Plan Smart, Discover More: Success in Finding Your Ancestors in Their Neck of the Woods— Saturday, 11:15 AM

Games About Family — Saturday, 1:15 PM

Family History Fun and Games! Highlights creative, interactive ways for families to discover and share their heritage. Rather than relying solely on historical records and research, family members can participate in enjoyable activities that bring their family stories to life. These games make learning about ancestors, traditions, and cultural backgrounds exciting for children and adults alike. Fun games such as Family Tree Bingo, Ancestor Trivia, and storytelling charades encourage participants to learn about their ancestors while having fun together.

Using Newspapers in Research — Saturday, 3:15 PM

Extra! Extra! Read all about … your Ancestors! This class will begin with a brief overview of newspaper history.

We will then explore how newspapers can reveal the stories behind the names, dates, and places in your family trees. Participants will discover how newspaper articles, obituaries, social columns, community news, and legal notices can provide clues about an ancestor’s life, relationships, occupations, and experiences. By learning to use newspapers as historical records, researchers can uncover new details, add context to their findings, and gain a richer understanding of their ancestors' lives.

The class will conclude with an overview of online newspaper resources. Participants will learn about free and subscription-based

websites and leave with tools and techniques to continue uncovering their ancestors' stories long after the class ends.

Denise Carter grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries and was captivated by the thrill of solving puzzles. Her interest in genealogy

began while assisting her mother, who was legally blind, serving as her mother’s “eyes.” Denise accompanied her on visits to

courthouses, searched cemeteries for headstones, and helped review responses received by mail.

Like a detective, she learned to investigate clues, connect the dots, and uncover the stories hidden within family history. Each new

discovery brought ancestors to life, revealing that they were much more than names and dates on a page.

In December 2025, Denise earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Family History Research from Brigham Young

University-Idaho. She volunteers at the Bentonville FamilySearch Center, serves as a stake temple and family history consultant, and

was set apart on Mother’s Day 2026 as a VROC service missionary. She is passionate about helping others discover their roots and

preserve their family stories for future generations.

When she is not researching family histories, Denise can usually be found working on a craft project or enjoying a good book. She is a

mother of five adult children and “Memaw” to four energetic grandsons, who bring joy and adventure to her life every day.

Migration Trails — Saturday, 9:15 AM

Our ancestors had an insatiable desire to move west for a variety of reasons.  They traveled in groups with neighbors and allied families from the same point of origin.  They used established migration paths and took the fastest and easiest route.  Learning more about these tails will not only add interest to your history but will also give you clues as to where to look for your ancestor.  Knowing where your ancestor’s neighbors came from will help you to find your ancestor.  Knowing how to research and find the trails your ancestors is invaluable.  Learn the reasons they left, why they went the route they took, and who they traveled with will greatly help any researcher.

Breaking Down Brick Walls — Saturday, 11:15 AM and 3:15 PM

Working on a brick wall requires persistence, thinking outside the box, learning the historical events in your ancestor’s life, and finding new outlets of information.  Learn some hints and new ideas of where to search for your ancestors. 

Marcia Connors has been doing genealogy for over 40 years. She has taught classes in TN and AR and been a professional genealogist for 15 years. She has lived in AR for 20 years and researches her lineage avidly. A strong believer in diligent persistence, she has taught

several classes on breaking down brick walls and hope the tips she has learned over the years will help others.  Her ancestors go back to the Mayflower and her German ancestors came from Germany Alsace Lorraine to PA in the early 1700s.

Understanding Census Records — Saturday, 11:15 AM

The Census: Foundation of Research, but Beware! A look at how census records can help with your research, but beware of pitfalls that can sabotage your search.  A quick review of ways the census can fool you!

Becky has served in both ward and stake family history positions for numerous years. She loves family history and looks forward to both sharing and learning information about using the census.

Wills, Probates, & Court Records — Saturday, 10:15 AM

Writing Your Personal History — Saturday, 9:15 AM

FamilySearch Made Easy — Friday, 6:35 PM and Saturday, 9:15 AM

In this class we will show how to do various actions on FamilySearch using a PC and/or phone including these topics:

• Navigating the tree

• Viewing family tree details

• Alternate ways of viewing your tree

• Children and spouse detail on a pedigree chart and the person page view

• Finding people and seeing where you have recently been

Bruce and Colleen Hawkins have lived in Bentonville for 34 years after growing up in Wyoming. They have been interested in genealogy and family history since they were quite young. They both worked in the Bentonville Family History Library before they served a full-time mission for 22 months for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City working for FamilySearch. In that capacity they learned how to help others gather family history together and to help with all kinds of problems and difficulties that sometimes occur when using FamilySearch. Since returning they have worked weekly in the Bentonville Family History Library, now named the FamilySearch Center. They enjoy helping others find sources and information to increase their knowledge of their families. They are the parents of 6 children and grandparents of 22 grandchildren.

Digital Scrapbooking — Saturday, 11:15 AM

Canva is a free tool for creating graphic designs. The tools can also be used to organize photos and memories into beautiful pages for sharing, printing or storing whever you currently keep your digital items. This will be a beginner introduction to the program and will include uploading photos and the tools available for creating pages that tell the stories of your photos. We will also talk about creating a family cookbook with your photos both in Canva and in traditional scrapbooking methods. We will explore monthly memory keeping in a journal form that will incorporate your photos and memories in real time for future generations to enjoy.

I look forward to creating with you and sharing this fun tool!

