Seminar Will Focus on Family Roots

Jay C. Wood of Fillmore spends hours on the computer digging up his family’s history and said he enjoys the challenge of finding new ways to search his ancestral roots.

Wood, a member of the Ventura County Genealogical Society, will join other members and guest speakers at the 22nd annual Genealogical Seminar from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 21 at the First United Methodist Church, with one special class that will begin at 7:30 a.m.

The seminar is open to anyone interested in filling in a family tree. The event will include exhibits, genealogists and demonstrations on how to conduct various types of family history searches.

Speakers will include Barbara Renick and Everrett B. Ireland, professional genealogists who lecture nationwide about genealogy.

Renick, who leads genealogical research at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Family History Center in Orange, said computers and digital cameras have made it easier to uncover family history.

Renick will host a lecture at the event about ways to use computers for genealogical research. She will also address classic paper methods to find family history and stories.

The seminar will include a class for beginners at 7:30 a.m. that focuses on the hobby of tracing family roots.

Admission is $18 for guests and $15 for Genealogical Society members. The church is at 1338 E. Santa Clara St., Ventura. For more information, call 644-5678.