Join us in Louisville 23-26 May 2025
for Tales & Trails, the NGS Family History Conference

Ready to take your family history research to the next level? Tales & Trails, the NGS 2025 Family History Conference, brings you leading speakers, essential education, and amazing networking opportunities with 1000+ friends and colleagues in Louisville, Kentucky.

Join fellow family historians and genealogy organization leaders from across the country for four energizing days of shared discoveries and fresh perspectives. Connect with passionate researchers like yourself while gaining new skills and insights to help you uncover, preserve, and share your ancestors’ stories.

Pre-conference tours, workshops, and genealogy organization activities are on 23 May. The main conference begins the evening of 23 May with the Expo Hall opening reception and continues through evening events on Sunday, 25 May. Stay through Monday to join us for a special Memorial Day event on 26 May.

As genealogists, we seek to understand those who came before us. We learn about our ancestors’ lives, the opportunities they had, and the sacrifices they made.  We travel, both literally and figuratively, the trails they left behind. The NGS 2025 Family History Conference, Tales and Trails, connects us with stories of the people and places we come from.

The NGS Family History Conference welcomes all who are passionate about family history. Whether you are taking your first steps into genealogy, pushing through challenging research barriers, exploring professional opportunities, or leading a genealogy organization, you will find valuable insights here. Our sessions deliver the knowledge you need to succeed, from AI-powered research tools to advance your research to proven strategies for building vibrant genealogy communities.

23 May 2025

Genealogy Organization Activities

On Friday, 23 May, genealogy organizations enjoy a full day of dedicated programming. All registrants are invited to the Expo Hall opening and reception in the evening to connect with our sponsors, exhibitors, and each other.

Pre-Conference Workshops and Tours

Pre-conference workshops and tours are also available on 23 May. Visit the Filson Historical Society, take a walking tour of Old Louisville, or travel to the Kentucky’s capitol city Frankfort to tour and research at the Kentucky State Archives and the Kentucky Historical Society.

24-25 May 2025

2025 Family History Conference: Tales & Trails

On Saturday and Sunday, 24-25 May, expert speakers who are among the best in the field will present over fifty lectures, including:

Records: Ways of Life: Tracing Ancestral Pathways, Power, and Production through the Control of Water

• Learn about the role water played as an important commodity and how it supported occupations, immigration/migration, and the role of government.

Methodology: Beyond Names and Dates: Integrating Social History into your Research

• This panel explores the importance of social history in family research, highlighting how understanding the “where” enriches the “what” and “why” of ancestors’ lives.

Artificial Intelligence: Guiding Principles for the Genealogical Use of Artificial Intelligence

• This panel presents the guiding principles to uphold when using artificial intelligence congruent with existing genealogical standards and ethical practices.

DNA: Understanding and Exploring DNA-Based Unlinked Family Clusters

• Explore unlinked family clusters in genetic genealogy, and learn to identify, analyze, and connect DNA matches lacking common ancestors.

Family Stories and Oral History: A Day in the Life: Creating a Compelling and Documented Family Short Story

• Be inspired and empowered to memorialize the stories that deserve to be preserved.

26 May 2025

Special Memorial Day Event

Join us on Memorial Day for a special event at Louisville’s historic Cave Hill Cemetery. Within this beautiful 296-acre Victorian-era cemetery and arboretum lies Cave Hill National Cemetery, where over 5,000 soldiers are interred. The grounds also serve as the final resting place for many notable Louisville figures who helped shape our nation’s story, including:

• Colonel Harlan Sanders
• George Rogers Clark
• Nicola Marshall
• Enid Yandell
• Jeptha Barnard Barney Bright IV
• Muhammad Ali
• Senator Georgia Powers, and
• Susan Look Avery

Every Registrant Can Access Every Lecture Through 15 July 2025

Attendees* can catch all the lectures in the Whova app through 15 July 2025. Every lecture will be recorded and available for viewing whenever and wherever you wish.

Learn more about the conference program, expert presenters, sponsors, and exhibitors.

More Than a Conference

“I attend the NGS Family History Conference to learn, meet new people, and spend time with my genealogy family. It’s fun, educational, and always a great time.”

Bernice Bennett, Author and Genealogist