Learn more about each of the speakers for the 2021 TxSGS Family History Conference.
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Deborah A. Abbott, PhD
Deborah A. Abbott, PhD, is a professional genealogist specializing in African American research, manuscript collections, and genealogy methodology. She is a trustee on the Board of the Ohio Genealogical Society (OGS), a member of the Cuyahoga County Archives Advisory Commission in Cleveland, and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS). She is an associate with the Kentucky-Tennessee Associates based in Springfield, TN, past president of the African American Genealogical Society, Cleveland, Ohio, and a retired professor of counseling from Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. She holds both the BS and MEd degrees from Tuskegee University in Alabama and the PhD degree from Kent State University in Ohio.
Dr. Abbott is an instructor at the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research (IGHR), the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogical Research (SLIG), and the African American Genealogy Colloquium at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama. She presents lectures and workshops at a variety of national, state, and local genealogy conferences across the country as well as colleges, businesses, and libraries. She has had articles published in the Ohio Genealogy News and Family Tree Magazine. Dr. Abbott can also be seen teaching African American research entitled Needles & Threads on Ancestry Academy, an educational video course for Ancestry.com.
Dr. Abbott is a member of NGS, APG, GSG, as well as other state and local genealogical societies. She teaches monthly classes entitled “Using Ancestry.com in Genealogy Research” at the Lakewood (Ohio) Public Library and coordinates/teaches the “Genealogy and Family History Clinic” for the Cleveland Public Library.
A Cleveland native, she is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Tuskegee University National Alumni Association, and Antioch Baptist Church.
Melissa Barker
Melissa Barker is a Certified Archives Manager and Public Historian currently working at the Houston County, Tennessee, Archives. She lectures, teaches, and writes about the genealogy research process, researching in archives, and records preservation. Melissa conducts virtual webinar presentations across the United States for genealogical and historical societies. Author of a popular blog entitled A Genealogist in the Archives Melissa is a well-known genealogy Book Reviewer. She writes a bi-weekly advice column entitled “The Archive Lady” published at Genealogy Bargains as well as history pieces for her local newspaper The Houston County Herald called “From the Archives.” A Professional Genealogist with an expertise in Tennessee records, Melissa is currently taking clients. She has been researching her own family history for the past 31 years.
Mic Barnette
Mic Barnette, began his genealogical journey at the age of twelve. Since the 1980s, Mic has conducted professional genealogical research, taught genealogical classes, and lectured on genealogical topics while residing in New Orleans, Louisiana; Atlanta, Georgia; Houston, and Dallas. He currently serves genealogists as a library associate for the Dallas Public Library in the Genealogy Department.
Mic’s research has taken him to every state of the South as well as Washington, DC, and Salt Lake City. He has addressed genealogical organizations in nearly every southern state and three National Genealogical Society conferences. Numerous articles authored by Mic have appeared in many 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 tested with all the major DNA testing companies and serves as Project Administrator of the Barnett, Finch, Dodson, and Barney Surname DNA Projects, the Charles County, Maryland, DNA Project, and the Dallas Genealogical Society DNA Project plus the K1a4a1b2 and T2b5a Mitochondrial Haplogroup DNA Projects. In addition, Mic has several historical-genealogical websites including Great Galveston 1900 Storm, Free People of Color of Texas project, Company D 3rd TN Cavalry, Brigadier Generals of Texas 1860, and Texas Land Commissioners.
Esther Camacho
Esther Camacho is a South Texas librarian, a genealogist, and a historical researcher. Active in genealogical research for over 25 years, she is a member of the Texas State Genealogical Society, Association of Professional Genealogists, and a board member of the Hidalgo County Historical Commission. Esther specializes in Texas and Mexico research, Hispanic genealogy, and cemetery research.
Henrietta Martinez Christmas
Henrietta Martinez Christmas, a native New Mexican, is a well-known genealogical and historical researcher; she descends from eleven of the soldiers that came with Oñate in 1598. She has written several books related to New Mexico’s small towns and history and over 175 articles about New Mexico’s Colonial Families. She is a long-time member and the current president of the New Mexico Genealogical Society. She has worked with the History Museum of New Mexico, The Albuquerque Museum, and The El Camino Real Heritage site in preparing exhibits and researching historical data. Henrietta is a frequent contributor to author’s books in terms of researching biographies of individuals. She works with a group that honors historic women in New Mexico for their New Mexico Historic Marker Program. Honored by the DAR for historic preservation, she has extracted and transcribed records for over 50 books, which in total consist of hundreds of thousands of records.
