HIGH SOCIETY

In the summer of 2019, two genealogy groups announced plans to merge: the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) and the National Genealogical Society (NGS).

NGS has been championing genealogy scholarship and education since it formed in 1903, and FGS launched in 1976 to help societies grow and thrive. Though each group served distinct needs, their communities often overlapped. The organizations sometimes found themselves duplicating efforts or competing for the same audiences, resources and volunteers.

On 1 October 2020, FGS was officially absorbed into NGS. A “new NGS” emerged with a dual mission: to support both individual genealogical enthusiasts and the societies to which they belong. By joining forces, NGS and FGS aim to serve their members more efficiently and more powerfully. The merger took more than a year of planning, much of it carried out amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

I recently caught up with a few members of the NGS leadership team. As of writing, they are still ironing