Presented by Craig Siulinski on 7 Feb 2023.

Register Now

Computers and technology provide today’s genealogists with many resources for basic research, and for communicating/collaborating with family members and colleagues, but sometimes researching on location provides family history information that you just can’t find online.

The idea of walking the pavement is surely one of the few remaining old-world endeavors of the genealogist. A research trip can unlock long-standing puzzles especially if significant prep work is done prior to hitting the road. The central ideas in this presentation involve using offline clues and networking to provide insights and answers to compelling family history questions.

Craig Siulinski is an experienced educator and writer, as well as an avid researcher and genealogist. He holds a Master of Science degree in Education from Cal State University East Bay, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Southern Maine.

Researching and writing family histories have been among Craig’s passions since 2007. In October 2009, he created his first blog, August Legacy, which is dedicated to his maternal grandfather, Auguste “Gus” Albert.

Craig started a business in 2014 called Sharing Legacies as an effort to help people write, share, and preserve their family histories for generations to come. In 2017, he began teaching Life Story Writing courses using the theme-based approach called Guided Autobiography.

Presented by Kory Meyerink, AG on 7 Mar 2023.

Register Now

Without records there is no genealogy. But often, in our focus to find the next ancestor, we don’t stop to determine if she or he should even be in that record set! Is the person you found really your ancestor? Or, just someone with the same name? If they are not there, why not?

To effectively use and search records, and evaluate any information we find in them, we must understand the record itself. Regardless of who created the record, there are three critical issues you must know about every record. Drawn from records on Ancestry, FamilySearch, and elsewhere, this presentation will open your understanding of all records, while identifying the tools needed to identify those three key issues for any record you choose to search. Now you can have more success and less frustration as you select the best records for your search!

Forty years in genealogy has given Kory Meyerink the opportunity to be involved in every aspect of this important and growing field. After mentoring with several locally prominent genealogists, he conducted professional research for companies and individual clients, followed by ten years at the Family History Library coordinating the creation of their instructional publications. After writing chapters for The Source and The Library, he was commissioned to write and edit Printed Sources, which became an ALA award winning reference book. He was the first acquisitions manager for a fledgling electronic publisher later known as Ancestry. He returned to his roots as a researcher for individuals and was a co-founder of ProGenealogists, helping grow the business until its acquisition by Ancestry. He is now a research manager for the since branded AncestryProGenealogists and one of their first Master Genealogists where this secondary role focuses on the growth, training, and development of the company and its staff. In 2021 he was recognized by Marquis “Who’s Who” for Excellence in Genealogy. [https://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release-service/482761]

As an educator, Kory taught university level courses in genealogy for BYU and SJSU over a 20-year period. He was also the visionary and founding director for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. He is a popular speaker at local, state, and national conferences and developed the German Research course for the National Institute of Genealogical Studies in Toronto.

His contributions to the genealogical community include six-year stints on the boards of the Utah Genealogical Association (three years as president) and the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). He has also served as an executive secretary for APG and has written dozens of print and online articles. He holds four genealogical accreditations in Germany and three U.S. regions.

Presented by Julia Anderson, AG on 4 Apr 2023.

Register Now

Did you know that Salt Lake Community College has a genealogy certificate program you can complete in just one year? The lessons and coursework are completely online and students from around the country have benefitted from learning best practices in genealogy for both United States and international research. Elective classes are also available that will help prepare you for accreditation or certification. Come learn more about this amazing program and decide whether it is right for you.

Julia is an Accredited Genealogist® and United States and Canada Research Specialist with FamilySearch. She is also a member of the faculty at Salt Lake Community College, where she teaches classes in the genealogy certification program, and is the owner and managing member of Anderson Genealogical Research, LLC. She received a bachelor’s degree in history with a family history emphasis from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in history with a post-secondary education emphasis from Grand Canyon University. Julia lives in Orem, Utah. She and her husband, Scott, have nine children and seven grandchildren.

Presented by Cynthia Patton on 2 May 2023.

Register Now

Dream came true and you finally turned your hobby of genealogical research into a profession. How do I get prospective clients? What is in my contract? How do I market myself? How do I set my rates to benefit clients and my business? Is the client always right or should I set boundaries? What are the pros and cons of offering a free initial consultation and its impact on my reputation?