Debra Dudek
Debra M. Dudek is Head of Adult and Teen Services at the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook, Illinois. She holds a post graduate certificate in Genealogical, Palaeographic & Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, and is the author of the World War I Research Guide: Tracing American Military and Non-Combatant Ancestors – Includes a Guide to Canadian Military Research which is available for free from the World War One Centennial Commission website.
Colleen Robledo Greene, MLIS
Colleen Robledo Greene, MLIS, is a librarian, genealogist, historian, college educator, and web developer. She is a nationally recognized genealogy speaker and educator specializing in methodology, Mexican and Hispanic research, libraries and archives, technology, and society communications.
Colleen holds a Bachelor of Arts in History, a Master of Library & Information Science, and a certificate in genealogical research from Boston University. She is the Digital Literacy Librarian and Marketing Librarian at California State University, Fullerton. Colleen is also a lecturer for the San Jose State University School of Information, where she teaches an online graduate-level U.S. genealogy course for future librarians, which focuses on the Genealogical Proof Standard.
Colleen has been researching her family history since her grandfather died in 1997. Most of her personal research focuses on Mexico, California, and Texas. She is an active member and volunteer in the genealogy community.
Zachary Hamilton
Zachary Hamilton is the owner of Briick Family Research. A specialist in southern US research and military records, Zachary has worked for and contracted with some of the leading genealogy companies in the world including Ancestry.com and The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. Zachary holds a BA in History and an AAS in Office Management. He has also been a contributing researcher to the Emmy-nominated television series, Who Do You Think You Are?
In addition to his research experience, Zachary is a lecturer at regional conferences across the country, including RootsTech, and has been a guest speaker for genealogy courses at Brigham Young University – Idaho and the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. He also gives frequent webinar lectures for state and local genealogical and historical societies on military research, migration, southern research, and methodology.
Currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Utah Genealogical Association and as Registrar for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, Zachary is a member of the Utah Genealogical Association and Association of Professional Genealogists.
Jean Wilcox Hibben, PhD, MA
Jean Wilcox Hibben is a former Southern California college speech professor, national speaker, and author. A member of the DAR, Jean is a former Board Certified genealogist and former director (current staff trainer) for the Corona, California, Family History Center. She has worked on background research for two genealogy television programs. Currently, Jean hosts podcasts, with a couple of other genealogists, under the moniker Genealogy Journeys® and writes the “Aunty Jeff” column for the Jefferson County New York Genealogical Society Informer. With over 40 years of research experience, she is a former board member of APG and past president of its Southern California Chapter and current president and webmaster for the Corona Genealogical Society. Jean has participated on a number of other society and organization boards over the past two decades and lives in Western Riverside County, California; she declares her lineage as “1/2 German, ¼ Danish, and ¼ Texan.” Jean’s philosophy is that “who we are is a compilation of our experiences and associations as well as our biological connections. When we understand our ancestors, we can better understand ourselves. By doing this, we can complete our personal family circles.” This connects to her mission statement: “My goal is to assist others in their efforts to connect generations (past to present), completing the family circle.”
Patti Lee Hobbs, CG®
Patti Lee Hobbs, CG®, works as a part-time professional genealogist as well as occasionally in the Local History & Genealogy department at the Springfield-Greene County Library in Springfield, Missouri. Patti, with a BA in biology, instructs on the use and analysis of DNA testing and how it complements traditional research in original records. She volunteers as a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists and as a BCG Education Fund trustee. Patti has taught in several institute courses for IGHR and GRIP. Her article “DNA Identifies a Father for Rachel Lee of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania” was published in the March 2017 issue of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. Patti is passionate about genealogical education and helping others learn more about their ancestors.
Andrew Lee
Andy Lee is the “DNA Guy” on the Family History Fanatics YouTube channel. In addition, he authored the comical book How to Fail English With Style and DNA Q&A: Real Questions From Real People about Genetic Genealogy. Andy draws from his status of Competent Communicator in Toastmasters to make the complex easy to understand.
Devon Noel Lee
Devon Noel Lee, the owner of Family History Fanatics, specializes in practical research, writing, and memory keeping. She has published over 60 books, including a memoir and four family history how-to books. With over 20 years of experience in genealogy and 10 years as a journalist, Devon is a high-energy speaker who can be viewed weekly on YouTube.
J. Mark Lowe, FUGA
J. Mark Lowe describes himself as a lifelong genealogist. He is a full-time professional genealogist, author, and lecturer who specializes in original records and manuscripts throughout the South. Mark lives in Robertson County, Tennessee, just north of Nashville near the Kentucky border.
