About Valerie

IMG_0678

Valerie Elkins, a former International Research Consultant for the famed Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah is now the CEO of her own research company. Her engaging style, passion and genuine desire to share, make her a favorite and frequent speaker at genealogy conferences. She has been a speaker at Rootstech for 5 years, and has had her presentations live-streamed around the world.

Valerie first fell in love with genealogy at the tender age of ten, where she grew up in a family that moved like migratory birds. Those slivers of stories that she heard as a child, drew her in and helped her feel connected and grounded. Valerie is passionate about finding ancestors, uncovering their stories and sharing them in meaningful ways.

Valerie has served on numerous genealogy boards and is a board member of the Association of Professional Genealogist and is the Director for Family History Center in East Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is the co-founder of Family History Writers Retreats and writes about all things family history related on her blog FamilyCherished.com.

Valerie has been named one of the “Top 40 Social Media Mavericks” in family history by Family Tree Magazine and is a frequent social media ambassador for genealogy conferences. Some of those family migratory birds in her family, came from the UK and she is thrilled to speak at the inaugural event of THE Genealogy Show. Find out more about Valerie on her site.

Author:

  • “Finding Your Japanese Ancestors,” Utah Genealogical Association Crossroads Magazine, December 2013

  • “Grounding Yourself in the GPS” The Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly; December 2013, [co-authored with Luana Darby]

  • “30 Days to Becoming Unforgettable” Family Cherished Publications; January 2015

  • “Top Mistakes Genealogists Make and How to Avoid Them”; publication expected 2019

Articles Featuring Valerie:

  • Schoenberg, Nara. “How to Write Your Family History: Genealogical Experts Share Offer Advice,” The Chicago Tribune, February 5, 2015

  • McGurdie, Greg. “20 ‘Can’t Miss’ RootsTech Sessions to Help You Grow your Family Tree.” FamilySearch Blog, February 6, 2015

  • Shoer, Jennifer. “An Interview with Valerie Elkins,” The In-Depth Genealogist, February 2015

  • Bahr, Ellen. “Just Pin It! The Power of Pinterest for Family History,” FamilySearch Blog, September 15, 2014

  • Herzog, Alison J. “Find Stories of Women Relatives with Inspiration from Fearless Females,” FamilySearch Blog, March 27, 2015

  • Frequent contributor to FamilySearch blog