Alina Khuda has a BA (Hons) and MA (Hons) degree in Social Studies and Politics and has studied in the USA (sponsored by the US government). She participated in the GOI Peace Foundation and UNESCO projects from 2009. She has an extensive experience as a court expert, probate genealogist, and forensic genealogist from 2015. She established KGS (Khuda Genealogical Services) in 2016. She is an expert criminal genealogist for USA courts and a course editor for the University of Genealogical Studies in Canada. With sufficient experience in journalism, Alina and her team provide search of unknown relatives and missing beneficiaries for estates and trustees in the USA, Canada, Australia, UK, and the EU. She has worked with LegacyTree, AncestryProGenealogists, Trace, and numerous companies worldwide as a contractor and an expert for genealogical data in the Eastern Europe. She has researched for government and non-government organizations, attorneys, trustees, and companies worldwide as well as numerous private clients.

Presented by Jennifer Roodzant on 6 Jun 2023.

Register Now

Creating a business plan can be an overwhelming task—they are, however, the key to setting your business up for success. Attendees will walk away with tools and resources to create a vision, mission statement, and organized plan for their business.

The idea of walking the pavement is surely one of the few remaining old-world endeavors of the genealogist. A research trip can unlock long-standing puzzles especially if significant prep work is done prior to hitting the road. The central ideas in this presentation involve using offline clues and networking to provide insights and answers to compelling family history questions.

Jennifer Roodzant is a professional genealogist and speaker specializing in DNA and southern U.S. research. She volunteers as secretary for the Napa Valley Genealogical Society and is a certificate-holder in Genealogical Research from Boston University and ProGen Study Groups. Jennifer applies genealogy standards to resolve complex research objectives.

Presented by Melissa Barker on 11 Jul 2023.

Register Now

Most genealogists have made discoveries, found surprises, and documented some family information that was outright lies. Whether we are doing the happy dance or shocked by what we have found, it is important that we document this information for future generations. Good or bad, it all tells the story of our ancestors. Learn from a seasoned genealogist and archivist the best way to handle the genealogy surprises, discoveries and outright lies that come our way.

The idea of walking the pavement is surely one of the few remaining old-world endeavors of the genealogist. A research trip can unlock long-standing puzzles especially if significant prep work is done prior to hitting the road. The central ideas in this presentation involve using offline clues and networking to provide insights and answers to compelling family history questions.

Melissa Barker is a Certified Archives Manager and Public Historian currently working at the Houston County, Tennessee Archives & Museum. She is affectionally known as The Archive Lady to the genealogy community. She lectures, teaches, and writes about the genealogy research process, researching in archives and records preservation. She conducts virtual presentations across the United States and other countries for various genealogy groups and societies. She writes a popular blog entitled A Genealogist in the Archives and is a well-known published book reviewer. She has been a Professional Genealogist for the past 19 years with expertise in Tennessee records. She has been researching her own family history for the past 33 years.

Presented by Elly Catmull on 3 Oct 2023.

Register Now

Join us for an inside look at what it takes to pursue a career at Legacy Tree (which was recently voted one of the top 101 Best and Brightest companies to work for in the nation) including the education, experience, and soft skills you'll want to build before you apply.

Elly Catmull holds a Bachelor's Degree from BYU in Family History and Genealogy. After taking some time for four children, she has been with Legacy Tree Genealogists for the last twelve years. From editing to project management to research, Elly has played an integral part in Legacy Tree's growth over the years. She now leads the Research Department as the Research Operations Director, making sure that researchers at Legacy Tree have what they need to do their job well.

Presented by Annette Burke Lyttle on 7 Nov 2023.

Register Now

Busy speakers monitor a mountain of information that makes up the “back room” of a speaking operation. We will cover finding and responding to requests for proposals; finding local speaking gigs; staying on top of requests for our speaking services; keeping track of the status of proposals; managing information so we meet deadlines, show up at the right place and time with the right equipment, and present ourselves as capable professionals; setting fees and charging for expenses, and developing fresh topics that will keep the demand up for our presentations.

Annette Burke Lyttle owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. She speaks on a variety of genealogical topics from the international to the local level and loves helping people uncover and share their family stories. Annette leads Best Practices Study Groups for a number of organizations, providing in-depth education on the genealogical research process in an interactive setting. She is coordinator of the Fall Virtual Intermediate Foundations course for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and has been an instructor in other institute courses on migration, Quaker research, and federal records for SLIG and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP). Her articles have been published in NGS Magazine, FGS Forum, and the APG Quarterly, among others. Annette is president of the Association of Professional Genealogists and editor of The Florida Genealogist.