Mark enjoys opportunities to share what he has learned over the years. He serves as the Course Coordinator for “Research in the South” at IGHR (Georgia Genealogical Society), webinars for Legacy Family Tree Webinars, and also directs southern courses for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). He has worked on several genealogical television series including Finding Your Past, African American Lives 2, Who Do You Think You Are? and UnXplained Events, and provided content for podcasts on Gimlet Media, including Twice Removed.
Mark has published in the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly (APGQ), National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ), the Genealogical Speakers’ Guild SPEAK!, The Longhunter (So. Ky. Genealogical Society), the Middle Tennessee Genealogical Society Quarterly, and other society publications. He formerly was president of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), president for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), and president of the Southern Kentucky Genealogical Society. Mark is a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Society and was awarded the Graham T. Smallwood award by the Association of Professional Genealogists.
Bernard Meisner
Bernard Meisner is a genealogist and lecturer based in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. He began researching his family over 30 years ago and enjoys sharing lessons learned from that experience, including his mistakes. Although he knew only one grandparent (his maternal grandfather), he has successfully identified all of his great-great grandparents, many triple- and quadruple-great grandparents, and his Meisner 8th-great-grandparents.
He is a past president of the Mid-Cities Genealogical Society, a co-leader of the Dallas Genealogical Society’s German Genealogy Group, and a member of the Texas State and National Genealogical Societies.
Bernard retired from the National Weather Service Southern Region Headquarters where he was the Chief of the Science & Training Branch. He is certified as a consulting meteorologist by the American Meteorological Society. He has taught at the Universities of Texas, Oklahoma, and St. Thomas (Houston).
Bernard earned a BS in physics/German from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and an MS and PhD in meteorology from the University of Hawaii. He has completed coursework of the National Institute for Genealogical Studies and has attended the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh each of the last six years, completing courses in Irish, German and Pennsylvania Research, Digital Research Skills, and Practical Genetic Genealogy.
Kelvin L. Meyers
Kelvin L. Meyers, a fifth generation Texan and professional forensic genealogist since 1996, is a frequent speaker to genealogical societies and family associations throughout the United States. He is a founding member for the Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy (CAFG), a past board member of the Association of Professional Genealogist, and a past President of the Lone Star Chapter of APG. After being employed for ten years in the Genealogy Department of the Dallas Public Library, Kelvin now has a solo practice as a forensic genealogist serving clients that include probate attorneys, trust departments of banks, the US Immigration Service, and energy companies. He also specializes in southern brick wall problems for clients. Kelvin is a 1989 and 1990 alumni of the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research at Samford University and has returned to IGHR as a lecturer. In 2016, he co-coordinated with J. Mark Lowe “A Swing Through the South” at SLIG (Salt Lake Institute of Genealogical Research). Kelvin has recently published Research in Texas for the NGS (National Genealogical Society) Research in the States series. Kelvin is also the director of the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research (TIGR), a Texas State Genealogical Society event.
Alan Rabe
Alan is President of the Williamson County (TX) Genealogical Society and also leads their DNA Special Interest group. He has helped several of his cousins find birth parents. He actively uses Ancestry, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, 23andMe, FTDNA, Geneanet, and Archion.de He has tested with all five major DNA companies.
The Georgetown Texas Family History Center Director, Alan has been an active genealogist for over 50 years. Alan’s genealogy interests for the past several years have shifted from ancestors to their descendants, i.e., cousins. He is related to four Mayflower passengers, 15 signers of the Constitution, and to 35 US presidents. Alan is also trained in graveyard restoration and works with the Cemetery Restoration Volunteers in Williamson County. For six months in 2019, he and his wife captured images at the Texas state archives for FamilySearch. A graduate of Brigham Young University with a Masters of Mechanical Engineering, Alan is retired from working at power plants where he was responsible for document control and procedure processes at the fourth largest utility in US.
Diane L. Richard
Diane L Richard, Mosaic Research and Project Management (MosaicRPM), www.mosaicrpm.com, has been a genealogy researcher since 1987 and since 2004 professionally focused on the records of North Carolina and southern states. A regular contributor to Internet Genealogy and Your Genealogy Today, she has authored over 500 articles on genealogy topics. In 2019 Diane published Tracing Your Ancestors — African American Research: A Practical Guide, via Moorshead Publications. Since 2016, she has served as editor of the North Carolina Genealogical Society (NCGS) journal.
As a speaker, Diane has delivered webinars and in-person talks about the availability and richness of records documenting Southerners, pursuing formerly enslaved ancestors and their descendants, genealogical research tips, techniques, tools and strategies, under-utilized resource collections [online and on-the-ground], and much more. She has appeared on Who Do You Think You Are? (Bryan Cranston episode).
