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 Mark your calendars! You won't
want to miss the next Conference in the States, sponsored by the National
Genealogical Society, when the nation's genealogists will come together in the
new Raleigh Convention Center. Opening in September 2008, the
500,000-square-foot facility offers the finest amenities for visitors
including a large exhibit hall, twenty meeting rooms with state-of-the-art
audio/visual equipment, and spacious reception areas throughout the center to
foster an informal and comfortable environment in which conference attendees
can socialize and network.
The
North Carolina Genealogical Society (NCGS) is proud to be the local sponsor
of the 2009 National Genealogical Society conference, which will be held May
13 through 16, 2009. The theme for the
conference is The Building of a Nation: From Roanoke to the West.
Before the pilgrims came to
Plymouth Rock and before Jamestown became the first permanent
English settlement in North America, a group of colonists arrived at Roanoke Island in 1587. Roanoke Island lies between the mainland of North Carolina and the barrier islands of the
Outer Banks. A small island, it is eight miles long and two miles wide. When
ships returned to Roanoke Island three years later to check on these early colonists there was no
sight of them. Their village was ransacked, burned, and abandoned. Four
hundred years later, it remains a mystery as to what happened to the Roanoke colonists. Some theorize that
they abandoned Roanoke Island to live either with the Indians or to move further north into Virginia. Others believe the settlers
died from disease or starvation. Recent research has revealed that North Carolina suffered its worst drought in
eight hundred years at the time the Roanoke colonists arrived. Surely they
would not have survived the hot, dry, rainless summer and fall if they had
not moved on.
North Carolina history and research
opportunities will provide the backdrop for the 2009 conference. The
conference will feature many nationally known speakers and the exhibit hall
will be filled with vendors sharing the latest products for genealogists. If
you've never attended a national conference, this is your chance to attend
one right in your own backyard. The educational opportunities are plentiful
and the networking opportunities unmatched.
Many volunteers are needed to present a conference of this size. If
you can volunteer your time, either before or during the conference, please
contact either Rob (rcgenealogy@aol.com)
or Cathy Elias (cathyelias@aol.com). Provide your contact information and they
will get back with you.
Watch
the NGS website (http://www.ngsgenealogy.org)
for more information about the conference. The NGS 2009 blog (http://www.ncgenealogy.org/blogs/ngs2009/)
will keep you up-to-date with your preconference planning.
To
view a brochure outlining the nationalconference CLICK HERE
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