Family History Company ‘Teaches Old Dogs New Tricks’

Techniques and Technology Have Changed the Face of Family History

When you look inside your family, you look inside yourself. Family history research is a wonderful way to discover a past that can help you understand the present and plan for the future.

There are few hard and fast rules about family history research. Your research is exactly what you make of it. People conduct family history research for many reasons. Some want to document family lines for present and future generations. Others perform in-depth research for religious reasons. A family’s health history is important and some researchers try to identify medical conditions that tend to “run in the family” for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of certain illnesses. Still others are simply curious about the people who wove their family tapestry.

Regardless of your reasons for conducting family history, the process is basically the same. Techniques have changed significantly over the past decade as the world has moved into a global environment. One Utah-based company is determined to teach family history researchers of all levels the techniques and technology to dig up their roots without ever touching a shovel. Family History Expos.com has taken a human centuries-old passion and applied 21st century methods of research that will knock your socks off and shake down your family tree with lightening speed.

Family History Expos.com is headquartered in Croydon, Utah. FHE has been holding successful expos throughout the Western United States, teaching thousands to learn the art of and experience the spirit of family history research for nearly 10 years. Whether a researcher is brand new or simply needs to update techniques and learn about technology, FHE comes to the rescue.

“We teach old dogs new tricks,” FHE Founder and President Holly T. Hansen says with a grin. “You would not believe the amazing technology available today that simplifies the research process, the networking process, and the documentation process for those who learn to use it. New technology means new techniques and it is our goal to teach everyone who wants to learn how to climb their family trees and pick the sweet, sweet fruit without ever leaving the ground!”

Hansen said the family history industry is still shadowed by a dusty stigma that paints research as a dismal, painstaking process that involves hours and hours in a library or courthouse vault. “The Internet has changed everything,” Hansen said. “It can take weeks to communicate with a family history contact by letter writing via the postal service. It takes seconds to communicate by e-mail.”

Digitized, electronic records make newspapers, public records, personal histories and more available with the click of the mouse. Hansen calls the World Wide Web a gathering place for those seeking to unravel the mysteries of their family histories. “Before the Internet, people might search all of their lives for the right contact and never find them. Now, in many cases, it’s as simple as posting a plea for help on an electronic bulletin board.”

New software makes documenting and presenting family history easy, even for beginners. Many savvy software developers recognize the magnitude of the family history industry and human beings’ natural curiosity and are cashing in on products that create charts, customize maps based on location and dates, put pictures to music, and more.

“Virtually all of this can be done from the comfort of your own home with a computer and an Internet connection – if you have the knowledge,” Hansen said.

Family History Expos are major events that bring researchers, instructors, exhibitors and family members together for education and hands-on demonstrations that allow people to try new techniques and technology with instant help to master them.

Ruby Coleman, North Platte, Neb., attended an expo in Sheridan, Wyo. in July. “I can't quite attach one word to how I felt about the Sheridan Family History Expo,” Coleman said. “I've been to NGS and FGS Conferences and lectured at them. They are fun, but there was something different about the [Sheridan] Expo.”

Coleman said she found herself in neutral territory of friendship and learning. “It was so much fun to not only learn, but to experience the bond of friendship and support between genealogists. I didn't want it to end.” Coleman said she is glad to be able to stay in communication with her new network through Twitter, blogs and Facebook.
“Our ancestors are drawing us closer in our attempt to locate them,” Coleman said.


Here are the details for the California Family History Expo 2009 in Redding, Calif. We can’t wait for you to join us there. Check out a full list of our presenters online.

What:
California Family History Expo

Where:
Redding Convention Center
747 Auditorium Drive
Redding, California 96001
Ample free parking

When:
Friday October 16th, 2009. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday October 17th, 2009. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
At the door registration begins at: 7 a.m. Friday & 7:30 a.m. Saturday

Cost:
Exhibit Hall: Open free to the public
Keynote Address: Open free to the public
Classes and Workshops:
Pre-Registration: $65
At the Door: $75 for both days, $40 for a single day, or $12.00 per class