SPEAKERS
We welcome our amazing group of presenters to the 24th Annual Family History Conference in beautiful Tyler, Texas, when the roses are in full bloom, during Family History Month! This conference will be held at the Mehling Event Center @ Breckenridge Village. ! It will be held on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11th, 9 am to 3 pm, FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. All of the classes are free except 4 Hands-on Workshops, $20 each.
We honor the life and legacy of Patti Gillespie. This conference is being dedicated to our friend and colleague who was scheduled to deliver the keynote speech. Our hearts are broken.
May 4th, 1956 – September 21st, 2025.
Patti's keynote will be shared as she intended.
Michele Bailey, President of the East Texas Genealogical Society and Patti's friend, will present it.
Patti Todd Gillespie brings energy and humor to her classes. An avid hobby genealogist for 30 years, Patti formed Family Lines & Stories, her own research company, 6 years ago. She researches for clients and speaks to groups, small and large, in and out of Texas. A former teacher of French & English, Patti very much enjoys presenting. She assisted and presented at TIGR 2019 and is currently serving on the FGS 2020 program committee. In 2019 Patti spoke at RootsTech, served as past president of Lone Star APG, and continues as a founding member and 3rd term President of the Wise County Genealogical Society (WCGS), while serving as one of the Commissioners of Wise County Historical Commission; in 2018 she was asked to be the secretary for Texas State Genealogical Society (TxSGS). Patti has served in a multitude of leadership roles. She also attends as many conferences and watches as many webinars as possible while managing clients, husband, children, grandchildren, rescue dog and acreage in Decatur, Texas.
Patti Gillespie
Keynote Speaker
Let's welcome back, Michael Guinn, for a second year emceeing our Family History Conference!
Michael is an internationally renowned Spoken Word artist, published poet, actor, author, activist, and high-energy emcee with over 25 years of experience. He is the director of Mike Guinn Entertainment, a DFW-based events company, and the founder/CEO of Uplift Your Life, a 501c3 organization that addresses mental health and wellness globally through performance arts and social awareness.
Mr. Guinn's professional background includes a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Social Work from UTA. He is a former Child Protective Services (CPS) Investigator, and he works as a speaker/presenter/poet for the TRAC program in Dallas, an organization that supports North Texas' homeless and former foster youth with housing and aftercare services. He uses his skills as a social worker turned poet/actor to promote social awareness and transparency.
His impressive list of achievements in the spoken word community includes:
-
Two-time National Poetry Slam Finalist
-
Toronto International Slam Champion
-
Four-time Austin International Poetry Festival (AIPF) Slam Champion (or 5-Time Austin International Slam Champion)
-
Six-time Fort Worth Grand Slam Champion
-
2021 Tejas Storyslam Champion
Michael Guinn is a voting member of the NAACP Image Awards (for 7 years) and has received a membership invite to The Recording Academy. He is also a Prayze Factor Awards Finalist. His work in film and television series is available on platforms such as Amazon, Peacock, Netflix, Tubi, YouTube, and Roku. He is known for fusing social awareness and creative writing platforms to build safe and supportive spaces for artists and audiences. His professional event services include hosting, poetry performances, and facilitating high-energy workshops and presentations at conferences and symposiums globally.
Michael Guinn
Returning Emcee
Michele Bailey
ETGS President & Event CoordinatorMichele Bailey, a Texan by choice since the age of 12, is a dedicated genealogist with a deep passion for helping others discover their roots.
Leveraging 30 years of research experience and 12 years managing a title company, Michele possesses a unique skillset for navigating historical records. She thrives on sharing her knowledge and empowering others to refine their research techniques.
Currently serving her fifth term as President of the East Texas Genealogical Society (covering six counties in East Texas), Michele implemented transformation of their monthly newsletter, and spearheaded the creation of thriving Special Interest Groups for DNA and African American research.
Michele's dedication extends beyond the local Society. She also serves as the Director of Education for the Texas State Genealogical Society. She serves on the Board of the Smith County Historical Society and serves as the Director of the FamilySearch Center in Athens, Texas. She volunteers on projects with FamilySearch and actively engages in community outreach. Michele is the Coordinator for Texas Connect @ RootsTech, the largest genealogy conference in the world, where she spotlights great organizations and projects happening in Texas! As Event Coordinator for the annual Family History Conference in Tyler, Michele and her team are currently gearing up for their 23rd year. Immerse yourself in family history amidst the blooming roses of beautiful East Texas during Family History Month.
Angie Shumway
Professional GenealogistAngie Shumway is a professional genealogist and former marketing executive who has been uncovering family stories since 1996—over 25 years of blending archival research with cutting-edge technology. She specializes in Pennsylvania research and designing digital solutions to overcome brick walls, having taught dozens of Beginner through Advanced courses at Tarrant County College and presented at regional and national conferences on topics ranging from source analysis, tax and land-records research, migration studies, AI-driven strategies, and full-text document searching. She’s also designed and launched websites for multiple genealogy and lineage-society organizations, enhancing their digital presence and member engagement.
An active volunteer leader, Angie serves as registrar, chaplain, state committee chairs and state historian for several lineage societies, contributes to application and lineage-research committees, and coordinates social-media initiatives for state-level genealogical organizations. Her unique mix of decades-long research expertise, instructional experience, and digital strategy empowers researchers at every skill level to advance their family-history goals.
Paula Perkins
Professional Genetic GenealogistPaula is a Texan with maternal and paternal lines going back to early Georgia. Her interest began as a young girl when her parents took her to visit “cousins” and her maternal grandmother shared stories and letters.
