Author: Gen-Fed Administration

Welcome Mary O’Brien Vidlak, CG—Gen-Fed’s New Assistant Director

December 9, 2023

We regret to announce that Cinda Baxter, CG, has stepped away as the Gen-Fed Assistant Director. She has given this program so much with her talents in organization, dedication, and enthusiasm.  She will be missed.  We now ask all to welcome our new colleague.

Mary O’Brien Vidlak, CG®

holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Fairfield University and attended the MBA program at Rutgers University. Prior to a move to Williamsburg, Virginia, in 2006, she was the Director of Benefits for a Fortune 500 company. Like many newcomers to the Historic Triangle region, Mary immersed herself in the unique opportunities available in the area to learn more about the people who once lived there. That information led to the discovery of the deep roots of her own family in Virginia. As a result, what had been a vague interest in family history became a passion.

A relative latecomer to genealogy, Mary has benefited greatly from the numerous offerings for genealogical education. She started with the National Genealogical Society home study course in American Genealogy, followed by the ProGen Study Group, while simultaneously attending local, state, and national conferences. In addition, since 2012 she regularly attends courses at the various institutes. In 2014 she attended the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR)—renamed the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed) the following year. This  concentrated genealogical education helped Mary meet her goal of becoming a board-certified genealogist. She attained the designation of Certified Genealogist®  in March 2016. The research report from her portfolio is one of the sample reports on the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) website.

Members of the Virginia Genealogical Society (VGS) elected Mary to their board in 2014. During her years with VGS, she served in multiple roles including two terms as president and one as treasurer before stepping down in July 2023. She was the local society host co-chair for the 2021 and 2023 National Genealogical Society conferences. For two years beginning in July 2016, she was the co-editor of BCG’s Springboard. Mary served as a trustee for BCG from 2020–2023. She is currently the BCG ACTION list administrator.

Gen-Fed Registration Closed for 2023

March 20, 2023

Thank you to all those who applied for registration to the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records for 2023.  Persons whose names were drawn have been notified by email that they will be able to register for the event.  Additionally a waitlist of 12 people have also been notified by email; the waitlist is for this year only and will not be held over until the next registration.

If you were not able to come this time, we sincerely hope you will be able to join us in the future!

Rebecca & Cinda

Lackey Award Winner for 2023 – Aungelic Nelson

March 15, 2023

The Gen-Fed Alumni Association is pleased to present Aungelic “Gigi” Nelson as the winner of the 2023 Richard S. Lackey Memorial Scholarship. 

Gigi is an accomplished speaker, genealogist, and historian. Born in Los Angeles and raised in an Army family, she spent her school years living all over the country and overseas.  She holds both a BA (Columbus State University, Columbus, GA,) and a master’s degree (University of Alabama, Birmingham) in American History, and taught college-level history courses and other related subjects.  After years of teaching, she became a military historian with the Air Force and completed two deployments downrange as a combat historian.  In 2017, she finally settled down in Washington, DC, where her passion for genealogy became a mission.

That passion led her to create the Majani Project, a nonprofit online genealogical club for Black youth (www.majani.org).  When she realized there were no books specifically to introduce Black young adults to genealogy, she wrote and published one herself.  For The Culture:  A Genealogy Handbook For The Cool Kids is a labor of love with lots of pictures and activities to get youth started on their genealogical journey of connecting to their ancestors and finding strength, resilience, and self-identity in their Black heritage.

Gigi has also developed a public speaking program on “Restorative Genealogy” directed to religious and social organizations where she speaks nationwide to groups about how genealogy can be more than just a hobby if more family historians are willing to put all family records (the great and the not-so-great) online.  Making records available and searchable is a gift that can have profound effects on those attempting to piece together their own family story. Her book on that will be published this year.

Gigi is a member of various local and national historical societies and genealogical associations.  A former elected commissioner for her neighborhood in Washington, DC, she enjoys researching genealogy for herself and others, skating, dancing, and cooking.

