It’s almost here!  The NGS 2014 Family History Conference, that is! Previously a California girl, I was spoiled with easy access to the Southern California Genealogical Society’s annual Jamboree.  I’ve missed their large conference the last couple of years, and am elated that the 2014 NGS event is within driving distance from my home in Delaware.  Now my only dilemma is trying to figure out which sessions to attend!  There are so many great tracks that I’m having difficulty deciding, and will definitely be purchasing some of the audio-recorded sessions.  However, for now, this is what I’ve tentatively planned:

Wednesday

• 11 a.m.  Hell on the Home Front:  War-Time Damages & the Claims They Generated by Elizabeth Shown Mills
• 2:30 p.m.  New Standards or Old:  Guidelines for Effective Research and Family Histories, by Thomas W. Jones
• 4:00 p.m.  My Ancestor Came to Colonial America as a Transported Convict, by Nathan W. Murphy

Thursday

• 8:00 a.m.  BCG Education Fund:  Research Strategies That Work, by Kay Haviland Freilich
• 9:30 a.m.   Records of the Federal Courts, 1789-1911:  Drama in Your Ancestors’ Lives, by John Philip Colletta
• 11:00 a.m.  Oh, the Things You Can Map:  Mapping Data, Memory and Historical Context, by Stefani Evans
• 2:30 p.m.   Using Evidence Creatively:  Spotting Clues in Run-of-the-Mill Records, by Elizabeth Shown Mills
• 4:00 p.m.  Can a Complex Research Problem be Solved Solely Online?  by Thomas W. Jones
• 7:00 p.m.   Revolutionary Voices:  History, Genealogy, and Documentary Film Techniques, by Maureen Taylor, et. al.

Friday

• 8 a.m.   Newly Discovered Records of the Poor:  Rich Records of the Indigent and the Down-Trodden, by Eric Stroschein
• 9:30 a.m.   Disputs and Unhappy Differences:  Surprises in Land Records, by Sharon Tate Moody
• 11:00 a.m.   “Of Sound Mind and Healthy Body”:  Using Probate Records in Your Research, by Michael Hait
• 2:30 p.m.  Genetic Genealogy Case Studies:  Maximize Use of DNA Test Results, by Debbie Parker Wayne
• 4:00 p.m.   A Nit-Picker’s guide to the National Archives, by Elizabeth Kelley Kerstens

Saturday

• 8 a.m.   Using and Evaluating Family Lore:  She Married a Distant Cousin in Virginia, by J.H. “Jay” Fonkert
• 9:30 a.m.   Rich, Poor and All the Rest:  Why Class Matters to Genealogists, by Stefani Evans
• 11:00 a.m.   Using Case Studies to Learn Research Methods and Share Family Information, by Thomas W. Jones
• 2:30 p.m.   Taxes:  The Gift That Keeps On Giving…to Genealogists!  by SharonCook MacInnes
• 4:00 p.m.   In a Rut?  7 Ways to Jump-Start Your Research, by Elizabeth Shown Mills

I am THRILLED to be able to listen to Thomas W. Jones and Elizabeth Shown Mills in person, and am excited to have the opportunity to learn from the experts in genealogy.  The countdown begins – twenty-two more days till show time!