Paula is the State Coordinator for the two largest projects, GAGenWeb and TXGenWeb. She serves on the advisory board as the SEMA (Southeast & Mid-Atlantic) CC Rep for the USGenWeb Project ® and as a county coordinator since 1996.
Currently serving as President for the Collin County Genealogical Society (Texas) and Texas State Genealogical Society DNA Chair and FamilyTreeDNA volunteer project administrator. She is President and Genealogist/Historian of the Norman & Allied Family Association of Georgia. She is a life member of the Dallas Genealogical Society.
She has spoken at the TXSGS conferences, presented genealogical topics across the south. She has numerous published articles in genealogical journals, appeared on radio and television to share her genealogy passion.
She served on boards of several genealogical organizations. An accomplished researcher in U. S. repositories including many State Archives.
Patti Huff Williams
Professional Genetic GenealogistPatti is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, National Genealogical Society, Texas State Genealogical Society. She is the General Meeting Administrator & former Director of Education for the Dallas Genealogical Society. She has attended a multitude of conferences & lectures to develop her skill in Genetic Genealogy. She received her Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University, and attended Diahan Southard's 5-week DNA course. Patti worked as a marketing coordinator for ten years and nine years for motivational speaker and author Zig Ziglar as a sales representative, seminar facilitator, and speaker.
Mic Barnette
Professional Genetic GenealogistMic Barnette has been actively engaged in genealogy since the age of 12. He has written numerous articles which have appeared in national, state and local magazines, newsletters and quarterlies. From 1994 to 2004, he penned a widely read award-winning historical-genealogical column in Houston’s leading newspaper, the Houston Chronicle. Mic has been a library associate in the Genealogy Department of the Dallas Public Library since 2006. Since the 1980’s he has conducted professional genealogical research, taught genealogical classes, and lectured on genealogical topics at national, regional, state, and local events. As a webmaster, Mic administers several websites including one containing many of his past columns and the Great Galveston Storm website where he is attempting to identify the 5,000 to 10,000 people who lost their lives in the 1900 Galveston Storm. He is also the Family Tree DNA administrator and website webmaster for the Barnett, Barney, Finch Surname Projects as well as the Charles County, Maryland, and Dallas Genealogical Society DNA Projects. Mic is in the process of identifying Free People of Color in Texas. Prior to the Civil War, African Americans who served with the Confederacy from Texas and a Company History of Co D 3rd Tennessee Calvary organized in Red River County, Texas. Mic is a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas, Sons of the Confederacy, Sons of the American Revolution and is an Admiral in the Texas Navy.
Over the last ten plus years, Jake Mangum has been the Project Development Librarian with The Portal to Texas History. A major function of his position is to act as a liaison between the Portal’s Digital Projects Lab and historical or cultural heritage institutions. He assists external partners with developing their online collections, coordinating the delivery and return of primary source materials, aids partners in metadata creation, and provides reference assistance for researchers using the Portal. An added function of his position is to perform outreach and instruction to a variety of organizations across the state. These often include genealogical societies, museums, libraries, and private collectors.
Jake Mangum
Project Development LibrarianRochelle & Benson Kasue
Benson and Rochelle Baunchand Kasue are a power couple in Tyler, Texas! He is an accountant for his own business, Big D Finance, and she is a real estate agent with Ebby Halliday Realtors, and runs their Airbnb business, Best Stays Property Management, with over 20 properties in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Kenya. Rochelle is from Louisiana and Benson is originally from Kenya. They have lived in Tyler for 23 years.
Benson grew up in a remote village in Kenya, Africa. He was one of nine siblings from Kilungu, about 60 miles from Nairobi. While living there, Benson joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of the first members in Kenya. Four months later, he and his younger brother were the first Kenyans to go on full-time missions for their church. Kenya now has over 21,000 members. Benson and Rochelle return there to visit family every year. After his mission for his Church, Benson went to college in Idaho and Utah where he met his wife, Rochelle, who was also attending college. Benson has had high profile jobs throughout the United States, including with Dell and IBM. Benson puts a great deal of effort into improving East Africa and is the founder of the East Africa Chamber of Commerce and assists with The African Diaspora Development Institute to help displaced Africans invest back into real estate in their homeland. He gives back to Kenya by supporting the building blocks of life-giving Water, Infrastructure, and Education, by starting the Kasue Academy for Girls which has blossomed over the years.
Rochelle served an 18-month mission in Haiti, graduated from BYU, studied Recreation Management and French, while traveling with one of the university’s performance groups to 21 different countries. She loves family history and serves as a consultant in the FamilySearch Center in Tyler. Rochelle finds family history captivating and loves helping others find their ancestors and that’s how she increases her knowledge of genealogy. Rochelle also serves as the Chairman of the Special Projects Committee for the East Texas Genealogical Society, of which she and Benson are both members.
Jeffery Williams, MD
Retired Family Medicine Physician | Holistic Researcher | Veteran | GenealogistDr. Jeffery Williams is a retired Family Medicine Physician and Physician Assistant with decades of experience in clinical medicine, surgery, and rural health leadership. A former Medical Director and developer of multispecialty clinics, he also served as Associate and Assistant Professor of Clinical and Hyperbaric Medicine and held multiple medical board positions. A U.S. Army veteran with 24 years of service, he brings a lifelong commitment to learning, innovation, and service. Now retired in China Spring, Texas, with his wife Patti, he pursues his passion for genealogy and DNA research.
WILL YOU BE COMING?
Join us in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in East Texas to hear from industry leaders about family history!
Register Now