In my last post, I discussed sessions that will shine a light on the stories, communities, and research strategies that help us understand the nation’s past. Today I will focus on some more sessions that will show how genealogists can preserve our family histories for the future:

Historical Storytelling: Bring Family Stories to Life with (Im)Migration Community Context
Instructor: Laura Hedgecock
Behind every (im)migration story is a community story. Discover how exploring the networks, traditions, and challenges your ancestors encountered in a new place can turn research into powerful, human-centered narratives with both historical and emotional depth.

Visual Sources and Digital Tools for Telling Your U.S. Veteran’s Military Story
Instructor: Colleen Robledo Greene, FTxSGS
After years of research reconstructing the World War I U.S. Army military service of Private Patrick Flanagan, whose Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) was destroyed by a 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center, his great-granddaughter set out to write and share his WWI story in an engaging visual manner.

American Ingenuity: Gadgets and Inventions That Reshaped American Homes, Health, and History
Instructor: C. Ann Staley, CG, CGL
What do Frisbees, vaccines, typewriters, and the cotton gin have in common? Explore the quirky and groundbreaking inventions that trans-formed how our ancestors lived, worked, and played–and left their mark on generations of American families.

Documenting LGBTQIA+ Parenting in Genealogy: Law, Love, and Legacy
Instructor: Stewart Blandón Traiman, MD
Explore how LGBTQIA+ families built through adoption, fostering, surrogacy, and co-parenting can be documented and preserved in genealogical research. Learn the history, laws, and record types that help genealogists honor these families and accurately represent their stories.

Conference registration is now open at conference.ngsgenealogy.org/2026registration/