Blogging & Vlogging — Saturday, 3:15 PM

Noelle Herzig is the mother of 4 grown children and 2 grown foster children. She has 5 grandchildren. She has been married to her husband, Stephen for 39 years. They currently live in Rogers, Arkansas with their blind cat, River. She has lived all over the country and is originally from New York City.

Noelle is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In addition to this, her other passions include paper crafting, travelling the country with her camper, weightlifting and anything to do with her grandsons. 

Noelle has a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in Mathematics. She is a published author. She is currently working in the field of Social Media Marketing but has also been a Professional Organizer, a Poultry Phlebotomy Technician and small business owner. In her spare time she can be found enjoying her husband’s band, Benton County Line and follows them around Northwest Arkansas on the weekends.

Documenting Now for the Future — Friday, 6:00 PM

Google: A Search Engine — Saturday, 10:15 AM and 1:15 PM

In 2013, Tracy found herself sorting through a box of unlabeled family photographs of both Armenian Genocide victims and survivors. That experience sparked a deep dive into her family history to discover the stories behind the faces and led her to create the Armenian Geneaology Facebook group, which has helped more than 16,000 Armenians around the world trace their family trees. She is one of the founders of the Armenian Genealogy Conference, first held in Boston in 2016 followed by other major cities across the United States, Toronto, and Armenia itself. Tracy continues to present at conferences around the country, teaching innovative techniques for research Armenian and other immigrant and international family histories. 

Using Auction Records for Genealogy — Saturday, 10:15 AM

Public auctions are full of personal family history, from letters to journals to photographs and beyond; but, for many of these items, going up on the auction block may be the only time they are seen outside private collections. Luckily, most auction sale records are public and may include high-quality photographs, transcriptions, or translations, that can be accessed long after the item has returned to the vault. This talk will discuss the basics of exploring auction catalogs, understanding sale listings, and provide tips and tricks for getting the most out of these resources.

Nicole Norelli (M.S. Library Science and Archival Management) is a Reference Librarian at the Fayetteville Public Library and formerly a Rare Book and Manuscript Cataloger for Heritage Auctions. Nicole continues to do contract manuscript and book cataloging and often assists the Genealogy team at the library.

Beginning Genealogy — Friday, 6:35 PM

Ideas Using Family History for Gifts — Saturday, 3:15 PM

Ancestry — Saturday, 10:15 AM

Adoption — Saturday, 9:15 AM

Cemetery Records — Saturday, 2:15 PM

Donetta Rushton is a personal history writer, family historian, and Ward Historian who is passionate about preserving stories that connect generations. Her experience includes compiling mission histories while serving in the Detroit Michigan Mission, documenting family histories spanning six generations, and preserving personal and family stories, photographs, and records.

She believes that preserving our histories strengthens family connections, honors those who came before us, and leaves a lasting legacy of faith, testimony, and life experiences for future generations.

AI Research — Saturday, 10:15 AM and 2:15 PM

Memories — Friday, 7:40 PM and Saturday, 2:15 PM

Learn how to use the Memories feature in FamilySearch to preserve photos, stories, documents, and recordings that bring your ancestors to life. This hands-on workshop will demonstrate how to find, read, and contribute memories using both the FamilySearch website and mobile app. Discover how even a single photo or story can strengthen family connections across generations, and leave prepared to add your own meaningful memory to your family tree.

Mikayla Sturgeon is an educator who enjoys making unfamiliar or intimidating topics feel practical and accessible. Since childhood, she has said that her three favorite things in life are faith, family, and football. She grew up in a close-knit Latter-day Saint family that loves spending time together and is always adding “just one more” family tradition. Although Mikayla does not consider herself a traditional genealogist, she has found FamilySearch Memories to be a simple and meaningful way to connect with the people and stories in her family tree—while also documenting the best parts of life for future generations.

Research Wiki: What Can I Learn? — Saturday, 9:15 AM

The FamilySearch Research Wiki is a free online genealogy guide that provides information about records, repositories, research strategies, and historical background for locations around the world. Organized by location and topic, it helps researchers identify available records, learn research methods, and find resources to overcome common genealogy challenges.

This class will teach you how to use the Research Wiki effectively. We'll explore its basic functions and demonstrate through case studies how it can help researchers of all experience levels become more efficient and successful in their family history research.

Sue Thomas is an Accredited Genealogist®. She works for the General Society of Mayflower Descendants on their Silver Book Team. Sue researches the descendants of Mayflower passengers across 16th–19th century England, British Colonial America, and the Netherlands. For clients, she also researches in Scotland and Ireland. Sue is the executive secretary of the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). She is a member of Midland Ancestors, Tay Valley Family History Society and the Scrimgeour Clan Association. Her research has been published in the Mayflower Descendant. Sue is also the genealogical editor of her clan’s annual publication The Skirmisher.

Cite Anyway! — Friday, 7:40 PM

Every researcher has a fact in their tree they can no longer explain. This class covers the five things a source needs to tell you. See what the big websites write for you when you attach a record, what to add when they leave something out, and how to write a source in your own words when there is nothing to attach. No formal citation style required. And a word on when a formal one is worth the trouble.

THAD THOMAS is a Qualified Genealogist who graduated with distinction from the University of Strathclyde with a Master of Science (MSc) in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies. His research has appeared in the Mayflower Descendant, the Journal of Genetic Genealogy, and British Connections. He earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Brigham Young University and makes his living as a software engineer, currently with FamilySearch International. It took an entire master's degree for him to learn to cite "properly" (read that with a Scottish accent). His recommendation: skip the degree and cite anyway.

Cultural Resources — Saturday, 11:15 AM

Photo Detective — Saturday, 1:15 PM