The Fellows of the American Society of Genealogists (ASG) held their annual meeting on Saturday, October 8, 2016, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Nathan W. Murphy of Saratoga Springs, Utah, and Alicia Crane Williams of Plymouth, Massachusetts, were elected to the Society as its 165th and 166th Fellows, respectively.

Nathan W. Murphy has been a professional genealogist for many years, specializing in both British and Colonial Virginia research. His research ability is of the highest caliber, as evidenced by his numerous publications in the major genealogical journals over the last decade. His awards include, among others, an International Student Scholarship from the University of Leicester (2004) and the Donald Mosher Memorial Award for Colonial Virginia Research from the Board for Certification of Genealogists (2010). In addition to his publications, he created the Immigrant Servants Database, which has received high praise for its scholarship.

Alicia Crane Williams is currently the Lead Genealogist for the New England Historic Genealogical Society’s “Early New England Families, 1641–1700” project. Previously she served as the Assistant Historian General at the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Her scholarly publications, produced over the past thirty-five years, include numerous articles in all of the leading New England journals and many books on eastern Massachusetts families.

Applications are now being accepted for the ASG Scholar Award for 2017 (deadline: August 31, 2016). This annual grant of $1000 is awarded for study at one of five major academic genealogical programs in the United States (listed below). Candidacy for the award is open to all genealogists, genealogical librarians, and researchers working in related fields. Applicants submit a published work or a manuscript of work in progress, to be judged by a panel of three Fellows. The goal of the award is to recognize talent and build genealogical expertise by providing promising genealogists the opportunity to receive advanced academic training in genealogy.

The award is granted in October of each year to defray costs of attending one of the following genealogical programs in the next calendar year.

• Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed), formerly NIGR, held for one week each July and based at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., is the nation’s oldest institute for genealogical education, founded in 1950. Gen-Fed provides a unique program of advanced instruction in the use of National Archives records. Write to: Gen-Fed Director, P.O. Box 24564, Baltimore, MD 21214.
• Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), held for one week each June, was founded in 1964 to provide a structured program of genealogical study at an academic level. Based through 2016 at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, it is moving in 2017 to Athens, Georgia, to be held under the auspices of the Georgia Genealogical Society. IGHR offers tracks of study, ranging from beginning to advanced research methodology, professional genealogy, and other specialized topics. Contact: Laura Carter, IGHR Director, 3710 Barnett Shoals Road, Athens GA 30605-4712.
• Certificate Program in Genealogical Research at Boston University consists of five modules, offered on Saturdays in seven-hour sessions: Foundations, Technology, Evidence, Forensic, and Ethnic and Geographic Specialties. Contact: Center for Professional Education, 1010 Commonwealth Ave., 2nd Floor, Boston MA 02215.
• Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), sponsored by the Utah Genealogical Association, is in its 20th year and is a week-long intensive educational experience that takes students deep into their topic of choice. SLIG is dedicated to offering courses that fill a high-intermediate and advanced-level educational need. However, each year a handful of courses are included which provide a wealth of information and background information required to help intermediate and transitional genealogists strengthen their core understanding of the research process. Contact: The Utah Genealogical Association, PO Box 1144, Salt Lake City, UT 84110 or contact info@ugagenealogy.org.
• Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The instructors are all experienced genealogical researchers, lecturers, and writers who bring their expertise into the classroom with case studies and problem solving exercises. The students come from a wide variety of backgrounds but all share their passion for family history and for learning how to efficiently break down “brick wall” genealogical puzzles. Various different week-long genealogical courses which incorporate hands-on learning in a state-of-the-art and friendly community atmosphere. Contact: GRIP of Pittsburgh, PO Box 44, Wexford, PA 15090.

Applications

Applicants for the ASG Scholar Award for 2017 should apply before August 31, 2016, by submitting three copies of the items below:

• a résumé that emphasizes activities relating to genealogy and lists the applicant’s publications in the field, if any (prior publications are not necessary).
• a manuscript or published work of at least 5,000 words, demonstrating an ability to conduct quality genealogical research, analyze results, and report findings in an appropriately documented fashion. If the submission is to be returned, it should be accompanied by an envelope or bagging with sufficient postage.
• a statement (100–150 words) which (1) identifies the individual’s choice of program and (2) explains why the individual feels that attendance will enhance his or her growth as a genealogical scholar.

