Diane Henriks, Genealogical Speaker

Topical-Engaging-Informative Lectures

Diane Henriks, also known as the “Descendant Detective” and founder of Know Who Wears the Genes in Your Family, is a passionate and seasoned Los Angeles County-based professional genealogist, investigator, speaker, and author, who specializes in descendancy and brick wall research, along with living people search and unknown parentage cases. Diane has worked closely with other private investigators to find living people, while also assisting in background investigations, in both civil and criminal cases. She is a proud member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Genealogical Speakers Guild, the International Society of Genetic Genealogy, the Southern California Genealogical Society, the Utah Genealogical Association, and various genealogical interest groups. What started out as a small hobby well over a decade ago, when a hand-drawn family tree chart was given to her by her father, has since become a great obsession, and she now helps others discover and preserve who they are and where they came from!

Specialties

• Descendancy Research
• Brick Wall Research
• Living People Search
• Unknown Parentage Research

Other

• Methodology
• Genetic Genealogy/DNA 
• Family History Publishing
• AI & Genealogy
• Records

Current Lectures

• Finding Descendants in your Family Tree
• Publishing your Family History
• Finding Descendants in your Family Tree: A Deeper Look into Finding Living People Now
• Who Is That Mystery DNA Match?: Solving a Genetic Genealogy Brick Wall
• It's All in the Clues!
• Whispers from the Past: Uncovering Family Secrets in Genealogical Research
• A Closer Look at the 1850-1950 U.S. Census​ Records in Genealogy
• 1850 U.S. Census Deep Dive
• 1860 U.S. Census Deep Dive
• 1870 U.S. Census Deep Dive
• 1880 U.S. Census Deep Dive
• 1900 U.S. Census Deep Dive
• 1910 U.S. Census Deep Dive
• 1920 U.S. Census Deep Dive
• 1930 U.S. Census Deep Dive
• 1940 U.S. Census Deep Dive
• 1950 U.S. Census Deep Dive
• Filipino Genealogy: Tracing Your Filipino Roots
• Break Down Those Genealogy Brick Walls!
• Breaking through Genealogy Brick Walls: Top 5 Proven Strategies
• Deep Dive into Finding Your Living Relatives
• Unraveling Family History with AI: Leveraging AI to Trace an Ancestor's Journey, with ChatGPT (Free Version)
• Honoring Family History through AI-Generated Music: Using AI to Tell the Story of an Ancestor
• Using the 6 W's in Genealogy: A Framework for Success
• Using the 6W's in Family History Interviewing: A Framework for Genealogy Success
• Using the 6W's in Genealogy Speaking: A Framework for Genealogy Success
• Using the 6W's in Teaching Genealogy: A Framework for Genealogy Success
• Revolutionizing Genealogy: Unleashing the Power of AI in Family History Research
• Finding Biological Family: A Beginner's Guide
• Breaking Genealogy Brick Walls: Simple Strategies for Beginners
• Descendant Research for Beginners: Tracing Your Family Lines
• Writing and Publishing Your Family History: A Beginner's Guide
• Using Genealogy to Unlock Dual Citizenship: Beginner Strategies
• Genealogy and Oral Histories: Capturing Family Stories
• A Closer Look at Genealogical Documents
• Genealogy 101: Beginning Your Family History Journey​​​
• Celebrating Your German Ancestry during German-American Heritage Month

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In Progress Lectures

(*most available to be booked now, at least 6 months in advance, for future events)

• Publishing Your Family History the Easy Way!
• Family Stories: Taking Them with a Grain of Salt
• Publishing your Family History: A Walk Through
• Uncovered Roots
• Unleashing the Power of AI: Revolutionizing Genealogy for the Modern Era
• Unfolding Family History with AI: Utilizing AI to Trace an Ancestor's Journey, with Gemini (Free Version)
• AI in Genealogy: Enhancing Your Family History Research with the Power of AI
• Deep Dive into Vital Records for Genealogy
• Deep Dive into Church Records for Genealogy
• How to Do Genealogy for Free!
• Living People Search for Beginners: Finding Your Relatives
• Introduction to Family Tree Software: A Beginner's Guide
• Organizing Your Genealogy Research: A Beginner's Guide
• Genetic Genealogy 101: Beginning Your DNA for Genealogy Journey
• Using Social Media for Genealogy Research: A Beginner's Guide
• Understanding and Using Census Records: Genealogy Basics
• Exploring Occupational Records in Genealogy
• Maximizing Ancestry.com with AI: Tools and Tips for Genealogists
• AI and Ancestry's Historical Insights: Bringing Your Ancestor's Stories to Life
• AI in Genealogy 101: An Introduction for Beginners
• Why Siblings Have Different DNA Results: Unpacking Genetic Genealogy
• Decoding Your DNA Ethnicity: What the Results Really Mean

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Upcoming Speaking Engagements

• South Orange County California Genealogical Society; 2025
• Solano County Genealogical Society; 2025
• Southern Arizona Genealogical Society; 2025
• Legacy Family Tree Webinars, MyHeritage Series; 2025
• San Diego Genealogical Society; 2025
• North San Diego County Genealogical Society; 2025
• Legacy Family Tree Webinars; 2025
• Polk County History Center and Genealogical Library; 2025

Recent/Past Speaking Engagements

• Legacy Family Tree Webinars, MyHeritage Series; 2023, 2024
• Southern California Genealogical Society Lunch ‘n’ Learn; 2019, 2023, 2024
• Southern California Genealogical Society, DNA Group; 2024
• Yamhill County Genealogical Society; 2024
• Citrus County Genealogical Society; 2024
• Pomona Valley Genealogical Society; 2024
• Corona Genealogical Society; 2024
• Genealogical Society of North Orange County California; 2024
• Williamson County Genealogical Society- Seminar 2024
• Texas State Genealogical Society Family History Conference; 2023
• Utah Genealogical Association Summit of Excellence; 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
• Southern California Genealogical Society Genealogy Jamboree; 2021, 2022
• Northland Genealogy Society; 2023
• Moreno Valley Genealogical Society; 2023
• Glendora Genealogical Group; 2023
• Larimer County Genealogical Society; 2023
• Placer County Genealogical Society; 2023
• Whittier Area Genealogical Society; 2018, 2022
• Clallam County Genealogical Society; 2022
• Palm Spring Genealogical Society; 2022
• Aerospace Corporation; 2019
• Southern California Genealogical Society German Interest Group; 2017, 2018 (x2), 2023
• Pasadena Area African American Genealogical Society; 2018