If you love genealogy, you will love the 2025 DAR Genealogy Research Institute (GRI). The line-up of speakers includes industry-renowned experts on timely genealogy topics as well as DAR experts sharing inside information on DAR application-related subjects.
The Institute will be held Monday, May 5 through Wednesday, May 7, 2025 in our very own DAR Headquarters complex in Washington DC. A Welcome Reception will be held on Sunday, May 4 from 5:30 to 7 pm for all registered GRI attendees.
Master class lectures will be presented by Stephen J. Little, Jr - AI Program Director for the National Genealogical Society (NGS), Judy Russell, JD, CG, CGL aka The Legal Genealogist, and Library of Congress Reference Librarians Heather Thomas and A J Aiséirithe.
Little will present two sessions on Monday afternoon, May 5 on using Artificial Intelligence for Genealogy. The first will be an overview of this new resource and the potential it holds for genealogists. The second session will include case study illustrations using AI.
Russell will present two lectures on Tuesday afternoon, May 6. The first, entitled 'Linking the Generations with Court and Land Records', addresses the single biggest issue genealogists face: how to connect one generation to the next with reliable evidence. Her second session will tackle the topic of ‘negative evidence’ –the most difficult evidence to understand. Russell’s lecture - No, no, Nanette! What negative evidence is … and isn't’ - will be an opportunity to add use of negative evidence to our research arsenal.
On Wednesday morning, May 7 Russell will conduct a two-hour workshop titled ‘Order in the Court – Hands on with Court Records’, as a follow-up to her Tuesday lecture on court records.
Concurrent sessions will address how to resolve the challenge of different Patriots living in the same place and time with the same name; searching for elusive female ancestors; and distinguishing between Patriots and Tories in New York. Other sessions will focus on maximizing specialty research opportunities and resources; applying the updated policy on using DNA for DAR applications; maximizing the full text search option on Familysearch.org, using lesser known court records; and much more.
The GRI schedule also features extended research hours in DAR’s world-class library on Tuesday evening. The behind-the-scenes tour of DAR Headquarters will be available once again. A bonus this year’s tour - a sneak peek at the major restoration underway for Memorial Continental Hall!
The 2025 GRI registration fee is $485 per person (inclusive of the Eventbrite service fee), which includes access to all master class lectures, concurrent sessions, and group meals.
Monuments by Moonlight, a trolley tour with commentary of Washington, DC monuments, such as the Lincoln Memorial, Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial, is offered as an optional event on Monday evening, May 5 from 7:30 to 10 p.m. The cost is $58 per person, which includes the Eventbrite service fee. Seating is limited. Pre-Institute Zoom sessions to maximize the benefits of the GRI are scheduled for mid-February, March, and April for all registrants. The first Zoom session will be held on Wednesday evening, February 19 with helpful tips such as what to bring with you and GRI attire, as well as providing an opportunity to network with fellow attendees.
A link to register for the 2025 Institute will be posted as an announcement on the landing page of the DAR Members’ Website at 10 a.m. ET tomorrow morning – January 15. Attendance is limited, so mark your calendar to register right away!
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