BCG Education Fund

The BCG Education Fund, founded in 2000 as a charitable trust, advances the educational aims of the Board for Certification of Genealogists® by funding learning programs consistent with standards promulgated by the Board and by providing incentives for study and scholarly research in accordance with the Board's standards.

Current educational offerings are the Helen F. M. Leary Distinguished Lecture Series presented semi-annually, Putting Skills To Work presented annually, and the annual competition for the Donald Mosher Memorial Award. Projects have met with gratifying success. The Education Fund is always considering avenues for extending its outreach, and suggestions are heartily welcomed.

The Education Fund relies upon the generosity of contributors to support its educational outreach to current and future genealogists. The programs exist only because of that on-going generosity. Contributions are tax-deductible, and may be mailed to:

BCG Education Fund
P. O. Box 14291
Washington, DC 20044

Helen F. M. Leary Distinguished Lecture Series

The series, initiated in 2007, honors Helen F. M. Leary of North Carolina, Certified Genealogist (Emeritus) and a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists, known for her richly informative and entertaining lectures on methodology, law, writing, and the art of lecturing to mention only a few.

Throughout her distinguished career, Helen F. M. Leary has worked to educate all serious genealogists. Helen embodies personal and professional work standards that the BCG Education Fund seeks to emulate and to instill in those practicing the art and science of genealogy.

 Helen served twenty-three years as a Trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists. She served as President from October 1989 to October 1994 and again from October 1998 to October 1999. She designed the certification logos used today by Board-certified associates. With Thomas Jones, CG, CGL, Helen authored the BCG Genealogical Standards Manual. She developed and coordinated the Professional Genealogy Track at Samford University Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. She was editor and contributing author of North Carolina Research, a unique publication existing only for the state of North Carolina, which provides genealogical research guidance transcending geographical boundaries. Helen wrote several chapters of Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians including the chapter on lecturing. Her extensive scholarly publications include the seminal National Genealogical Society Quarterly study “Sally Hemming’s children: A Genealogical Analysis of the Evidence.”

Leary Distinguished Lecturers include Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FNGS, FUGA; Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG, FNGS, FUGA; and David E. Rencher, AG, CG, FIGRS, FUGA.

The following Leary Lectures are scheduled for 2010:

Patricia Walls Stamm, CG, CGL, will present at the National Genealogical Society Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, in April. Pat will address “A Matter of Diversity: Expanding Your Genealogical Skills Through Education.”

Laura Murphy DeGrazia, CG, will present at the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference in Knoxville, Tennessee, in August. Laura will discuss “What Is A Reasonably Exhaustive Search?”

Putting Skills To Work

This is a unique full-day, hands-on workshop limited to sixty participants. The focus is genealogical skills needed by anyone practicing serious genealogical research whether as a family historian, librarian, dedicated hobbyist, or writer. The material is geared to intermediate and advanced practitioners and advocates professional standards. Putting Skills to Work is sponsored by the Education Fund and is independent of the Skillbuilding track offered by the Board for Certification of Genealogists®.

Putting Skills To Work sessions occur the day prior to the opening of the National Genealogical Society Conference. It is not necessary to register for the entire Conference to participate in Putting Skills To Work. The $90 registration fee includes two in-depth presentations, hands-on exercises, syllabus, handouts, and lunch. Sessions normally book to capacity far ahead of the Conference registration deadline.

Previous Putting Skills To Work topics include abstracting records, efficient research planning, report writing, composing genealogical narratives, compiling proof summaries, evidence evaluation principles, citations and documentation requirements, and in-depth guidance for writing a family history. Proposals and suggestions from any interested party for future Putting Skills To Work are always welcome.

2010 sessions are scheduled for Tuesday, 27 April, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Instructors are Pamela Boyer Sayre, CG, CGL, presenting “Synchronized Research and Reporting” and Kip Sperry, AG, CG, CGL, presenting “Reading Early Handwriting.”

Donald Mosher Memorial Award for Colonial Virginia Research

This competitive Award was established in 2001 by Merrill Hill Mosher, CG, of Oregon, to honor her late husband in gratitude for his support of her genealogical endeavors. The $500 grant funds scholarly research on Colonial Virginia topics in the following categories: family genealogy, study of immigrant origins, or projects focused on obscure or difficult unpublished Virginia resources. The annual deadline is 20 February. Beverly Rice, CG, Donald Mosher Memorial Award Administrator, may be contacted at MosherAward@bcgcertification.org. Application criteria for the Award may be accessed here.

2009 Selena Mayes DuLac, Henrico County, Virginia, Land Patent Abstracts with Some Plat Maps, vol. III.

2006 James Lively of England for his study identifying the 16th and 17th century English origins of the Underwood family of Virginia.

2005 James Winter Petty, CGRS, AG, of Salt Lake City, Utah, for his work extracting headrights from Virginia county records.

2002 Selena Mayes DuLac, Henrico County, Virginia, Land Patent Abstracts with Some Plat Maps, vol. I.

Trustees and Supporting Associates

Stefani Evans, CG, Trustee
Marty Hiatt, CG, Trustee
Barbara J. Mathews, CG, Trustee
Patricia O’Brien Shawker, CG, Trustee
Kathy Gunter Sullivan, CG, Trustee
Beverly Rice, CG, Donald Mosher Memorial Award Administrator
Donn Devine, JD, CG, CGL, Counsel

The BCG Education Fund has always been led by talented Board-certified associates. The roster of former Trustees and supporting Associates is:

Mary McCampbell Bell, CG
Bettie Cummings Cook, CG
Kay Haviland Freilich, CG, CGL
Kay Germain Ingalls, CG
Thomas W. Jones, PhD, CG, CGL, FASG, FNGS, FUGA
Joy Reisinger, CG
Beth A. Stahr, CG
George B. Handran, JD, CG, Counsel