONALLY:
Shirley Wilcox, cg, served two terms as NGS president and has been board certified as a genealogist since 1973. As a native Californian, she has experience tracing her own lines from New England and the South across the country to Northern California in the 1850s–1870s. As a professional genealogist, she has compiled lineages for clients whose ancestors lived in many geographic regions. Shirley was president of the Association of Professional Genealogists (1991–1993), president of the Virginia Genealogical Society (2007–2011), served on the Board for Certification of Genealogists (2000–2009), and currently serves as a member of the Board of Assistants of the Mayflower Descendants in the District of Columbia. Since 1996 she has been the verifying genealogist of the National Society Colonial Dames of America in the District of Columbia. In 1995 she received the Grahame T. Smallwood Jr. Award of Merit from the Association of Professional Genealogists.

Patricia O'Brien Shawker, cg, is a professional genealogist, certified since 1999, whose interests are Maryland genealogy and research at the National Archives. She has a BS in accounting from the University of Maryland. She is the director of the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR) and is the treasurer of the Maryland Genealogical Society. She served as treasurer of the National Genealogical Society for three years (2003–2006). She has been a volunteer staff aid at the National Archives since 2005 and received the Jane Roush McCafferty, CG, Award of Excellence from the Prince George's County Genealogical Society in 2009.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is airfare included?
No. Participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements to the program. NGS strongly recommends that participants purchase travel insurance to protect against monetary loss.

What about food?
Meals are on your own unless otherwise noted in the itinerary. All participants are free to determine their own meal times and places. There are many restaurants in varying price ranges within blocks of the hotel.

What about other costs?
Any incidentals for hotel (extra hotel nights, telephone charges, restaurant charges, or room service) or transportation costs (metro or cab) are the responsibility of the individual. To reserve your additional room nights, contact the Holiday Inn Rosslyn at 703-807-2000.

Which Hotel?
The Holiday Inn Rosslyn at Key Bridge is located at 1900 N. Fort Myer Drive, Arlington, VA 22209.

This hotel is a nonsmoking facility. Rooms were recently refurbished and are equipped with either a king or two queen beds. The room has coffee service, iron with ironing board, hairdryer, in-room safe, and flat panel HDTV. For your relaxation, it has a heated, indoor pool and exercise center.

The hotel overlooks Washington, DC, and is across the Potomac River from historic Georgetown. The Rosslyn Metro Station is less than two blocks away and gives travelers convenient access to all the major business and leisure destinations in the Washington, DC, Arlington, and Crystal City areas.

Within miles of the hotel are Reagan National Airport, numerous shopping malls, and noteworthy Washington, DC, sites, such as the Kennedy Center, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Marine Corps War Memorial.

Please Note:

• The trip is limited to 26 participants. 
• This hotel is a nonsmoking facility and no indoor smoking is allowed. 
• Although all research facilities are handicapped accessible, participants should understand that walking is involved in getting around Washington, DC.
• The closest metro station is about two blocks from the hotel. 
• Cabs and Metro fees are not included in the cost of the trip.

*Certified Genealogist, cg, Certified Genealogical Lecturer and cgl are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists® used by the Board to identify its program of genealogical competency evaluation and used under license by the Board’s associates.