NGS Quarterly

National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ) & Archive

A Journal for Today's Genealogist

  • Free to members and organizational subscribers
  • Published four times per year
  • Index (1912-current; no issues were published in 1926), of titles and authors. Public access.
  • Archives (1912-current; no issues were published in 1926), open to individual members, family members and life members.

The index is temporarily unavailable while we address a technical issue

Since 1912, the National Genealogical Society Quarterly has published material concerning all regions of the nation and all ethnic groups including

  • case studies,
  • essays on new methodology and little-known resources,
  • critical reviews of current books, and
  • previously unpublished source materials.

The NGS Quarterly emphasizes scholarship, readability, and practical help in genealogical problem solving. Published in March, June, September, and December, each issue contains eighty pages. Articles show

  • how to cope with name changes, burned courthouses, illegitimacies, and other stumbling blocks;
  • how to interpret records that do not mean what they seem to say; how to distinguish among individuals of the same name; how to identify origins of immigrant ancestors;
  • how to research a variety of ethnic groups; how to find a way through the maze of records at the National Archives; how to conduct research in specific states.

The NGS Quarterly captures the challenge of modern genealogy and proves that thoroughly researched and well-written family history is never boring!

If you want to receive NGS Quarterly, visit our membership page.

Interested in seeing some sample articles?  Visit the Free Genealogy Resource section in the Learning Center of this website and look for the NGS Quarterly free articles.

Advertising in NGSQ

An ad in the prestigious NGS Quarterly can pay dividends for your company. Learn more about NGSQ advertising options.

Submissions to NGSQ

As a learned society journal with nearly a century of leadership in the field, the NGS Quarterly welcomes submissions of appropriate materials. Interested readers and potential submitters may want to know more about the editorial process.

Book Reviews

Donate a copy to NGS Collection; St. Louis County Library; St. Louis County Library, History and Genealogy, 1412 S Spoede Rd, St. Louis, MO 63131. Specify contact and ordering information in a cover letter. Publishers of works chosen for review will be asked to supply a copy to a designated reviewer. A limited number of contributed works can receive critical review in the NGS Quarterly. The NGS Quarterly may occasionally review important but undonated works. Learn more about the NGS Book Loan collection in the Free Genealogy Resources section of this website.

About the Editors

Margaret R. Fortier, CG, of Medford, Massachusetts, a genealogical researcher, writer, and instructor, is chair of the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) webinar committee and a board member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) where she serves on the bylaws and professional development committees. Her research focuses on the New England states, New York, Pennsylvania, Quebec, and Italy. She lectures at the NGS Family History Conference and has been an instructor for the Applied Genealogy Institute. She is facilitator for a GenProof study group and for the Certification Discussion Group. She has written for NGSQ, the APG Quarterly, and MASSOG: A Genealogical Journal for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She holds an MS in Information Design from Bentley University.

Mary Kircher Roddy, CG, of Seattle, Washington, is a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists and was treasurer of the Association of Professional Genealogists from 2018 through 2021. She has both published and peer reviewed several articles in the NGSQ since 2018. She is a frequent presenter at conferences and for societies in the US, Canada and Australia on methodology and record types. She is one of the founders of the Applied Genealogy Institute. Her personal research focuses primarily in Ireland, California, Pennsylvania, and Ohio but extends to genealogical records in Germany.  In addition to the NGSQ, her articles have appeared in NGS Magazine, Family Chronicle, Internet Genealogy, and various society publications. She was a mentor for ProGen study groups.

Contact the Editors

Address questions or comments about the NGS Quarterly to:

[email protected]

The words Certified Genealogist and its acronym, CG, are trademarks registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the designations Certified Genealogical Lecturer and its acronym, CGL, are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists.