By TRENT WELLS
BYU’s Genealogy and Family History conference is a great place for any genealogy enthusiast, whether they are just beginning or advanced researchers.
“I’ve been to the conference several times, and I always find out something that I didn’t know,” said Judith Fry from Alpine.
The conference started Tuesday, runs through Friday, and is designed to teach three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced.
In one way this conference will differ from those in the past. The program committee has reserved Friday afternoon for a series of “cracker barrel” sessions. Instructors will be set up in 10 to 12 pods where conference goers can come ask specific questions about genealogy and the research process.
Chris Young from Alpine is attending the conference for the first time this year and said the question and answer period should be a wonderful tool in helping answer her research questions.
“I came here to get some new ideas. I got stuck in my search and hopefully the conference will give me more information. I want to learn more about the research tools that are out there,” Young said.
During the rest of the week, conference goers can attend workshops on various types of genealogical research and the research tools available to them.
Computerized genealogy and Internet searches have become popular research methods. Jake Ghering of Ancestry Incorporated recently graduated from BYU with a genealogy degree.
“We have 125 searchable databases accessible through the Internet,” said Gehring.
The conference offers courses in 10 different tracks: United States Localities, U.S./Canada Records, Emigration and Immigration, Scotland/Ireland/Wales, England, Germany, Europe/Scandinavia, Computerized Genealogy, Family Histories and Research in Libraries.
