Federation of Genealogical Societies facts for kids
The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was a special kind of non-profit group. It started in January 1976 and was based in Austin, Texas. FGS connected many groups across the U.S. that focused on genealogy. Genealogy is like being a detective for your family history! FGS joined with the National Genealogical Society on October 1, 2020.
What FGS Did
Before it merged, FGS helped people learn about their family history in several ways. They published a magazine called Forum. This magazine had articles about how to manage a genealogy group and shared important news.
FGS also created "Society Strategy Papers." These papers gave tips on how to run a successful genealogy society. They also held a big meeting every year. This meeting had four days of talks and lessons. One whole day was just for learning how to manage a society.
Helping History Last
FGS also worked hard to protect old records that are important for history and family research. Here are some of their cool projects:
- Preserve the Pensions: This project helped turn old War of 1812 pension files into digital copies. This means they can be saved forever and easily looked at online.
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database: FGS worked with the Genealogical Society of Utah and the National Park Service on this. It's a huge online list of soldiers and sailors from the Civil War.
- Malcolm H. Stern-NARA Gift Fund: This fund helped create tools to find important research materials. It also helped make microfilm copies of valuable records. These records are kept at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C.
