Kentucky History and Genealogy Conference 2025

Thursday, August 7, 2025

Please note that Thursday activities take place at the Covington Branch at 502 Scott Blvd., Covington, KY, 41011.

1 PM - Explore Historic NKY Bus Tour - Space is limited to 30.

5 PM - 9 PM - Local History and Genealogy Department Open House - Join us for a guided tour or come in to research! Space is limited to 40.

Friday, August 8, 2025

Friday sessions take place at the Erlanger Branch at 401 Kenton Lands Road, Erlanger, KY 41018.

8 AM - Vendor Setup Begins

9 AM - Registration Begins and Vendor Area Open

10 AM - Opening Remarks and Keynote Where Goetta Meets Grits: Defining Northern Kentucky, Dave Schroeder, Executive Director, Kenton County Public Library

11:30 AM - 1st Sessions - choose one session to attend

• Why and How to Join a Lineage Society, Susan Court
• Indian Captives, Jonathan Hagee
• Using Newspapers for Family Research, Johnna Waldon
• Heroes of the 1833 Cholera Epidemic in Lexington, Kentucky, Terry Foody

12:30 PM - 2 PM - Lunch - On your own!

2:00 PM - 2nd Sessions- choose one session to attend

• All about Archives, Rusty Heckaman
• Tracing My Wife's Roots Back Through Kentucky and American History, Ken Roenker
• George Graham Vest: The Life and Time's of Dog's Best Friend, Stephen Vest
• William Early: Born a Slave, Died Free, Rachael Scott

3:15 PM - 3rd Sessions - choose one session to attend

• Working with Microfilm, Daniel Ware
• More Than Just a List of Names and Dates, Connie Huddleston
• The Governor, the Farmers and the Pig: Kentucky in the War of 1812, Doris Settles
• Using Maps in Genealogy: How to Gain a Clearer Understanding of Your Family Stories, Sarah Hubbard

Saturday, August 9, 2025

Saturday sessions take place at the Erlanger Branch at 401 Kenton Lands Road, Erlanger, KY 41018.

9:00 AM - Registration open, and vendor hall open

9:15 AM - Opening Remarks and Session Kentucky Land Patents: A Valuable Resource for Genealogists and Historians, Travis Horn

10:30 AM - 1st Sessions - choose one session to attend

• Researching German Heritage from Here to There, Susan Court
• The Genealogy of a Place: The Browns' Search for their Family & Liberty Hall's Origins, John Walker
• The Kentucky Slave Register, Charles Lemons
• Emancipation Four Ways - How Four Herndon Siblings Emancipated their Enslaved, Dann Woellert

Noon - 2nd Sessions - choose one session to attend

• Exploring Kentucky's Unique Naming Traditions and Linguistic Heritage in Genealogy Research, Melanie Smith Chenot and Gina Runyon Rucker
• Cemetery Mystery: How An African American Cemetery Was Formed in Pendleton County, Briegh Soto
• A New Yorker Finds Her Old Kentucky Home, Terry Foody
• Ludlow Rail Yard Storehouse: Ludlow Heritage Museum, Andy Wartman

1:30 PM - 3rd Sessions - choose one session to attend

• Researching at Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Jessica Herrington
• The Role of School Yearbooks in Genealogy and History, Dave Redden
• Exploring Black Cemeteries of Louisville, Kaira Tucker
• Historic Research in the Kentucky State Digital Archives, Derek Clark and Elainé Gollihue

Light refreshments will be available both days in the conference rooms located across the hall from the Bronte Rooms.

Vendor Hall

List updated June 1, 2025 - check back for updates

• Author - Terry Foody
• Author - Robert Schrage
• Author - Doris Settles
• Author - Stephen Vest (Friday Only)
• Author - Bob Webster
• Author - Dann Woellert (Saturday Only)
• Boone County Public Library (Friday Only)
• Kenton County Historical Society
• Kenton County Public Library
• Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives
• Kentucky Genealogical Society
• Kentucky Historical Society
• Pendleton County Public Library
• Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War