You are invited to come to our community event on March 27 at the Family History Center on 1516 Wilson Road, Conroe, TX . We are excited about the speakers and the available resources that have come to our center. The Montgomery County Library's Genealogical Department will be attending to share information here too.
At the end of the blog is a biography for each speaker and the title for their topic is given.
COME DISCOVER WHO YOU ARE
CONROE FAMILY HISTORY CENTER OPEN HOUSE
Saturday March 27 10:00 – 2:00 pm
Guest Speakers
Robert Vann
Class: 10:30 - 11:15 in Relief Society Room
"Is There an Indian in My Genealogical Cupboard?"
Robert Vann is a Cherokee Elder, author, storyteller, actor and teacher. He was born in 1941, in Little Rock, Arkansas and grew up in Hot Springs, AR. He served in the U.S. Air Force for 12 years, reaching the rank of Captain.
Educational Background
Associate of Arts – Cisco, Jr. College, Cisco, TX
Bachelor of Science – Education – North Texas State University.
Master of Education – Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX
Master of Arts, History – Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX
Post graduate studies/Vocational Teaching Certification – Texas A & M University, College Station, TX
Currently enrolled in M.A. Political Science program –
Memberships and Honors
Association of Texas Professional Educators
Woodcraft Circle of Native Authors and Storytellers
Tejas Storytelling Association
Go La Nv Storytelling Guild
Huntsville, TX Public Library Board, Past President
Walker County Genealogical Society, Past President
Star Teacher of Mississippi
Teacher of the Year, Windham School District
Junior Officer of the Quarter, U.S. Air Force, European, Africa and Middle East Communications Region
Member Phi Alpha Theta, Pi Sigma Alpha, National Blue Key, Arnold Air Society. Walker County C.A.S.A. Board of Directors
Allen Peterson
Class: 11:45 - 12:30 in Relief Society Room
"Using Indirect Evidence to Locate Ancestors"
Allen Peterson is a professional genealogical researcher and writer. He became licensed in English genealogy in 2007 through the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) in Washington, D.C. His specialties include 16th and 17th century document transcription and research.
He has done extensive research in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, and Monmouthshire. He has also performed research in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Wyoming in the United States; and the Republic of South Africa and Morro Velho, Brazil. His English family comes from Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Derbyshire Counties; his Danish family comes from Alborg, Skanderborg, and the Isle of Fyn.
He has been the director of the Katy Texas Family Center in Katy, Texas for over eleven years and has been interested in genealogy his entire life. Allen holds a BS and an MS degree in geology from Brigham Young University and is currently employed as a petroleum geologist with Apache Corporation in Houston, Texas. He has worked as a geologist in the oil business for nearly thirty-five years. Allen is married to Patrice Casebolt, and they have four children and seven grandchildren.
Louis T. Hellewell
Class: 1:00 - 1:45 in Relief Society Room
"Searching Out Our Ancestors and How We Are All Related"
Louis T. Hellewell grew up in Green River, Wyoming and graduated from Brigham Young University in 1971 with a degree in commercial art and photography. He owned a dairy farm for several years in Mississippi, creating one of the best farms in the state. He received several awards, including National Farmer of the Year and Conservation Farmer of the Year as a result of his inventions. Louis has lived in the Houston area for 25 years and currently manages a branch of a company headquartered in Chicago, which supplies the electronics industry.
He and his wife, Kathy, have been married for 39 years. They have four children and seven grandchildren.
Louis began his own family history research many years ago when he was still farming. His ancestors are from Sweden, England, and Scotland. With patience and dedication, he learned to read Swedish and Gallic as well as he does English. As a result, he has been able to trace his ancestry back to the year 1500 and identify over 12,000 names. The total number of names he's located on both sides of his family tree is now 130,585.
Louis has 14 years of experience in assisting others in learning more about their family history through the resources made available by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has been a family history librarian for many years, He spoke several times at the Houston Genealogical Society. He and his wife serve as the directors of the Church's Family History Center in Klein/Cypress, TX. Currently he travels extensively to teach African American Family History.
