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 come 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
• Decoding Your DNA Results: The Investigator's Field Guide to Understanding Your Real Ethnicity
• The Case of the Unknown Cousin: A DNA Detective Story
• 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
• Cold Case: An Investigative Protocal for Genealogical Brick Walls
• The Elusive Ancestor: A Genealogical Cold Case Investigation
• The Case of a Man Named Smith: Cracking a Hidden Identity Brick Wall
• Top 5 Brick Wall Busters: Proven Investigative Techniques to Crack Tough Genealogy Cases
• The 201 cM Match: Solving a DNA Brick Wall with Forensic Genealogy
• Cracking the Code: An Investigator's Framework for Surname Variants
• Finding Their Journey: A Troubleshooting Guide for Immigration Research
• Migration Troubleshooter: Turning Genealogy Mysteries into Maps
• Same Parents, Different Stories: Why Sibling DNA Results Don't Match
• 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
• AI in Genealogy 101: An Introduction for Beginners
• Top 10 Tips for Using AI Effectively in Genealogy: Unlocking New Possibilities
• 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
• Top 5 Essential Genealogy Websites for Beginners
• Genealogy and Oral Histories: Capturing Family Stories
• A Closer Look at Genealogical Documents
• How to Do Your Genealogy for Free! Discovering Your Ancestry Without Breaking the Bank
• The Genealogist's Starter Kit: A Guide to the 5 Best Resources
• Genealogy 101: Beginning Your Family History Journey​​​
• Forged by the Sea: The 1831 Journey from Odenwald to Ohio
• Tracing Your Scottish Roots: 5 Essential Digital Archives
• Unlocking Your Irish Heritage: The Top 5 Digital Archives
• 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!
• Deep Dive into Vital Records for Genealogy
• Deep Dive into Church Records for Genealogy
• 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
• Understanding and Using Census Records: Genealogy Basics

Learn More

Last updated 12/4/2025

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

• Legacy Family Tree Webinars; January 2026
• Genealogical Society of North Orange County California; February 2026
• Rochester Genealogical Society; March 2026
• Sonoma County Genealogical Society; April 2026
• Heritage Quest Research Library; July 2026
• Montgomery County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society; Fall 2026
• Legacy Family Tree Webinars, MyHeritage Series; October 2026

Recent/Past Speaking Engagements

• Legacy Family Tree Webinars; 2025
• Utah Genealogical Association- Summit of Excellence; 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
• Ashtabula County Genealogical Society; 2025
• Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society; 2025
• Polk County History Center and Genealogical Library; 2025
• North San Diego County Genealogical Society; 2025
• San Diego Genealogical Society; 2025
• South Bay Cities Genealogical Society; 2025
• Utah Genealogical Association, UGA DNA SIG; 2025
• Legacy Family Tree Webinars, MyHeritage Series; 2023, 2024, 2025
• Southern Arizona Genealogy Society; 2025
• Solano County Genealogical Society; 2025
• Austin Genealogical Society; 2025
• South Orange County California Genealogical Society; 2025
• 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
• 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

Last updated 1/3/2026