For the serious genealogist and family historian there are some worthwhile learning opportunities coming up during the year 2015.



The Federation of Genealogical Societies will meet Feb. 11-14 in Salt Lake City, Utah, in conjunction with RootsTech for a one-time special genealogy event at the Salt Palace Convention Center. This gives the genealogy community a unique opportunity to experience two different conferences under one roof or the option to attend only one.



"Destined to be the largest family history event North America has ever seen, the FGS 2015 conference is the perfect destination for anyone interested in tracing their roots," said D. Joshua Taylor, FGS president.



FGS sessions will focus on methodology, records, ethnic research and migration. RootsTech will offer a program of technology-based solutions for the genealogy needs of both individuals and societies.



Those attending will have access to the famous Salt Lake City Family History Library, a dream destination of genealogists everywhere. It houses the largest genealogical collection in the world, which includes more than 2.4 million rolls of microfilmed records and 356,000 books. Visitors are welcome to bring a flash drive for digital copies.



Special hotel rates are offered to attendees. For more information on the innumerable number of sessions and events and the expo, log on to www.fgsconference.org.



Another stellar conference is that of the National Genealogical Society. Its 2015 Family History Conference themed "Crossroads of America" will be held in St. Charles, Mo., May 13-16.



The program features numerous tracks each day covering a broad array of topics including records for Missouri and the surrounding states, migration into and out of the Midwest, methodology, analysis, problem solving, genetics, technology, military records, and lectures on locations ranging from Colonial America to Eastern Europe.



Attendees will be offered a variety of conference tours from which to choose that include the historic Daniel Boone Home & Heritage Center, the Lewis & Clark Boathouse, historic St. Louis, Mo., and the National Archives Personnel Records Center.

Throughout this conference the Board for Certification of Genealogists will again sponsor a skill-building track for intermediate to advanced researchers interested in improving their research skills.



Multiple lectures, workshops, showcases, luncheons with noted speakers are on the agenda. For details, log on to www.ngsgenealogy.org.



And for those who would like to learn in the comfort of their homes, the NGS is offering a new online study this year called "Researching Your Revolutionary War Ancestors" by author Craig Roberts Scott. This course introduces numerous U.S. records created for, during and after the war for those who fought for independence, and provides strategies to identify and locate information on an ancestor living at the time of the war.



Scott is a nationally recognized lecturer, educator and genealogical and historical researcher with more than 30 years' experience. He specializes in the diverse military records at the National Archives. The eight-module course consists of lessons, examples, exercises and self-graded exams that can be viewed on a home computer. Students work independently.



Specifically, students will learn how to:

• identify an ancestor living at the time of the Revolutionary War,

• locate information about the service of an ancestor in the RW,

• understand pension law and locate pension application files,

• locate pension ledgers, payment vouchers, last and final payments,

• locate information about the unit that the ancestor served in during the war;

• locate and understand the Compiled Military Service Record, and

• compile a post-war record.



A course syllabus is available online for review. For more details, log on to www.ngsgenealogy.org.



Correspondent Joanne Anderson may be reached at joandy42@cableone.net.