Gen-Fed 2023 Registration Coming Soon!

March 7, 2023

Registration will be held between March 11th and 17th for the in-person session of the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed) to be held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. from August 7th through 12th, 2023.

Applications for available seats will be collected via a registration link to be posted on March 11th at 9:00 am ET, and taken down on March 17th at 9:00 pm ET. The live drawing will be conducted on March 18th at 1:00 pm ET for the limited number of seats and a link to the drawing will be posted here.

Students who held reserved seats from the 2020 cancellation have been notified and their seats confirmed.

For program information and costs, go to our page at https://www.gen-fed.org/home/what-to-know/. Questions may be sent to info@gen-fed.org. Note that there will be no waiting list collected for 2024.

Good luck, and we hope to see you in Washington, D.C.!

 

Gen-Fed 2023 Will Be In-Person at NARA

December 20, 2022

WE ARE BACK!!

We are delighted to announce that the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records will hold its next session in person at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. from August 7th through 12th, 2023.

Registration will be held between March 11th and 17th. Prospective students may submit an application for a seat, and a live drawing will be conducted on March 18th for the limited number of seats.

Students who held reserved seats from the 2019 cancellation have been notified and should contact the office at info@gen-fed.org to confirm their seat for 2023; a seat will not be held for them past 2023.

Thanks to all at NARA who have worked so hard to make this in person institute possible and for all their support in the last two years of virtual institutes!

Application information for registration will be posted at the beginning of March 2023.

Don’t Miss This Update for Gen-Fed 2022

March 31, 2022

Guess Where I Was Yesterday?

I was lucky enough to have my first appointment for my own research in person at NARA in D.C.  It is a two-hour trip for me, each way, and I do not mind at all.  The staff was amazing and well organized. (Kudos for finding that missing Mexican War pension, Catherine!)

Although unplanned, I had an opportunity to meet yesterday with the gentlemen who liaison with our program at NARA.  I did not have a chance to discuss all this with my Assistant Director, Cinda Baxter before the last chance meeting came up.  The critical information came at the close of the Archives yesterday evening when I met with the head of the archival staff, and was told officially that NARA will definitely not be able to handle a group our size by August. Just can’t happen. We have no option for being in-person.  Gen-Fed will officially be virtual this year.

Now the good news: Last year I took a poll of the instructors and asked that, if we had another virtual session, would they be willing to add students to the list? The response was overwhelmingly positive.  I took a brief testing-the-waters poll of a few instructors yesterday and the feeling was the same.  I am now announcing that we will take 60 students now instead of 50!  I will be contacting those people on the waitlist shortly.

After lengthy discussion while on my long ride home, Cinda and I felt that rather than wait until the end of April to decide, we should announce now. We know people need time to make other arrangements if they need to switch gears. Those students who were on the waitlist from 2019 who want to be put back on the waitlist for an in-person session can email us at info@gen-fed.org.

Thank you so much for your patience as we navigate these still uncertain times. We are excited and gearing up for a strong virtual session.  Staff members have already started volunteering to help me pull records for the promised 2 per person after the institute!

Let’s all keep learning!

Gen-Fed Registration 2022: March 12th

March 10, 2022

R E G I S T R A T I O N  F O R  G E N – F E D   V I R T U A L – 2 O 2 2

A drawing for the remaining seats plus 20 waitlist names will be held online live on Saturday, March 12th, at 10 am Pac./11 am Mtn./12 pm Cent./1 pm EDT.  We originally planned to host that publicly, but due to privacy concerns, the link will only be shared with those persons who signed up for a chance at registration. Thank you for your understanding.

If you are one of the over 100 requests we received for the remaining seats, please check your emails and your spam folders for the link.  Attendance is not required to gain a seat.

A total of 30 seats will be drawn for registration and 20 waitlist names, in case of cancellations. The drawing will be completely randomized, we want to make this as fair as we can.

Good luck!