The ASG Scholarship Committee, chaired by the ASG vice-president, will make the selection for the award. Announcement of the award winner will be made by October 17, 2016. Applications should be addressed to:

Henry Z Jones, Jr., FASG
Chair, ASG Scholarship Committee
P.O. Box 261388 San Diego, CA 92196-1388

Read more about the award and see a list of past recipients at Awards > ASG Scholar Award.

The 75th Anniversary of the American Society of Genealogists has now been marked by publication of a celebratory volume, The American Society of Genealogists 75th Anniversary Volume (1940-2015): Selected and Original Articles by Fellows of the Society, Past and Present, edited by Charles M. Hansen, FASG, and Gale Ion Harris, FASG (Saline, Mich.: ASG, 2015).

This 389-page volume includes a variety of original and reprinted articles by Fellows, along with an historical introduction and a list of Fellows. Click this link for the table of contents (PDF).

Copies of the 75th Anniversary Volume may be ordered from:

The American Society of Genealogists
c/o Jane Fletcher Fiske, FASG
27 Olde Homestead Dr.
Marstons Mills, MA 02648

Cost (postpaid): $25 within the US, Canada, and Mexico; $49 elsewhere; make checks payable to The American Society of Genealogists.

The Fellows are saddened to report the death of our newest Fellow, Lewis Bunker Rohrbach, who died in Naples, Florida, on Saturday, 2 January 2016. Lew was an extremely skilled genealogist and writer. As the owner of Picton Press, his passion for publishing genealogical works was his lasting legacy, and allowed many societies and individuals to circulate their research to a wide audience. Lew spent the last months of his life polishing off the remaining five volumes of his definitive Rorhbach Genealogy, which will be published posthumously.

Here are 20 of the Fellows at the ASG annual meeting held Saturday, 10 October 2015 at the Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle, Washington.

Seated: Baldwin, Greene, H. Jones, Saxbe, J. Anderson, Hatcher, Hill.
Standing: Taylor, C. Hansen, R. Anderson, Joslyn, Harris, Remington, Mathews, Bamberg, Smith, Byrne, Dearborn, Dwyer, Hart.

At their meeting in Seattle, Washington, on October 10, 2015, the Fellows of the American Society of Genealogists granted the annual ASG Scholar Award to Darcie Hind Posz, CG, of Washington, D.C., for her article “The Tanaka and Ishihara Families of Hiroshima Prefecture and Papaaloa, Hilo, Hawaii.” The ASG Scholar Award rewards talented genealogists with stipends to pursue advanced academic training in genealogy.

At its meeting in Seattle, Washington, on October 10, 2015, the Fellows of the American Society of Genealogists voted to give its Donald Lines Jacobus Award to two publications this year: Donald G. Armstrong’s New Jersey Pioneers: Twenty-Four Families with New Jersey Immigrants 1676–1705, Their New England Immigrant Ancestors 1630–1662 and Ohio Descendants 1803–1822 (Penobscot Press, 2014) and to Joseph R. Klett’s “Understanding New Jersey’s Geography in the Proprietary Period,” a special issue of The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey (GMNJ), vol. 89, no. 4 (December 2014). Mr. Armstrong previously authored the Bradfield Genealogy (Newbury Street Press, 2000) and Ancestry of William Walter Armstrong of Columbiana County, Ohio (Penobscot Press, 2010), among other publications. Mr. Klett is the Executive Director of the New Jersey State Archives, a vice president of the New Jersey Genealogical Society, and a former editor of GMNJ.

The Fellows of the American Society of Genealogists held their annual meeting on Saturday, October 10, 2015, in Seattle, Washington. Lewis Bunker Rohrbach of Marco Island, Florida, was elected to the Society as its 164th Fellow.

