Genealogy Seekers - Latin American Genealogical Research

This hybrid program will be offered virtually and in-person. (The presenter will be virtual.) 

Program formats are subject to change. Registrants will receive an email notifying them of any such changes.

Do you have Latin American Ancestry? Learn about the basic records and resources that can give you information about your ancestors. We will learn where to find civil registration and Catholic church records. We will examine the information contained in these records and learn how to extract the key information in these records. No prior Spanish language ability required for this class.

Kelly Summers, Accredited Genealogist® has taught Family History courses at Brigham Young University for more than 14 years. She also teaches online Genealogy courses at Salt Lake Community College. Kelly has four premier genealogical credentials through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogist (ICAPGen) demonstrating genealogical research expertise is in U.S. Midwestern & U.S. Pacific, Mexico, and Spain. Kelly is also an experienced researcher in Latin America, Southwest Europe, Scandinavia, & Asia (China). Kelly's research interests lie in kinship research in primary source records and rural community reconstruction.

Kelly served as the Utah Genealogical Association (UGA) President (2017-2021). She received the UGA Distinguished Service Award during her tenure. Kelly served for more than 10 years as the Testing Committee Chair for the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen). Kelly is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG).

Kelly spent 1.5 years living in Andalucía, Spain and speaks Spanish with a southern Spain accent. Her favorite genealogical records are records written in Spanish. She has spent many years reading the old Spanish handwriting found in genealogical records in Latin America and Spain.