Conferences & Events

2013 NGS Research Trip to Washington, DC

3–9 November 2013

• Space is limited to 26 attendees. 
• Registration Deadline: 15 September 2013
• This event is now sold out. To be placed on a waiting list please e-mail Courtney Holmes. 

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!

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 Craig Roberts Scott, cg*, 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:  

• Six days of research at three noteworthy Washington, DC, facilities:
  
  • The National Archives
  • The Library of Congress
  • The Daughters of the American Revolution Library
• Online Training and Preparation Assistance for the 2013 Washington, DC, Research Trip
• Orientation and dessert get-together on Sunday at the hotel 
• Research consultations with group leaders throughout the trip
• Friday evening group meal
• Six nights at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn, which includes
  • daily continental breakfast
  • free Internet in rooms
  • parking
• Fees, taxes, and gratuities included
  

Registration Fees:

¹non-researching spouse receives the benefits of the double room, orientation, daily continental breakfast, and Friday evening group meal

Payments are required in full at the time of registration.  

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 August 2013. Fees are based on group participation. Cancellations are subject to a $100 per person fee. After 15 August 2013, 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)

Sunday, 3 November 2013
Check-in at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn after 3:00 p.m.
3:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m.: Welcome, introductions, and an overview of DC Repositories at the Georgetown Room

Monday, 4 November 2013
9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.: Orientation and research at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Lunch on your own

Tuesday, 5 November 2013
9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.: Orientation and research at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Lunch on your own

Wednesday, 6 November 2013
9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.: Orientation and research at the Daughters of the American Revolution Library (DAR)
Lunch on your own

Thursday, 7 November 2013
9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Orientation and research at the Library of Congress (LOC)
Lunch on your own

Friday, 8 November 2013
Personal research at DAR, LOC, or NARA
Lunch on your own
6:00 p.m.: Closing Reception and Dinner, Holiday Inn Rosslyn

Saturday, 9 November, 2013
Personal research at DAR, NARA, or LOC
Check-out of hotel before 12:00 p.m.

Featured Consultants

Craig Roberts Scott, cg, is a professional genealogist specializing in records in the National Archives, Washington, DC, since 1985. He has written several books and articles that relate to research in the National Archives. He has lectured at National Genealogical Society and the Federation of Genealogical Societies national conferences since 1990. Craig has coordinated and lectured in the military records tracks at Samford University's Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). He continues to lecture around the country on military records and problem solving. He has served on the Board of the Association of Professional Genealogists for several terms. Craig is also the president and CEO of Heritage Books, Inc.

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 (NIGR) and the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR). Pat is an instructor at Samford University's Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), St. Louis Community College, and the St. Louis Genealogical Society.

ADDITIONALLY:
Shirley Langdon Wilcox, cg, fngs, 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 is a grocery store as well as 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. Additional nights are available. To reserve your room for additional nights, contact Courtney Holmes at cholmes@ngsgenealogy.org for fees.

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, the hotel has a heated indoor pool, and exercise center.

The hotel overlooks the Potomac River and is across from the historic Georgetown area. Within a short walking distance of the hotel is the Rosslyn Metro Station, which gives travelers convenient access to all the major business and leisure destinations in the Washington, DC, Arlington, and Crystal City areas. There is also a grocery store and numerous restaurants nearby.

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.
• Cab 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.