Lewis Bunker Rohrbach has published extensively for the past thirty-five years, beginning with Volume 1 of his Rohrbach Genealogy in 1970. Four more volumes of that genealogy were issued in subsequent years, and they are among the very best examples of German-American genealogy ever published. In 1995 his Höffelbauer Genealogy won the prestigious Donald Lines Jacobus Award granted by the ASG. In recent years Lew’s research and publications have focused on Swiss, Austrian, and German sources and families. He is also well known to genealogists as the owner and director of Picton Press and Penobscot Press, which produce books of the highest quality on families and sources throughout the United States and around the world.

The Fellows are saddened to report the decease of Fellow Donna Valley Russell, who died 2 March 2015.

Applications are now being accepted for the ASG Scholar Award for 2016 (deadline: August 31, 2015). This annual grant of $1000 is awarded for study at one of five major academic genealogical programs in the United States (listed below). Candidacy for the award is open to all genealogists, genealogical librarians, and researchers working in related fields. Applicants submit a published work or a manuscript of work in progress, to be judged by a panel of three Fellows. The goal of the award is to recognize talent and build genealogical expertise by providing promising genealogists the opportunity to receive advanced academic training in genealogy.

• The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), held for one week each June and based at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, was founded in 1964 to provide a structured program of genealogical study at an academic level. It offers tracks of study, ranging from beginning to advanced research methodology, professional genealogy, and other specialized topics. The scholarship will apply to any of the advanced courses taught at the Birmingham campus. Write to: IGHR Director, Samford University Library, 800 Lakeshore Drive, Birmingham, AL 35229.
• The National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR), held for one week each July and based at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., is the nation’s oldest institute for genealogical education, founded in 1950. NIGR provides a unique program of advanced instruction in the use of National Archives records. Write to: NIGR Director, P.O. Box 24564, Baltimore, MD 21214.
• The Certificate Program in Genealogical Research at Boston University consists of five modules, offered on Saturdays in seven-hour sessions: Foundations, Technology, Evidence, Forensic, and Ethnic and Geographic Specialties. Write to: Center for Professional Education, 1010 Commonwealth Ave., 2nd Floor, Boston MA 02215.
• The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), sponsored by the Utah Genealogical Association, is in its 20th year and is a week-long intensive educational experience that takes students deep into their topic of choice. SLIG is dedicated to offering courses that fill a high-intermediate and advanced-level educational need. However, each year a handful of courses are included which provide a wealth of information and background information required to help intermediate and transitional genealogists strengthen their core understanding of the research process. Write to: The Utah Genealogical Association, PO Box 1144, Salt Lake City, UT 84110 or contact info@ugagenealogy.org.
• The Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The instructors are all experienced genealogical researchers, lecturers, and writers who bring their expertise into the classroom with case studies and problem solving exercises. The students come from a wide variety of backgrounds but all share their passion for family history and for learning how to efficiently break down “brick wall” genealogical puzzles. Various different week-long genealogical courses which incorporate hands-on learning in a state-of-the-art and friendly community atmosphere. Write to: GRIP of Pittsburgh, PO Box 44, Wexford, PA 15090.

Applications

Applicants for the 2016 award should apply before August 31, 2015, by submitting three copies of the items below:

• a résumé that emphasizes activities relating to genealogy and lists the applicant’s publications in the field, if any (prior publications are not necessary).
• a manuscript or published work of at least 5,000 words, demonstrating an ability to conduct quality genealogical research, analyze results, and report findings in an appropriately documented fashion. If the submission is to be returned, it should be accompanied by an envelope or bagging with sufficient postage.
• a statement (100–150 words) which (1) identifies the individual’s choice of program and (2) explains why the individual feels that attendance will enhance his or her growth as a genealogical scholar.

The ASG Scholarship Committee, chaired by the ASG vice-president, will make the selection for the award. Announcement of the award winner for 2016 will be made by October 17, 2015. Applications should be addressed to:

Henry Z Jones, Jr., FASG
Chair, ASG Scholarship Committee
P.O. Box 261388 San Diego, CA 92196-1388

Read more about the award and see a list of past recipients at Awards > ASG Scholar Award.