Call for Presentations

September 2025 - May 2026

Create a legacy!  Share your knowledge of genealogy with other members by presenting at our meetings.  Proposal deadline:  Monday, April 7, 2025. 

The Fairfax Genealogical Society seeks passionate, enthusiastic researchers to present on new and exciting topics of genealogy and family history research at Society meetings between September 2025 and May 2026. Topics may include any facet of genealogical research, but they should draw on the presenter’s areas of expertise while being broad enough to appeal to a general audience. A list of previous topics is available below, along with a list of topics of particular interest to our members. We also encourage innovative topics that may not appear on either list. Applicants may submit more than one topic idea. 

Presentations will be either one hour in length and shared via Zoom on Thursday evenings (typically the third Thursday of the month) or they will be two hours in length and shared in-person on Saturday mornings (typically the third or fourth Saturday of the month). One-day fall and spring seminars will be held 18 October 2025 and 21 March 2026, respectively.

The Society offers a competitive honorarium to speakers or to their organizations when speakers are unable to accept honorariums. The amount of the honorarium varies depending upon the number of presentations given.

For more details about proposal requirements and opportunities - or to submit a proposal using the Society’s online system - please see below. The deadline to submit a proposal for any of these events is 7 April 2025.

We hope to receive several proposals from our members. Any questions or requests for accommodations can be directed to the Vice President of Programs, Nathan Shepherd (vpprograms@fxgs.org). We will review all proposals and respond no later than April 30, 2025.

Considerations

 

Selected speakers agree to provide biographical information and a summary of their presentation in the 2-3 months before the speaking date. The Society uses this information to publicize the program in its newsletter and on its website (https://www.fxgs.org). Speakers also agree to make a handout available 10 days before the speaking date.

Whenever possible, the Society records these programs on Zoom and posts them to the members-only section of its website for one year. Applicants are asked to please raise any concerns about these arrangements when applying.

Speakers will be selected based on a number of criteria, including how well their topics fit the needs and interests of Society members. Recent polls among members have prioritized technology, preserving research, organization, finding resources, and methodology skill building (see full list below). And many members are long-term researchers interested in growing family trees, writing family stories, and improving the quality of their research.

Proposal Requirements

To apply, please complete the online submission worksheet by April 7, 2025.  Any questions or requests for accommodation can be directed to the Education Team Lead, Nathan Shepherd (vpprograms@fxgs.org).  The Society will review all proposals and respond no later than April 30, 2024.

Opportunities

Education Meetings (Virtual, 1 hour in length)	Member Meetings (Hybrid virtual and in-person, 2 hours in length)	Spring and Fall Fairs (Hybrid virtual and in-person, 6 hours in length with typically 3 presentations)
September 18, 2025 October 16, 2025 November 20, 2025 January 15, 2026 February 19, 2026 March 19, 2026 April 16, 2026 May 14, 2026	September 20, 2025 November 22, 2025 January 17, 2026 February 21, 2026 April 18, 2026 May 16, 2026	October 18, 2025 (Fall Fair) March 21, 2026 (Spring Fair)

Click on the button below to share your proposal(s).  The deadline for submitting a proposal for any of these events is 7 April 2025.  If you have questions, or need additional time or other special accommodations, send the Education Team lead, Nathan Shepherd (vpprograms@fxgs.org), a note.

As reference, the following topics were previously presented at Fairfax Genealogical Society meetings:

