Conference
2025 Conference
The Great Falls Genealogical Society will host the 33rd annual conference 18-20 September 2025 at the Heritage Inn of Great Falls.
The Heritage Inn is located at 1700 Fox Farm Road. Sleeping room rate is $88 plus tax for double queen and king rooms, $139 plus tax for suites. Check-in time is 3:00pm, checkout is 11:00am. No breakfast. Phone 406-761-1900, ask for Montana State Genealogical Society Block. Hotel reservation deadline is 27 August 2025.
Speakers
Due to unforseen circumstances, Gena Philibert-Ortega will not be able to present during our 2025 conference.
Katherine R. Willson will present for us via Zoom. We are incredibly grateful that she is able to fill in on short notice!
Katherine R. Willson of Dexter, Michigan, is a seventh-generation
Michigander who began researching her family history as an 8-year-old
Junior Girl Scout. Today, she is a nationally recognized genealogy
educator and full-time researcher, specializing in solving complex
questions about pre-statehood settlers in Michigan and the broader
Great Lakes region. She is a dynamic and engaging presenter at regional,
national, and international events, including faculty roles with the
Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh and the Salt Lake Institute
of Genealogy.
Katherine is the founder and past president of the Virtual Genealogical
Association, past president of the Michigan Genealogical Council, and a
former board member of both the Association of Professional
Genealogists and the Genealogical Speakers Guild. She has held
numerous leadership roles within Michigan’s genealogical community.
She is the author of The Genealogist’s Guide to Grand Rapids, Michigan
(2018) and Family Tree Magazine’s “Research Guide to Michigan” (2022).
Her website, SocialMediaGenealogy.com, features free resources,
including curated catalogs of over 17,000 genealogy and history
Facebook links, 190+ genealogy YouTube channels, 76 family history
podcasts, and more.
Michael Strauss, MA, AG®, AGL™ has a BA in History from Shepherd University with a concentration on the Civil War and the 19th century, and a MA in History from the University of Massachusetts, Boston with a concentration on military history in the Spanish-American War. He is a professional genealogist and military historian with over 30 years of experience in the field and is a United States Coast Guard veteran. His expertise is recognized in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia courts, where he has testified as an expert witness. Michael has lectured at universities, conferences, and institutes and contributed to publications, including peer-reviewed articles, public history articles, and book reviews that highlight his expertise in military records and historiography.
Session Descriptions
Katherine R. Willson’s Sessions:
- Records of Westward Traveling Pioneers & Service Providers – Records generated during Americans’ westward treks between 1787-1890, locations of those records and search strategies (includes discussions on cowboys, traveling preachers, midwives, Harvey Girls, and other service-providing occupations during the western migration).
- Seeking Dead People: Cemetery Research Online & In Person – Tips and techniques for accessing burial records, cemetery stone photos, obituaries, death certificates, and more.
- Top 10 Dos & Don’ts for Preserving Family Memorabilia – Best materials, methods, and places for storing precious family photos, heirlooms, textiles, and more.
- Navigating the Historical & Genealogical Treasures Within Repositories: Libraries, Archives, & More – Unlock practical techniques to uncover valuable repositories in ancestral regions, master the use of repository finding aids and subject headings, and effortlessly navigate select websites and digital collections to take your genealogical research to the next level.
Michael Strauss’s Sessions:
- Following the Tracks: Your Ancestors on the Railroad – Railroads for nearly two centuries have been the preferred mode of transportation for many of our ancestors. Their rich history includes details on when lines started, ceased, merged, or filed bankruptcy. Records including employee, manuscripts, directories, pensions, social security, and other organizations including the Pullman Porters and Harvey Girls are examined.
- Historical Maps: The World at Your Fingertips – For many centuries, maps have been the preferred choice of travelers the world over. They not only serve as reliable guides to desired destinations, they also assist the user in getting his or her bearings straight. But beyond direction and bearing, maps enrich the genealogist’s journey through the roadways and byways of personal history. From fire insurance maps that provide minute detail of our ancestors’ homes, to election maps that detail boundaries of registered voters in large cities, you’re sure to find a research path not yet considered.
- Introduction to Military History Research – Beginning genealogy research on your ancestors who served in the military is not without rewards; research can be both challenging and daunting for persons not familiar with the records, repositories, and the methodology employed to find details of military service. This lecture focuses on a large number of records, strategies, and techniques on how to research military ancestors from the colonial era through Vietnam that can be used to discover facts about your ancestor’s life.
- A House Divided: Research in the Civil War – Sectional differences and ideology tore apart the United States between 1861 and 1865. This lecture, separated in two parts, is an in-depth examination of the various military records used to search for soldiers, sailors, and marines on both sides during this conflict. Compiled Service Records, Pensions, Draft Registrations, and related genealogical material is covered in this presentation. Civilian records covering the war period are also examined in both segments of this lecture.
Conference Schedule
Thursday, 18 September 2025
| 3:00-7:00 | Book Frolic Sale Drop-off |
| 3:00-5:30 | Registration Desk Open |
| 3:30-4:30 | MSGS Board Meeting |
| 5:00-6:00 | Workshop 1 – First Families and Early Settlers Certificate Program |
| 5:00-6:00 | Workshop 2 – Great Falls History Museum |
| 7:00-8:00 | Dessert Social |
Friday, 19 September 2025
| 7:30-9:00 | Registration Desk Open |
| 9:00-9:15 | Opening Remarks |
| 9:15-10:15 | Records of Westward Traveling Pioneers & Service Providers |
| 10:30-11:30 | Following the Tracks: Your Ancestors on the Railroad |
| 11:45-1:00 | Lunch and Society Reports (Deli Sandwich Buffet) |
| 1:15-2:15 | Seeking Dead People: Cemetery Research Online & In Person |
| 2:30-3:30 | Historical Maps: The World at Your Fingertips |
| 3:45-4:45 | Top 10 Dos and Don’ts for Preserving Family Memorabilia |
| 5:00-6:00 | MSGS Annual Membership Meeting |
| 6:30-8:00 | Banquet (Pork Tenderloin Medallions Wrapped in Bacon) |
Saturday, 20 September 2025
| 8:00-9:00 | Registration Desk Open |
| 9:00-10:00 | Introduction to Military History Research |
| 10:15-11:15 | A House Divided: Research in the Civil War |
| 11:45-1:00 | Lunch and Society Reports (Baked Potato Bar) |
| 1:00-1:15 | Raffle Drawings |
| 1:15-2:15 | Navigating the Historical & Genealogical Treasures Within Repositories: Libraries, Archives, & More |
| 3:00 | Book Frolic Sale Closes |
Registration
To print the registration form and pay by check, please click here:
To register online and pay by credit card, please click here:
(Ticket sales begin July 1. Additional fees apply.)
2026 Conference
Our 34th annual conference will be held 10-12 September 2026 at the Montana Historical Society’s newly constructed Heritage Center in Helena.
2027 Conference
The Western Montana Genealogical Society will host our 35th annual conference in Missoula in September 2027.
Contact Us
Montana State Genealogical Society
PO Box 5313
Helena MT 59604