Focus on Georgia columnists- Kenneth H. Thomas, Jr. – Sunday, December 27, 2015, Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Genealogy events worth attending in the new year

   Next year will have the usual variety of genealogy conferences and seminars, with a few location changes.   The National Genealogical Society Annual Conference in the States will be May 4-7 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. See National Genealogical Society   for the program and registration (already open).  

The Federation of Genealogical Societies will have its annual conference Aug. 31-Sept. 3 in Springfield, Ill. Always a good meeting for society representatives to attend, but they have many other topics and speakers. See www.fgs.org  . 

 The IGHR (Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research) will meet at Samford University in Birmingham for the last time June 12-17, before moving to Athens in 2017. Registration opens Jan. 19 at http: //samford.libguides.com  / ighr.  

The Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, a national group with chapters all over the U.S., will host its annual meeting Oct. 13-16 in Atlanta, sponsored by the local Metro Atlanta Chapter. Check www.aahgsatl.org  . The local chapter holds meetings throughout the year as well. 

 Continuing on the local level, the Georgia Archives will host Lunch and Learn seminars the second Friday of each month, as well as several special days during the year, such as Genealogy Day in the fall. Check georgiaarchives.org   for information. 

  The Georgia Genealogical Society hosts four all-day seminars during the year, although next year the dates will vary. For meeting information and their free monthly webinar calendar, see gagensociety.org  . 

  Many county genealogical societies have great speakers at their monthly or quarterly meetings. To see what is planned, check frequently with the Cobb County Genealogical Society ( cobbgagensoc.org   , who also host a beginning class in January), the Rockdale County Genealogical Society, and the Genealogical Society of Henry and Clayton Counties (henryclayto ngenealogy.com   and their Facebook page).  

Slave ship Antelope is seminar topic   Dr. Jonathan Bryant will speak Jan. 8 at noon at the Georgia Archives Lunch and Learn Seminar on “Dark Places of the Earth: The Voyage of the Slave Ship Antelope,” his book about an 1820 incident and the Supreme Court decision.   Bryant is a professor at Georgia Southern University. Free, bring your own lunch. Check georgiaarchives.org   for more information or call 678-364-3710.  

‘Finding Your Roots’ returns Jan. 5   Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. returns to PBS/Georgia Public Broadcasting on January 5 with “Finding Your Roots” featuring new genealogies of several celebrities. Check local listings for times.  

Contact Kenneth H. Thomas Jr., P.O.Box 901, Decatur, GA 30031 or at gagensociety.org  .