Jewish Genealogical Society
of Greater Philadelphia (JGSGP)

  SEPTEMBER 3-6, 2008

CONVENTION CENTER, PHILADELPHIA

http://www.fgsconference.org/index.php

CONFERENCE AND HOTEL REGISTRATION OPEN

early registration until June 2, 2008

Philadelphia Welcomes FGS 2008 Conference

The Federation of Genealogical Societies and several genealogical and historical groups in and around Philadelphia invite you to join them in Philadelphia in September 2008, for the “Footprints of Family History” conference. They are proud of their Mid-Atlantic heritage and

just as proud of their part in promoting the future of family history in the nation and throughout the world. Their facilities for research seem innumerable and range from local to regional, state, and national. It seems that we may locate those “footprints” of our ancestors in numerous

facilities in the greater Philadelphia area.

The conference hotel will be the downtown Marriott Hotel, connected to the Philadelphia Convention Center where the exhibition hall and seminar rooms will be located. Several convenient hotels are within walking distance from the Convention Center, as is the Reading Terminal Market, a unique shopping and eating area. The public bus system and SEPTA trains are available to meet your local transportation needs. 

The September 2008 FGS conference has as its theme “Footprints of Family History” recognizing our host city Philadelphia as the place where the ancestors of millions of Americans first set foot on the continent. It was Philadelphia, indeed, that was the largest North American city in colonial times – as well as being the No. 1 port of entry during the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Our conference committee is fashioning a program that pays homage to this region’s rich history as well as topics at the very cuttingedge of family history, including:

• Research in the Mid-Atlantic states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware

• DNA’s ever large impact on genealogy

• Tracks on area’s major ethnic groups such as the English, Irish, Swedish and Germans

• Topics helpful to African-American research

• How “material culture” can enrich family history

• Society management presentations

• Military records relating to a variety of conflicts

We hope that our conference will be a focal point for all that the Philadelphia region has to offer in terms of history, research, sightseeing and education.

James Beidler, National Conference Co-Chairman