Family History Conference History
Our annual Family History Conference, held each spring, is a single-day genealogical event featuring nationally-known lecturers. Originally called our annual Fair, these conferences have been held since 1970. The society attendees learn from the presentations of quality speakers and can browse related exhibitor booths. Here is a history of these events.
| No. | Date | Theme | Principal Speaker(s) |
| 1 | 18 Apr 1970 | — | John Insley Coddington William E. Lind |
| 2 | 17 Apr 1971 | Ho, Ho, Come to the Fair | Pollyanna Creekmore |
| 3 | 6 May 1972 | Spirit of ‘76 | Milton Rubincam Clifford Neal Smith |
| 4 | 12 May 1973 | Festival of Fun | Randall W. Fentress Henrietta Jesse |
| 5 | 11 May 1974 | Family Trees and Trails | Virginia Pope Livingston Martha Montgomery |
| 6 | 7 Jun 1975 | Spirit of ‘76 | Nettie Schreiner-Yantis Dr. Alexander Niven |
| 7 | 5 Jun 1976 | We the People | Dr. Myron Marty Ellen Nore Nordhauser |
| 8 | 4 Jun 1977 | Westward Expansion | Winston DeVille |
| 9 | 3 Jun 1978 | Irish Heritage | Donna Hotaling Bea Ann Moorhouse |
| 10 | 9 Jun 1979 | Ancestral Routes to Missouri | Jean Waggener Larry O. Jensen |
| 11 | 21 Jun 1980 | Ancestral Routes to Missouri | Larry O. Jensen James R. Bentley |
| 12 | 20 Jun 1981 | Ancestral Routes to Missouri | David H. Pratt Norman Edgar Wright |
| 13 | 19 Jun 1982 | Ancestral Routes to Missouri | Mary Bondurant Warren P. William Filby |
| 14 | 18 Jun 1983 | Ancestral Routes to Missouri | Robert Young Clay Larry O. Jensen |
| 15 | 16 Jun 1984 | Ancestral Routes to Missouri | Dr. George Schweitzer Jean S. Morris |
| 16 | 16 Jun 1985 | Ancestral Routes to Missouri | Dr. George Schweitzer Maralyn A. Wellauer |
| 17 | 7 Jun 1986 | Ancestral Routes to Missouri | Winston DeVille Donna Reid Hotaling |
| 18 | 20 Jun 1987 | Ancestral Routes to Missouri | Brent Howard Holcomb Larry O. Jensen |
| 19 | 18 Jun 1988 | Ancestral Routes to Missouri | Norman Edgar Wright Diana Duff |
| 20 | 17 Jun 1989 | Ancestral Routes to Missouri | Daniel Schlueter Arlene Eackle |
| 21 | 16 Jun 1990 | Migration Routes to Missouri | Edward J. O’Day Frederick S. Weiser |
| 22 | 15 Jun 1991 | Migration Routes to Missouri | Jo White Linn Henning Schroeder |
| 23 | 20 Jun 1992 | Migration Routes to Missouri | Larry O. Jensen William H. Schoeffler |
| 24 | 19 Jun 1993 | Migration Routes to Missouri | Michael Palmer Shirley Wilson |
| 25 | 18 Jun 1994 | Migration Routes to Missouri | Dr. George Schweitzer Steven W. Myers |
| 26 | 17 Jun 1995 | Records, Urkunden, Registri | Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck Sharon Debartolo Carmac |
| 27 | 15 Jun 1996 | Bridges to the Past | Dr. John Philip Colletta |
| 28 | 21 Jun 1997 | They Left Footprints | Desmond Walls Allen |
| 29 | 20 Jun 1998 | The Times of Their Lives | Helen F. M. Leary |
| — | 1999 | No event was held in 1999. Instead, the society hosted the FGS National Conference. | |
| 30 | 17 Jun 2000 | Armchair Genealogy | Curt B. Witcher Craig R. Scott |
| 31 | 16 Jun 2001 | Tracking Our Ancestors | J. Mark Lowe Roger P. Minert |
| 32 | 22 Jun 2002 | Find Your Place in History | Cyndi Howells Barbara Vines Little |
| 33 | 5 Apr 2003 | Time for New Ideas | Elizabeth Shown Mills |
| 34 | 3 Apr 2004 | Sail Into the Past | Dr. John Phillip Colletta |
| 35 | 30 Apr 2005 | Migration: Trains Across America | Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck |
| 36 | 8 Apr 2006 | Coming Home | Rich Sayre Pam Porter |
| 37 | 14 Apr 2007 | A Field Guide to Successful Genealogy | Ann Fleming Craig R. Scott |
| 38 | 12 Apr 2008 | Growing Your Family Tree | Paula Stuart-Warren |
| 39 | 2 May 2009 | Gateway to Your Family History | David Rencher |
| 40 | 15 May 2010 | Gems of Genealogical Wisdom | J. Mark Lowe |
| 41 | 30 April 2011 | Family History in the 21st Century | Barbara Renick |
| 42 | 28 April 2012 | Methods for Cultivating Our Family Trees | Dr. Thomas Jones |
| 43 | 20 April 2013 | Research, Records, and Repositories | Claire Bettag |
| 44 | 26 April 2014 | Genealogy in the Computer Age | David Rencher |
| — | 2015 | No event was held in 2015. Instead, the society hosted the NGS Annual Conference. | |
| 45 | 2 April 2016 | A Whole New World for Genealogists | Paul Milner |
| 46 | 8 April 2017 | Dynamic Duo: Genealogy and Technology | Cyndi Ingle, Jan Alpert, Bruce Buzbee |
| 47 | 7 April 2018 | Genealogy . . . Finding Your Way Online | Pam Sayre, John Dougan |
| — | 2019 | No event was held in 2019. Instead, the society hosted the NGS Annual Conference. | |
| 48 | 4 & 5 April 2020 | Proof Positive . . . Evidence in Court Records (Conference held via Zoom over two days) | Judy Russell |
| 49 | 1 & 2 May 2021 | All Roads Lead to Missouri (Conference held via Zoom over two days) | Patti Hobbs |
| 50 | 14 May 2022 | Get in Your Car and Go: Midwestern Archives & Libraries | Dr. David McDonald, CG |
| 51 | 6 May 2023 | Explore Unique Pathways to Smash Brick Walls! | Judy Russell |
| 52 | 4 May 2024 | Successfully Navigating Websites for Your Genealogy | David Rencher |
Last modified: 20-Aug-2024 11:51