A big thank you to all who attended, presented, and planned the Family History Discovery Day. We enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
Let's keep the fun going, stop by the center for help, utilize the websites, take a class, digitize a photograph, or just say hi.
Richard Dance taught to wonderful workshops on using the digitizing devices at the center. Even if you didn't get to attend, you can sign up for time on the equipment and start making photos easier to share.
If you didn't get a chance to do the discovery experience, create one of your own.
While signed into your FamilySearch account, click on Activities and choose from any of the fun activities.
On the FamilySearch app, click More and then select Family History Activities or Map My Ancestors. If you are in a group, try Relatives Around Me.
Each has a story of being the link in remembering the past and sharing it with the future. Everyone's family history journey is different but the ultimate goal of connecting generations motivates us all to collect, preserve, and share the details, images, and stories.
Tyler Shearer is a dedicated financial planner at Northwestern Mutual, where he helps individuals optimize, protect, and grow their financial wealth. With a focus on Faith, Family, Fitness, and Finances, Tyler is passionate about empowering others to reach their full potential. A proud husband to Megin and father of two little girls, Holland and Noelle, he brings energy, leadership, and a deep commitment to serving the community. In his free time, Tyler enjoys photography, golfing, building his shoe collection, and pickleball. With a background in marketing and sales, Tyler understands the power of storytelling and its ability to impact and share light and truth with others.
Pam enjoys researching not only her family but helping other find and connect to family. From an early age, her parents would share stories both from their experiences and about loved one who had past. Soon she started asking questions.
Over the years she has learned some tips to help other and yourselves remember.
Jeni is the current director of the Hayden Lake FamilySearch Center. Her journey began as a young mom discovering her father's side of the family that she had not seen since she was three.
She has been involved with family history work for the last ten years. She and her husband, Bruce, raised four children in Northern California. They move to Northern Idaho to be closer to family.
Beginner (B), Intermediate (I), Zoom (Z)
Session 1 - 10 am - 10:50 am
FamilySearch 101: Joining and Navigating FamilySearch (B) - Randy Pixton: Are you new to FamilySearch or need a refresher to catch up on all the changes?
Anderson Family Bible Project: Where Did We Find the Records? (B,I) - Laura Dabney & Pam Heath: A Bible, a family, and a handful of facts. From Ottawa, Canada, to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. What a story we uncovered! Sawmills, a Musician, and the Dream Theatre. In our class, we will talk about our research and where it led us. Come join us, it's going to be fun! Anderson Bible Handout Anderson Bible Audio Canadian Resources Handout
What's New in FamilySearch (B,I,Z) - FamilySearch Team: Get insight from a FamilySearch team member on what is new and maybe what is in the works.
Swedish Research Basics (I) - Pam Williams Duce The Lutheran Church in Sweden created a comprehensive set of records that allows us to learn about our ancestors centuries back. Don't let the language barrier stop you, we will discuss tools to help you. Much of these techniques can be applied to other foreign language research. Handout
Session 2 - 11:00 am - 11:50 am
FamilySearch 102: Adding and Editing People and Relationships (B) - Rhonda Budvarson Learn how to add new information or edit the information already there. Additionally, family can be complex, assigning relations such as biological, step, adoptive can help clarify how everyone fits together. Link Handout
Gather What You Know and Go (B,I) - Mary Howard: You have been invited to the family reunion, but the invitation only provided tidbits of information, no clear directions, and no exact destination. Join us as we use those tidbits of information to create an achievable research objective, a plan, and a research log. This is an interactive session, come prepared to contribute and learn from one another.
Photo Magic with MyHeritage (B) - Tammy Lively: Harry Potter has nothing on MyHeritage, from editing to animation discover fun and functionality available. Handout
Family History Believe It or Not (B,I) - Pam Williams Duce: Let's have some fun discovering unique and unusual websites, that may advance your research or just surprise you. Handouts will be available at the time of class and then digitally after the conference. Handout
Session 3 - 1:00 pm - 1:50 pm
FamilySearch 103: Searching and Attaching Sources (B) - Rhonda Budvarson Learn how to do an initial search, narrow your results, and attach sources to your relatives. Link Handout
Are You Sure This is Family History Grandma? (B,I) - Tammy Lively: Discuss ways to involve youth of all ages in Family History, sometimes without them even realizing it. Handout
Discover Family Through DNA (B,I) - Christy Child: Learn tips and techniques to connect or identify family. Handout
Probate Records: Wills & More (B,I) - Pam Williams Duce Learn the legal jargon, where to look for probate records, and what else they may contain. This class will also demonstrate the new full-text search available on FamilySearch. Handout
Session 4 - 2:00 pm - 2:50 pm
FamilySearch 104: Adding Memories (B) - Christy Child & Jeni Bitnoff Discover the fun games available when you add photos and stories. Handout
Did You See What Was in the Newspaper? (B,I) - Leon Duce: If you missed the news, learn about the availability of online newspapers and tips for searching them. Life is stranger than fiction. Handout
What's New in FamilySearch (B,I,Z) - FamilySearch Team Get insight from a FamilySearch team member on what is new and maybe what is in the works.
