DAYTON —- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Centerville area will host its 26th annual Family History Jamboree this year in April. This event was attended in the past by hundreds of genealogists from all over Ohio and the surrounding states. The Family History Jamboree is a free, all day event held on Saturday, April 23, 2022, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 901 E. Whipp Road in Centerville.
Each year, experts and beginners alike come for a day of classes focused on the different avenues of research connecting them with their family history. This year the Jamboree will offer both in-person classes and virtual lectures for those who pre-register.
There will be a live question and answer session in the morning where attendees can ask their brick wall questions from a panel of experts. For those needing more specialized help, three time periods in the afternoon titled “Q&A Walk-In” will be available where attendees can ask questions about any genealogy topic.
Some of the in-person topics include: beginning genealogy research, finding free genealogy resources on the web, using FamilySearch, photo archiving, newspapers, city directories, German research tools, Scottish research, court records, recording stories, and Revolutionary War research. Many of the in-person lectures will also be available virtually. Topics that will only be available virtually include: strategies for finding online records and repositories, DNA testing and strategies to identify matches, German handwriting, Mayflower research, Irish research, Italian research, land records, and military repatriation.
Linda Hilton, a resident of Centerville and editor of the Montgomery County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogy Society newsletter Family Tree says “Participants come from all over Ohio as well as neighboring states to learn and network with other genealogy lovers. In my opinion, there is no better opportunity to attend a genealogy conference for free and in person than the Family History Jamboree.”
Attendees may select up to six one-hour classes out of a list of 25 in-person topics. The virtual lectures will be available the week prior and the week after the in-person event. Space is limited and advance registration is required. Seating for this event usually reaches capacity, so early registration is suggested. For more information on instructors, as well as registration and class titles, go to www.fhj1.org
