| Today is a landmark day in the history of the Federation of Genealogical Societies. We are excited to tell you that this morning, at our national conference in Washington D. C., we announced our intent to merge with the National Genealogical Society. The Federation was formed in 1976 in order to provide support to genealogical and historical societies. Key objectives during the past four decades have been to: promote the study of genealogy, stimulate the activities of state and local organizations, provide resources that enable genealogical organizations to succeed in pursuing their missions, advocate for the preservation of records. The intended merger with NGS will enhance our ability to support societies and offer services that will help strengthen them and help them to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing, technology-driven, volunteer-challenged environment. You can read the full press release of the announcement on the FGS Voice blog. Preserve the Pensions Project You may be wondering how the merger will affect the Preserve the Pensions project. FGS launched the Preserve the Pensions project in 2010 and raised more than $3 million to digitize and make freely available the pension files from the War of 1812. Fundraising for the project was completed in 2016. The Preserve the Pensions project will continue under its existing arrangements. FGS has an agreement with NARA for the preservation and digitization of the records and Ancestry is coordinating the digitization process. The funds for completing this project are set aside in restricted accounts. Conferences We also wanted to let you know that plans are still in place to hold our annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2020. Starting in 2021, the combined organization will hold one conference with four full days of genealogical lectures and a fifth day dedicated to society management topics. I believe this merger will serve our members and the genealogical community by improving the support of both individuals and societies in the pursuit of genealogical excellence. Sincerely, Faye Stallings FGS President |