Join us starting at 10:30 for hospitality and mingling.  The business meeting starts at 11:00, followed by our featured speaker around 11:30.

Our presentation this month, ‘Discover New Ancestral Information by Connecting Through Social Media‘, will be made by our Director of Volunteer Coordination Patti Huff Smith.

Social networking tools are a great means for finding additional information about your ancestors and connecting with those researching your family.  It allows you to discover living relatives, connect with unknown family members and stay in touch with ones we know. This program will focus on how to create a Facebook page with a genealogical focus with emphasis on how to keep it interesting and engaging.

Patti Huff Smith’s passion for her family history began when her then 15-year-old son developed an enthusiasm for the Civil War. The two of them began searching for documentation of their Civil War Veterans. This ignited a passion for genealogy research which has grown with each new, fascinating discovery.

With the assistance of her 93-year-old grandmother and the genealogy community, Patti has learned research techniques, attended genealogy conferences, and workshops to expand her understanding of genealogy and DNA. At this time, Patti is managing 52 of her family DNA kits. She has applied her knowledge to equip others in their own journey.

Patti’s deep southern roots include her maternal 3x’s great grandfather, John W. Crook, sheriff of Hill County in 1857!  He served in several public positions, including Treasurer in Hill County during the Civil War. The Crook family lived in Navarro County where her 2x’s great grandfather was a house painter.