Rebecca & Cinda

 

Register Now for Gen-Fed 2022: March 1 to March 7

March 1, 2022

R E G I S T E R   N O W   F O R   G E N – F E D   V I R T U A L


 

Read the following carefully before registering:

  • Gen-Fed will be held virtually Monday, August 8th through Saturday, August 13th. Classes run everyday 10 am to 6 pm EST, except Saturday which ends at noon.
  • Registration will stay open until Monday, March 7th at 6 pm Pac./7 pm Mtn./8 pm Cent./9 pm EDT.
  • The applicants’ names will be put in a drawing throughout that week, therefore the day and time of application will not determine place in line for a seat.
  • A drawing for the remaining seats (once we know how many of the current students will stay), plus 20 waitlist names will be held online LIVE on Saturday, March 12th, at 10 am Pac./11 am Mtn./12 pm Cent./1 pm EDT.  We will post the link for that a few days before here at this website news page.
  • By registering, you accept the responsibility to pay the institute fee by check or money order of $575.00.
  • Note: Due to limited seating, it is Gen-Fed policy to not allow persons to re-take Gen-Fed again for 5 years.

Please use the airtable link here to register: https://airtable.com/shrYzeJRCxg5M7Zwn.

For your information (and anticipation!) the classes and events you can expect for the virtual session:*

  • Pre-Class Videos: History of NARA & Understanding Accessioning; Ordering Records; Using Finding Aids
  • The National Archives’ Catalog by archivist Claire Kluskens
  • NARA’s Records—Coast to Coast by archivist Trevor Plante
  • Q&A with NARA Archivists
  • NARA Records in Other Online Sources by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
  • US Immigration & Nationality: Beyond Basics with Marian L. Smith
  • Blasting Brick Walls with Legislative Records by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
  • Mining Land Entry Records with Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
  • Basic Military Records at NARA by archivist John Deeben
  • Pension Records at the National Archives by Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL
  • Reward for Service: Bounty Land Records by Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
  • Introduction to the Records of NARA Fort Worth by archivist Jenny Sweeny
  • Records of Archives II: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Records by Archives Staff
  • Records of Archives II: Federal Civilian Agency Records by Archives Staff
  • Introduction to the Library of Congress for Genealogists by Ahmed Johnson & Staff
  • Underused Sources at the National Archives by Debra Hoffman, PLCGS
  • Unique Map Holdings by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
  • Researching Enslaved African Americans in Federal Records by LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG
  • Introduction to Federal Records Documenting Native Americans by Kenneth W. Heger, PhD
  • Court Records: Making a Federal Case Out of It by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
  • BCG Board Certification: Your Questions Answered with LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG
  • Busted, Bankrupt, Banged Up: Stories in Federal Court Records by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
  • Introduction to the Daughters of the American Revolution Library by Elizabeth Ernst
  • …and throughout the week: 1) hands-on practice exercises dealing with many of the records we learn about, 2) each student signs up for a 20-minute personal session with a archival records specialist, 3) one each personal military consultation with specialist Jonathan Webb Deiss, and 4) each student is promised 2 record pulls (within reasonable limits!) once the Archives opens. (*sessions subject to change)

We can’t wait to see you there!

Rebecca & Cinda

 

Registration for Gen-Fed 2022: March 1 to March 7

February 21, 2022

GEN-FED 2022 WILL BE A VIRTUAL SESSION

As much as we hope that the National Archives may be open in August, we fear it may not be as open as we wish or that it may be forced to close again just as we are ready to start classes.  So it is with an abundance of caution (and disappointment) we make the decision to hold Gen-Fed virtually again.  Our instructors’ and students’ safety is our primary consideration.

