Since 2002, the Dillman Family Association has brought together Dillman family researchers from across the country — and beyond — for its biannual Genealogical Conference. These gatherings are the centerpiece of the DFA’s research calendar: two days of presentations, discussion, and shared discovery, held every other year in locations meaningful to Dillman family history.
The conference is open to all members and to researchers with an interest in Dillman family genealogy, regardless of whether they have confirmed Dillman ancestry. If the name appears anywhere in your family tree — as a Dillman, a Dillmann, a Diehlmann, a Tillmann, or any of the dozens of variant spellings the name has taken over the centuries — you belong here.
What Happens at a DFA Genealogical Conference?
Each conference combines invited speakers with presentations from DFA members, creating a program that spans expert-level genealogical research and first-hand family stories alike. Past programs have included:
- Presentations by genealogists, historians, and DNA specialists
- DNA project updates and sessions on interpreting results
- Deep dives into specific Dillman family lines and geographic clusters
- Hands-on access to the DFA Family Library
- Open research time and informal one-on-one consultations
- Evening dinners and social events for attendees
The DFA Family Library — a curated collection of documents, photographs, family histories, and research materials — travels to each conference and is available to attendees throughout the event. It is one of the most valuable research resources the DFA maintains, and the conference is often the only opportunity members have to work with it in person.
Why a Biannual Conference?
Genealogical research is cumulative — each discovery opens new questions, and the field of tools and techniques available to researchers changes rapidly. The DFA holds its conference every two years rather than annually to give researchers time to develop new findings worth presenting, while keeping the community connected often enough that collaborative threads don’t go cold. The biannual rhythm also gives the organization time to plan programs that go beyond quick updates and into substantive research.
Conference Archive
Each conference page below includes whatever information is currently available — dates, location, theme, speakers, program highlights, and links to presentation materials where available. Historical records for the earliest conferences are still being located and will be added as they are found.
| Year | Location | Theme / Notes | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Erlanger, Kentucky | “250 Years of Dillmans” — August 7–9 | Full program › |
| 2024 | Louisville, Kentucky | August 8–10 | Details › |
| 2022 | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | 20th Anniversary — August 12–13 | Details › |
| 2020 | Virtual (Zoom Webinar) | August 15 — held online due to COVID-19 | Details › |
| 2018 | Plainfield, Indiana | August 9–11 | Details › |
| 2016 | Fort Wayne, Indiana | August 11–13 | Details › |
| 2014 | Plainfield, Indiana | Remembering Our Early War Veterans — August 8–9 | Details › |
| 2012 | Fort Wayne, Indiana | August 2012 | Details › |
| 2010 | Records not yet located | ||
| 2008 | Records not yet located | ||
| 2006 | Records not yet located | ||
| 2004 | Records not yet located | ||
| 2002 | Records not yet located |
Conferences held in Plainfield, Indiana have historically drawn the DFA’s largest attendance. Plainfield’s central Midwest location — near Indianapolis, with easy highway and air access — likely reflects where the greatest concentration of Dillman family researchers live.
Do you have records, photographs, or programs from a past DFA Genealogical Conference? Please contact us — we are actively gathering historical materials for the conference archive.
Presentation Materials
Slides, handouts, and other materials from past conferences are archived on the Conference Presentations page. Access to some materials is limited to DFA members as a benefit of membership.
Attending a Future Conference
DFA Genealogical Conferences are announced through the Dillman News quarterly newsletter and on this website. All researchers with an interest in Dillman family genealogy are welcome to attend. If you would like to be notified of future conferences, the best way is to become a DFA member — members receive the newsletter and all conference announcements automatically.