Day Two at the OGS Conference

Friday, April 26, looks like it will be a full day of activities at the OGS Conference with 42 sessions, 2 lineage society evens and 2 roundtable discussions.  

In addition to the three regional sessions on Thursday, there will be six more on Friday. This will be followed by a Roundtable Q & A at 5:45pm. The experts will be from Southern Ohio and surrounding states. Looks like regional is southern Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania and even Michigan. Don't know why West Virginia isn't included since for my family it was a stopping off point on the way to southern Ohio.

Also on Friday you will be able to pick up two more DNA sessions at 3:00pm and 4:30pm. Don't ignore these. I would recommend that you attend at least one of the DNA sessions. I do know DNA testing is a little $$$$ and you might have to budget this into your genealogy wish list, but it could break through that brick wall for you.


Friday completes the last of the nine German sessions that began on Thursday. Apparently nothing says German like Cincinnati and northern Kentucky. Seriously if you have ancestors from the Cinci area, some of them will be German.

There will be a track of African American research sessions on Friday plus a roundtable discussion at 5:45pm. If you walk any of the ground from Cincinnati to Ripley, Ohio you have a good chance of having walked in the footsteps of abolitionists and runaway slaves. For more information on the Underground Railroad Museum see Tuesday, April 24, 2012 post. I will also post more about the Abolitionist Movement in the Cinci area as we get closer to the conference. 

Lineage societies. The Settlers and Builders Luncheon will be held at 12:15pm on Friday. No speaker has been noted, but comfort food is on the menu. We are talking meatloaf, mashed potatoes. and gravy. Who cares about the rest of the menu? Cost $35.

The Civil War Families Banquet will be held at 7:00pm with Kevin "Rufus" Guy speaking about letters from the battlefield. This menu is pork chops, banana potatoes, vegies, carrot cake. cost $35.

For chapter officers there will be an OGS Officers meeting at 4:30pm. 

Next: Saturday's highlights plus all the tech session who's who.

Thumbs Up to FGS

Thumbs up to the Federation of Genealogical Societies for providing a link on their website to a gift card that could be downloaded and used to give the gift of genealogy to a friend or family member. You add a note and some money to cover the cost of registration or perhaps a dinner at the conference. What a great idea. The inside of the card says "Holidays bring thoughts of family, in the present and the past. Doing genealogy will make the memories last."

OGS Conference Set for April 25-27, 2013

The Ohio Genealogical Society 2013 Registration Booklet is now available on line at http://ogs.org . The conference this year is in downtown Cincinnati at the Millennium Hotel. Expanding Your Ancestry Through Technology is the conference theme, but don't worry -- if you managed to build your bridge to the 21st Century but are still using it to cross back and forth (like me) there are plenty of other topics and activities to enjoy at this event. However, I wouldn't dismiss the tech sessions because you might find something new you didn't know you needed!

The Millennium Hotel has a block of rooms set aside at the price of $99 per night + tax. The OGS code for reservations is 1304OHGENE. If you attended the NGS Conference last May, you may remember the hotel is located across from the Duke Energy Center. It is located within walking distance of the Banks, a must see area on the Ohio River. Parking at the conference hotel is $18 a day. There are also several parking lots and garages in the immediate area. Cincinnati's Skywalk System connects many of the hotels and garages in the area.

Early registration runs until March 15 with the full conference rate being $155 for members and $200 for non-members. After that it is $180 and $225. There are also two day rates and one day rates. Event meals are separate and range from $25 to $35. A printed syllabus is $20; flash drive syllabus - $7. Cenference pins are $5.

I will be blogging throughout the entire conference this year with updates on last minute changes, traffic, weather, and freebees in the Exhibit Hall.

This year's conference chairmen, in my opinion, have done a fantastic job planning this event. There is a little bit of everything and something for  everybody. The conference will open on Thursday at 11:00am with keynote speaker, Thomas W Jones who will present 9 ways to find those "unfindable" ancestors. After the opening session. the Exhibit Hall opens at 12:30pm and at 2pm the first of Thursday's 21 sessions begin.

In addition to the 9 technology sessions, there will be a block of DNA sessions beginning at 2pm and ending with a roundtable Q & A session at 6:15pm. The BCG and the APG will hold 3 sessions for those genealogists who want to take their expertise to a higher level.

Also there will be a Lock-In at the Cincinnati Public Library from 6:15pm to 11:30pom. There is no transportation for this event. The library is within walking distance and the downtown area is relatively safe. However, I would not recommend making the trip alone.  

The first of the lineage society banquets, Century Families of Ohio, will be held at 7pm on Friday. The speaker will be J. Mark Lowe. Cost of the dinner is $35 for roast chicken, salad, rolls, and desert.

A genealogy conference is a great time to meet other family researchers, exchange ideas, and possibly find a few new cousins. With this in mind there will be a Social Media Gathering at 6:15pm on Friday.

If you would like to read more about Cincinnati and some conference money- saving tips, please see earlier posts from April and May 2012.

Next: We will take a look at what Friday has to offer at the OGS Conference.