In an historic move, the boards of the National Genealogical Society (NGS) and the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announced yesterday their intent to merge.
The two organizations, both non-profit leaders in the genealogy industry, will form one consolidated group that will continue to operate as the National Genealogical Society. Both boards approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) earlier this week, and jointly announced the news at the opening session of the FGS Family History Conference in Washington, DC, Wednesday morning.
Faye Stallings, president of FGS, said, “We are excited about this opportunity to combine with a premier organization that has been in operation since 1903.”
Leaders of both organizations believe this merger will serve the genealogy community by improving support of both individual members and societies in the pursuit of genealogical excellence.
Primary benefits are improved focus on society needs, increased services, one large national conference, and a reduction of duplicate costs.
David Rencher, FamilySearch’s chief genealogical officer, said this is a significant move forward for both organizations. “FGS has wanted to better serve individuals, and NGS has been seeking ways to better serve societies. Combining their efforts is a win/win for all genealogists at the local, state and international levels. FamilySearch is thrilled with the leadership of both organizations coming together to better serve all genealogists and family historians.”
The organizational structure of NGS will be modified to increase functions that support genealogical societies and family organizations. Digitization projects of genealogical importance, such as the War of 1812 pensions, will continue.
The two organizations will continue to operate independently while all details of the merger are completed, no later than October 1, 2020.
Ben Spratling, president of NGS, said, “We look forward to continuing the strong legacy of FGS as a ‘gathering point’ for family historians and societies all across the nation.”
Future conferences
Both organizations will hold separate conferences in 2020.
Starting in May 2021, in Richmond, Virginia, the combined organization will hold one conference with four full days of genealogical lectures and a fifth day dedicated to society management topics.