Breadcrumb Research (I) - Pam Williams Duce: We will discover how the little details in one record/source can lead us to other resources that hold the possibility of more details, maybe even new information.
Anderson Family Bible Project: Where Did We Find the Records? (B,I) 10:00 am - 10:50 am
Pam is a member of the Kootenai County Genealogical Society and currently serves as their secretary. She is also the Education Coordinator for the Foothills Genealogical Society of Colorado.
Laura started her personal genealogy 12 years ago. Not too long after that, she joined the Kootenai County Genealogical Society. Laura has been their research coordinator for family, historical, and artifacts genealogy for the past 4 years. She enjoys helping others find records of their ancestors that they have trouble finding.
FamilySearch 101: Signing On and Navigating 10 am - 10:50 am
Randall lives in Hayden Idaho and has lived his dream .
Family History is his passion, and he has helped hundreds of people around the world with their personal journey searching for their own families. He served as fulltime missionary with his wife at the Church Headquarters mission training Senior missionaries on Family Search. Teaching the basics to advanced techniques. He also served in the discovery center in Salt Lake and then went on to serve at Roots Tech for Family Search. The draw to be continually involved took him to George UT where he and his wife served two years as Church service missionaries at the Family Search Discovery center. Helping people learn the basics and find those missing ancestors.
Hobbies, Fishing, Adventures, Traveling around the world with his sweet heart . Loving the Joy of my grandkids.
What's New in FamilySearch (B,I) 10:00 am - 10:50 am
What's New in FamilySearch (B,I) 2:00 pm - 2:50 pm
FamilySearch Team Member
FamilySearch 102: Adding and Editing People and Relationships (B) 11:00 am - 11:50 am
FamilySearch 103: Searching and Attaching Sources (B) 1:00 pm - 1:50 pm
Rhonda Budvarson lives in Hayden Idaho and has a love of family history. She is blessed to have been raised with the belief that “ Family is Everything!” Family photos and stories are a treasure that need to be preserved and shared. And every hour spent working on Family History is a labor of love.
Grab What You Know and Go (B,I) 11:00 am - 11:50 am
Mary always thought family history was what people did in retirement when they had lots of time to devote to it. (LOL!) Then God dropped a family Bible in her lap when she was 18, and she was hooked for life! She has been searching for her ancestors ever since. She is working on her Advanced Certificate in Family History Research through BYU-I Pathways Worldwide.
Discover Family Through DNA (B,I) 1:00 pm - 1:50 pm
FamilySearch 104: Adding Memories (B) 2:00 pm - 2:50 pm
Christy Child is the Assistant Director of the Hayden Lake FamilySearch Center. Her mother taught her a love of family and stories, leading to her first family history class on PAF twenty years ago. Her computer engineer father taught her a love of technology and innovation, leading to a beautiful pairing to grow up alongside the FamilySearch program. When not reading or painting, she loves spending her free time testing the latest HelperConnect on FamilySearch, enabling her to help people around the world connect to their family. She and her husband grew up in the Coeur d’Alene area and are thrilled to be back raising their three children here.
Photo Magic with MyHeritage (B) - 11:00 am - 11:50 am
Are You Sure This is Family History Grandma? (B,I) 1:00 pm - 1:50 pm
Tammy Lively lives with her husband, Travis, in Hayden, Idaho. They have been married for 41 years. They have three boys that they raised in Redmond, WA. They moved to Idaho 7 years ago after their boys had grown and went their separate ways.
Tammy currently serves as a Missionary. Her passion in family history revolves around finding stories and pictures of her ancestors and being able to learn about their journeys.
Hobbies include reading, hiking, gardening, journaling, discovering and traveling. Her biggest passion is her family and grandchildren.
Did You See What Was in the Newspaper? (B,I) 2:00 pm - 2:50 pm
Leon Duce loves learning the stories of his relatives, the crazier the story the better. He loves spend time with his growing family, playing games and laughing. He enjoys woodworking and laser engraving in his free time.
Pam is grateful for the love and support of her husband, Leon, children Daniel, his wife, Kylee, Sam, his wife Abby, Marcus, his wife, Lily, Emmalee, her husband, Gabe, and Elizabeth. Also her cute little granddaughter, Natalie.
Swedish Research Basics (I) 10:00 am - 10:50 am
Family History Believe It or Not (B,I) 11:00 am - 11:50 am
Probate Records: Wills & More (B,I) 1:00 pm - 1:50 pm
Breadcrumb Research (I) 2:00 pm - 2:50 pm
Pam Williams Duce has been a student of family history for over 29 years and will continue to learn and grow as long as she is able. She has been teaching classes and giving presentations for the last 23 years.
Pam’s love for learning about her ancestors started in her early years through the stories shared by her parents. Though not formally trained, as a preteen she did learn to read upside down and backward believing it would come in handy when she became an FBI agent. Instead, it was useful while reading to her five children while simultaneously showing them the book.
Family History is full of great mysteries, stranger-than-fiction stories, and emphasizes the importance of all families. The perfect combination to create a deep desire to not only research her own family but help others discover theirs.
Swedish research and DNA research are her current favorites.