Remarks provided by Kendra Clauser

The Midwestern Roots scholarship program enabled me to attend the 2005 conference. As a family genealogist and history major in a masters program, the conference programming offered endless connections to my personal projects. The opening session panel participants challenged listeners to look for associations between history and genealogy. This session also incited thoughtful discussion from the audience which opened lines of communication between researchers with similar interests. Sessions offering clues to finding women in the 19th century and naming patterns among formerly enslaved people after the Civil War both enhanced my ongoing research on abolition in the Antebellum Midwest. Even sessions that did not directly relate to my family research provided fascinating insight into the complex world of genealogy. Plus, I met experts from across the country, making personal connections I could call upon in my future endeavors. If you are a graduate student interested in genealogy, or history, (or hopefully both), take advantage of the Midwestern Roots scholarship.