Diane is co-leader of Tar Heel Discoveries, www.tarheeldiscoveries.com, started in 2018, which offers guided North Carolina genealogical research programs providing participants targeted, focused, research assistance leading to new family discoveries.
With her children both born in Texas she considers herself an honorary Texan.
Mary Kircher Roddy, CG®
Mary Kircher Roddy holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies from the University of California, Riverside, and a Master in Professional Accounting from the University of Texas and has worked as a Certified Public Accountant since 1984. Earning a Certificate in Genealogy and Family History from the University of Washington, she was certified by BCG in 2019. Mary began genealogy research on her own family in 2000, and since about 2010 has worked part-time as a genealogist, speaking to societies and at conferences, and doing research and genealogy coaching for clients. She has written for NGSQ, NGS Magazine, FGS Forum, Family Chronicle, Internet Genealogy, and numerous society publications. A graduate of ProGen 31 and a mentor for ProGen 48, Mary currently serves as treasurer for the Association of Professional Genealogists.
Franklin Smith
Franklin Carter Smith is currently a Senior Library Service Specialist at the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research, a special collections library of the Houston Public Library. He’s been engaged in family history research nearly 40 years. A licensed attorney, he practiced law for thirteen years before joining the library.
His specialty area is African American research, with a specific interest in the enslavement era. He co-authored with Emily Anne Croom A Genealogists Guide to Discovering your African-American Ancestors. He has also written several articles for Family Tree Magazine and presented talks to numerous Texas groups and organizations on African American Family History research and DNA.
Mary Anthony Startz
A thirty-year member of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), Mary “Anthony” Startz currently serves as the NSDAR National Vice Chair Lineage Research – Spanish Task Force. In this role, she educates NSDAR membership and the public at large about Spain’s role during the American Revolution and how to join the NSDAR on a Spanish Patriot. Anthony has published articles in numerous journals and genealogical publications. She collaborated with Kristine Sjostrom and her sister Molly Long Fernandez de Mesa to produce The Militia Men of St. Louis & Ste. Geneviève 1779 – 1783, A Compilation of the Original Militia Lists from the Archive of the Indies of Seville, Spain. After a career in Human Resources, Mary ‘Anthony’ Long Startz has a Human Resources consulting firm and spends her free time conducting research in Spanish documents, writing and volunteering in several Hispanic genealogical organizations.
Dr. Brian Stauffer and Carlos Varela
Brian A. Stauffer was born in Afton, Wyoming. He holds a PhD in Latin American History from the University of Texas at Austin and an MA in Latin American History from the University of New Mexico. His research focuses on the religious and agrarian history of Mexico and Mexican Texas in the nineteenth century. His book, Victory on Earth or in Heaven, Mexico’s Religionero Rebellion, was published by the University of New Mexico Press in 2019. Since 2016, he has served as the Translator and Curator of the Spanish Collection at the Texas General Land Office.
Carlos Varela is a native from El Paso, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a BA and MA in History. He previously served as president of the Association of Applied Border History, a community-based organization that sought to preserve and digitize Bracero Program documents. Carlos is currently a Spanish Collection Research & Outreach Specialist for the Texas General Land Office Archives and Records Program.
Michael Strauss, AG®
Michael L. Strauss, AG®, is a professional Accredited Genealogist and a nationally recognized speaker. A native of Pennsylvania and a resident of Utah, he has been employed as a Forensic Investigator for nearly 30 years. Strauss has a BA in History and is a United States Coast Guard veteran. He is a qualified expert witness in the courts in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Michael is a faculty member at SLIG, GRIP, and IGHR where he is the course coordinator for all of the military courses taught.
Ari Wilkins
Ari Wilkins, a graduate of Louisiana State University, has been actively researching family history since 1998. Ari worked with the esteemed genealogist, Dr. James Rose, for many years on his final project, Generations: The WPA Ex-Slave Narrative Database. She is the owner of the genealogical consulting company, Black Genesis. Ari also works as a contributor for ProQuest’s African American Heritage database. Ari has instructed at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. She has been a conference speaker at the National Genealogical Society, Federation of Genealogical Societies, Texas State Genealogical Society, Ohio Genealogical Society, American Library Association, and has lectured at a multitude of local societies. Ari has been a Library Associate at Dallas Public Library since 2007. She specializes in African American research and has lectured on African American migration.
The words Certified Genealogist and letters CG are registered certification marks, and the designations CGL and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluation
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