W. Samuel Williams, MDiv, is a professional genealogist with a focus on Central Virginia, African American, and Greek American research. His degrees are in International Affairs, Spanish, and Orthodox theology. Sam is the owner of The Orthodox Genealogist, LLC, which he started in Norfolk...

Many Americans can trace their indigenous, immigrant, indentured, and enslaved ancestors to Virginia. If you are researching ancestors who may have lived in Virginia, then be sure to register for the NGS 2023 Family History Conference in Richmond, Virginia, 31 May-3 June. Items of interest for resea...

There is much for all of us to learn from the history of Black families. Join us in Richmond, Virginia, for the NGS 2023 Family History Conference, 31 May-3 June, for a wide range of tours, lectures, and special presentations focused on African American genealogy. If you’re researching Black famil...

  Cara F. Griggs has been a reference archivist at the Library of Virginia since 2006. She earned a BA in history from the University of Richmond, an AM in social sciences from the University of Chicago, and an MSLIS with an archival studies concentration from Drexel University. She is a m...

  Miriam is the author of Jewish Roots in Poland and Jewish Roots in Ukraine and Moldova, both of which have been honored with international writing awards.  For more than thirty years, she has focused her work in Poland and the former Soviet Union, making three to four trips to Eastern Eur...

  Megan Clark Young has been researching her family since she was sixteen when she traveled from western Pennsylvania to Sweden as a summer foreign exchange student, family tree in hand. In 2017, she began to focus on her genealogical education and now is employed as a forensic genealogist. ...

  C. Ann Staley, CG®, CGLSM, is an educator, consultant, and lecturer. She is the education chair for the Jacksonville Genealogical Society, Inc.; the membership chair for the Genealogical Speakers Guild; on the faculty of The National Institute for Genealogical Studies; a volunteer on a nu...

  Amy Larner Giroux, PhD, CG®, CGLSM, focuses on methodology, case studies, and military records. She is co-author of the Florida edition of the NGS Research in the States series and winner of the 2020 National Genealogical Society Family History Writing contest. She has also published in ...

  Renate Yarborough Sanders is an experienced researcher and genealogy educator. She is a member of several genealogical organizations and is cohost of the online platform and YouTube show, “Let’s Talk North Carolina Genealogy.” Session Number: S352 Title: “From This Day Forwa...

This project has been my dream since 1967. I was nine years old and a student at Piedmont Elementary School in Piedmont, West Virginia. We were learning about slavery. In the textbook, there was a picture of Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky. I was curious about him because we shared the same surname....