genfest 2026
GenFest 2026
The City Archives & Special Collections is excited to announce our third annual GenFest! This year, we are going back to basics, with programs focused on the foundations of genealogy research. Stay tuned for information about our programs, presenters, and participating organizations, but be sure to Save the Date!
Saturday, April 11
10am-4pm
NORDC’s Milne Rec Center
5420 Franklin Ave
About GenFest 2026
GenFest began in 2024 as a celebration of genealogy, bringing together genealogist, preservation groups, cultural organizations, institutions, and enthusiasts to share ideas and strengthen our community. With each year, GenFest gets bigger and better. This year, we get back to basics with programs designed to help you get started with your genealogy research. We will feature four great speakers, including City Archives & Special Collections staff walking you through how to navigate our own genealogy resources. This year’s panel will focus on how to preserve legacy and pass down what you have learned. Additionally, there will be over 40 organizations from the areas of genealogy, museums, cultural heritage, and preservation available to talk to and learn from.
Programs
Giving to the Next Generations: Grandparents Impact Family History
10:15am-11:15am
As both experienced genealogists and grandparents, Deanne and Terry Bryant will demonstrate what can be accomplished by novice and professional genealogy researchers to pass their love of research on to the next generations of their families.
Back to Basics with the City Archives & Special Collections
11:30am-12:30pm
Join us for a lightning round of genealogy basics with the City Archives & Special Collections! Tutorials will focus on searching for obituaries, using city directories, Sanborn fire insurance maps, and naturalization records. Brush up on your research skills and learn how to navigate our genealogy resources.
Archival Show and Tell with the Amistad Research Center
2:15pm-3:15pm
Lisa Moore from the Amistad Research Center’s Research Services department will discuss resources from their collections for your genealogy research. Moore will bring archival material for a hands-on, interactive demonstration of general reading room rules and access. If you’ve never been in an archive before, bring your questions—and clean, dry hands!
Heirs Property with Louisiana Appleseed
3:30pm-4:30pm
Join Jonathan Reynolds and Ifeyinwa Davis of Louisiana Appleseed Public Interest Law Center to learn about heirs’ property issues and the legal and Library resources that can help. Discover the ins and outs of heirs’ property and how to safeguard yours.
All presentations will be held in Classroom 1. Registration is not required, though space is limited. Please arrive promptly!
About the Presenters
Terry and Deanne Bryant are avid FamilySearch® participants researching family lines and preserving family stories since their early married years. Terry is a Shreveport native whose family history traces to original settlers in Acadia, Virginia, and south Louisiana. Deanne spent her youth in Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi, and her family traces to original American settlers in Texas and to the American Revolutionary War. This passion strengthens their family relationships and inspires their children’s and grandchildren’s appreciation for the sacrifices, lessons, and triumphs of their forebears.
Brittanny Silva is a Certified Archivist and Certified Records Manager at the City Archives & Special Collections in New Orleans. Her areas of expertise include municipal records, property research, digital preservation, records management, and disaster planning. She holds an MLIS from Louisiana State University and was born and raised in New Orleans.
Amy DeNisco is an Archivist with City Archives & Special Collections at New Orleans Public Library. Before transitioning to City Archives, she worked in programming and public service at the Library. She earned her Master’s in Library and Information Science with a Graduate Certificate in Archival Studies from Louisiana State University.
Lisa Moore (BS, business; BA, journalism; MA, African diaspora studies; MLIS) is the head of research services and cataloger at the Amistad Research Center in New Orleans. Moore was the owner of RedBone Press, publishing award-winning literature by black gay men and lesbians for more than 25 years; and was board president of Fire & Ink, an advocacy organization for LGBTQ writers of African descent. She is in the thick of a large family history project for the Moore/Boudreaux/Kinler family, which includes her relatives Deacon John Moore, Sybil Kein and Jimmy Boudreaux.
Jonathan Reynolds is a staff attorney for Louisiana Appleseed focusing on Heirs’ Property. He graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School, University of New Orleans, and Loyola College of Law. Mr. Reynolds began his law career as a title examiner and abstractor for right-of-way and oil & gas projects. Mr. Reynolds is a native of New Orleans and long time member of the Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association.
Ifeyinwa F. Davis, PhD, is the Program Director for Louisiana Appleseed. She is an inequality scholar with research interests concerning Black woman- and girlhood, pregnancy and childbirth outcomes, and criminology/criminal justice. Towards the end of her doctoral program, Davis made the transition to the legal sector as a means of bridging the gap between social problems research and policy. Davis earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from Louisiana State University.
Panel Discussion: Passing it On
This year we celebrate passing on the fruits of research to future generations, as well as teaching them how to do it. Please enjoy the
four professional presenters covering topics of engaging younger generations in family history, untangling the mysteries of heirs’ property, what to expect when you research in a real archive, and a lightning round of genealogy research. We also invite you to listen to our panel of history-keepers moderated by Augusta Elmwood of the Louisiana Historical Society. We hope you enjoy this celebration of legacy, history and community.
The panel discussion will be held from 1pm-2pm in Classroom 2.
Participating Organizations
We are proud to bring together over 40 southeastern Louisiana organizations at the NORDC Milne Recreation Center to share their mission and story with festival attendees and each other. Visit organization tables between 10am-4pm.
GenFest 2024 and 2025
Did you miss GenFest 2024 or 2025? No problem! Some GenFest programs are recorded and posted online for our researchers to view whenever they want. Explore photos, presentations, information about participating organizations, presenters, and sponsors on each GenFest page.