yr-mo	Type	Presenter	Title
2025-02	Member	Janet Hall Werner	The Legal Lives of Our Ancestors, Session 2
2025-02	Education	Viola O. Baskerville	Tangled Roots: Intersecting Black & White Family Threads
2025-01	Member	Janet Hall Werner	The Legal Lives of Our Ancestors, Session 1
2025-01	Education	Sue Mueller	Technology's Impact on Genealogy
2024-11	Education	Judy Russell	Terms and Conditions May Apply
2024-11	Member	Kelly Bennett	Genealogy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) - a Hands-on Workshop
2024-10	Seminar	Barbara Vines Little	FamilySearch’s Secret Weapon: Court Order Books Chancery Records: The Secrets They Hold, The Families They Reveal But, I’ve Looked Everywhere.
2024-10	Education	Alina Khuda	7 Tips and Challenges: How to Work with European Archives and Libraries?
2024-09	Member	Nathan Shepherd	Write as You Go - Applied & 50th Celebration!
2024-09	Eduation	Kathryn Lake Hogan	Find Your American Ancestors Using Canadian Records
2024-05	Member	Kevin Borland	Recontructing a Great-Great Grandparent with Borland Genetics; DNA Tools Present & Future
2024-05	Education	Shannon Byer	Genealogy with a Purpose: How Forensic Genealogy is Being Used to Solve Our Nation’s Silent Mass Disaster
2024-04	Member	Steve Little	The State of AI Genealogy in Spring 2024: How we got here, and where we're going!
2024-04	Education	Lea Edwards & Nathan Shepherd	Preparing for On-Site Research & Using Property and Poll Tax Records
2024-03	Seminar	Annette Burke Lyttle	(Spring Fair) What is Social History and Why Should a Genealogist Care? Turning Family History Facts Into Stories You Can Share Enhancing Your Family Stories and a Word About Publishing
2024-02	Member	Yvette Hoitink	Dear Me: Writing Research Reports to Yourself
2024-02	Education	Janet Werner	Researching Your Elusive DNA Matches
2024-01	Member	Stephanie Glotfelty	To Catch a Thief: How to Find Convict-Immigrant Ancestors in England.
2024-01	Education	Sarah Hedlund	Preserving Your Family Papers
2023-11	Member	Amy Breedlove	North Carolina Research
2023-11	Education	Shellie Karol-Chik	Diseases and Epidemics in Colonial Times
2023-10	Seminar	Sheree Budge	(Fall Fair LOC) Genealogy at the Library of Congress: Some Research Plans
2023-10	Seminar	Don Dixon	(Fall Fair NARA) A Research Visit to the National Archives (Washington, D.C.)
2023-10	Seminar	Olivia Millunzi	(Fall Fair DAR) A User's Guide to the DAR Library
2023-10	Education	Carol Petranek	What’s New on FamilySearch
2023-09	Member	Pam Anderson	Where in the World Are My Ancestors? Finding Your Ancestors’ Addresses
2023-09	Education	Leo Dougherty	Using Photos and Other Images to Enhance Your Family Story
2023-05	Education	Kelly McMahon	“Who’s Your Daddy?” Following NPE’s in genealogical research
2023-05	Member	Chris Barbuschak	How to Find Digitized books for Genealogical Research
2023-04	Education	Brownies & Brick Walls	Brownies & Brickwalls
2023-04	Member	Nancy Silcox	Researching and Writing about Local History: Samuel Wilbert Tucker: The Story of a Civil Rights Trailblazer and the 1939 Alexandria Library Sit-In
2023-03	Seminar	Judy Russell	Workshop: When Worlds Collide: Resolving Conflicts in Genealogical Records;
2023-03	Seminar	Judy Russell	No, no, Nanette! What negative evidence is...and isn’t
2023-02	Education	Janet Hall Werner	Researching the People Enslaved by Your Ancestors
2023-02	Member	Michael Donovan	Updating a Research Plan When New Information is Discovered: a Case Study on Researching the Victims of Nike Missile Site NY-53
2023-01	Education	Melissa Johnson	A Deep Dive into the GPS;
2023-01	Education	Melissa Johnson	Indirect Evidence to Establish Genealogical Proof
2023-01	Member	Mary Jane Roth	Writing a Family History Blog
2022-11	Education	Heather Olsen	Probate and Related Records: Law, Language, and Context
2022-11	Member	Barbara Hopkins	Engaging Your Family While Presenting Your Research Findings
2022-10	Seminar	Lisa Louise Cooke	Digging for Gems, Topic: The Genealogist’s Google Search Methodology
2022-10	Seminar	Lisa Louise Cooke	Digging for Gems, Topic: 3 Cool Cold Cases Solved: Strategies for Identifying Photos Topic: How to Reopen and Work a Cold Case
2022-10	Seminar	Tim Kilby	Book talk – The Gourdvine
2022-09	Education	Marian Wood Burke	Planning a Future for Your Family’s Past
2022-09	Member	Amy Breedlove	English Research

As a reference, the following ratings were provided by Society members on the following topics.