  • Gen-Fed will still be held Monday, August 8th through Saturday, August 13th.
  • A registration link will be posted to this website, here at Gen-Fed.org News on Tuesday, March 1st. The link opens that day at 6 am Pac./7 am Mtn./8 am/Cent./9 am EDT and it will stay open until Monday, March 7th at 6 pm Pac./7 pm Mtn./8 pm Cent./9 pm EDT.
  • The applicants’ names will be put in a drawing throughout that week, therefore the day and time of application will not determine place in line for a seat.
  • A drawing for the remaining seats (once we know how many of the current students will stay), plus 20 waitlist names will be held online LIVE on Saturday, March 12th, at 10 am Pac./11 am Mtn./12 pm Cent./1 pm EDT.  We will post the link for that a few days before here at this website news page.
  • The price for Gen-Fed will remain the same as it has since 2020: $575.00 for the week.

Our next most important consideration, besides safety, is the quality of instruction. While none of us can really predict what will happen about closings, we can certainly predict the excellence of our instructors’ talents, no matter the situation.  As a precursor, here are the classes and events you can expect for the virtual session:*

  • Pre-Class Videos: History of NARA & Understanding Accessioning; Ordering Records; Using Finding Aids
  • The National Archives’ Catalog by archivist Claire Kluskens
  • NARA’s Records—Coast to Coast by archivist Trevor Plante
  • Q&A with NARA Archivists
  • NARA Records in Other Online Sources by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
  • US Immigration & Nationality: Beyond Basics with Marian L. Smith
  • Blasting Brick Walls with Legislative Records by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
  • Mining Land Entry Records with Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
  • Basic Military Records at NARA by archivist John Deeben
  • Pension Records at the National Archives by Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG, CGL
  • Reward for Service: Bounty Land Records by Angela Packer McGhie, CG, FUGA
  • Introduction to the Records of NARA Fort Worth by Archives Staff
  • Records of Archives II: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Records by Archives Staff
  • Records of Archives II: Federal Civilian Agency Records by Archives Staff
  • Introduction to the Library of Congress for Genealogists by Ahmed Johnson & Staff
  • Underused Sources at the National Archives by Debra Hoffman, PLCGS
  • Unique Map Holdings by Richard G. Sayre, CG, CGL, FUGA
  • Researching Enslaved African Americans in Federal Records by LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG
  • Introduction to Federal Records Documenting Native Americans by Kenneth W. Heger, PhD
  • Court Records: Making a Federal Case Out of It by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
  • BCG Board Certification: Your Questions Answered with LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, JD, LLM, CG, CGL, FASG
  • Busted, Bankrupt, Banged Up: Stories in Federal Court Records by Judy G. Russell, JD, CG, CGL
  • Introduction to the Daughters of the American Revolution Library by Elizabeth Ernst
  • …and throughout the week: 1) hands-on practice exercises dealing with many of the records we learn about, 2) each student signs up for a 20-minute personal session with a archival records specialist, 3) one each personal military consultation with specialist Jonathan Webb Deiss, and 4) each student is promised 2 record pulls (within reasonable limits!) once the Archives opens. (*sessions subject to change)

Please stay safe and well everyone. We hope to see you there!

Rebecca & Cinda

 

Update on Gen-Fed 2022

February 1, 2022

The big question in my emails all month has been “When does registration start for Gen-Fed 2022?”

The answer is: hopefully soon.  The wave of different variants of the COVID virus and rates of inoculation have changed the dynamic this year, but it is still too soon to tell if we can have Gen-Fed in person at NARA in Washington D.C., or if we should hold it virtually.  So we ask you to wait patiently with us a little more.

Updates to research room policies at NARA are found at https://www.archives.gov/coronavirus.  If NARA does take a large group, we still do not know if they will take our full capacity of students (so we do not know how many yet to register if we go in person).  If we are there in person, be prepared that the current NARA vaccination status rules state that researchers/students will have to be fully vaccinated and sign an attestation form. Or unvaccinated researchers/students must bring a negative COVID-19 test, see: https://www.archives.gov/research/news/faqs-research-room-reopenings.

We will do our next update and hopefully make a decision by President’s Day, February 21st.  As with last year, if Gen-Fed is virtual this year, those who already have a seat will be allowed to defer to another year. Whatever does happen, we have the most amazing staff of instructors and archivists to make your learning a success.

Thank you,

Rebecca & Cinda