Biennial Genealogical Conference Returns to St. Helens

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 20, 2023

St. Helens, Ore. Registration is now open for the third biennial Columbia County Genealogical Conference in St. Helens. This year’s theme is Rivers of Wonder. The free conference will take place September 15-17, 2023, at the Columbia Center, 375 S. 18th Street, St. Helens.

The conference will explore the professions and professional relationships of your ancestors to help you find and better understand your family history. You will also use FamilySearch to build successful searches and add the results to existing records to create stronger profiles.

The conference is sponsored by the Friends of the St. Helens Public Library with technical assistance from the Columbia County Museum Association. This is a free event. The conference is open to anyone interested in exploring family history, but registration is required. Participation is limited to 80 in-person attendees with a virtual attendance option. A lunch option is available for purchase. You can register in-person at the St. Helens Public Library or online at www.sthelensoregon.gov/library/webform/columbia-county-genealogy-conference-rivers-wonder-welcome-and-registration.

Conference session topics include Workin’ on the Railroad, Researching a Family Legend: The Intersection of Legal Research and Genealogy, A Genealogical Adventure: Family Search and Ancestry, and Getting Started with Genealogy Problems.

Speakers include Dave Sprau, Lee Van Duzer, Laurel Smith, and Tricia Oberndorf. Sprau is on the Board of Directors for the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive and the Columbia County Museum Association. He contributes regularly to the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive. Van Duzer is the Washington County, Oregon Law Librarian and an active member of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), the Western Pacific Chapter of AALL, and the Oregon Library Association. Smith is past president of the Genealogical Forum of Oregon and currently heads the Genealogical Forum of Oregon’s Research Library. Oberndorf is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and serves on the Board of Directors and as Library Director for the Columbia County Museum Association.

The Columbia County Genealogical Conference is hosted by the St. Helens Public Library. Questions about the conference should be directed to St. Helens Reference Librarian Brenda Herren-Kenaga at bherrenkenaga@sthelensoregon.gov or 503-397-4544. Additional conference information can be found on the Library’s website at www.sthelensoregon.gov/library/webform/columbia-county-genealogy-conference-rivers-wonder-welcome-and-registration.

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For further information regarding the Genealogical Conference, please contact St. Helens Reference Librarian Brenda Herren-Kenaga at bherrenkenaga@sthelensoregon.gov or 503-397-4544.