Patti Huff

My passion for genealogy began in 2013 when my high school age son became interested in the Civil War. When we began searching for ancestors who served in the Civil War, we realized there was a genealogy community willing to help us get us started!

With the assistance of my 90-year-old grandmother as my guide, she suggested to begin by creating an account at FamilySearch.com and Fold3.com. Soon I was hooked and became an active member of Ancestry.com as well as the family historian point person.

After my brother and I received our DNA results in 2015, I became determined to attend DNA conferences, workshops, seminars and webinars to apply to my own family research. But I couldn't stop there! 

Currently, I'm managing 62 immediate and extended family DNA kits on Ancestry, one (Huff) Y-DNA kit and one (Crook) mT-DNA on FamilyTreeDNA. All these DNA results have been uploaded to GEDmatch.com. 

My professional experience speaking for the Zig Ziglar Corporation, women's church retreats and marriage seminars along with my enthusiasm for genealogy inspired me to begin preparing genealogy programs of my own.

The genealogy societies that were assisting my family research were the first to urge me to share what I'd begun applying. Thus began my vision to give back to the genealogy communities. 

Currently, I'm serving on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Genealogy Society (since 2017). In December 2019, I was awarded, "Volunteer of the Year." I also hold membership at: Angelina County, Hill County, Johnson County, Navarro County, Central Texas (Waco), Texas State Genealogical Society and the National Genealogical Society. I am a member of the Coppell Historical Society and formed a monthly Coppell Genealogy Special Interest Group in January 2020.

My genealogy and DNA programs: 

1. The Beatitudes of a Family Genealogist (beginning genealogy and keeping it organized)

2. Between the Lines: What Your Ancestors Didn't Tell You (Getting the most from your DNA results)

3. Taking your DNA Results to the Next Level with GEDmatch.com

4. ThruLines: Maximize Your DNA Results with Ancestry ThruLines

4. Using Social Media to Attract Descendants of our Ancestors

5. Sentimental Journey - A Trip Down Memory Lane (finding War Records)

6. ThruLines: Ancestry.com - How to use them!

7. How to Locate Ancestors Through Scholastic School Records

8. Gathering Information at Family Reunions - Planning Family Reunions one-on-one in the home, restaurants, or on a grand scale - and how to collect family data!

9. Family Patterns 

10. Engaging the Next Generation (ages 8 - teens with one adult or guardian)

11. Workshops: GEDmatch.com, FamilySearch.com, Ancestry.com

12. Three Case Studies. Each Case Study uses traditional genealogy, family letters, DNA, and GEDmatch to solve stubborn brick walls.

Retiring from a marketing career in 2018, has allowed me the opportunity to train for a career in genealogy research and Genetic DNA Analysis.

Personal: Other than research, and speaking about genealogy, as well as DNA, I love road trips to courthouses and archives. Other hobbies include getting together with family and friends, serving in church, playing cards and board games with my grown kids (and friends), singing, gardening, hiking, camping, shopping, crafting and cooking. 

 I have four grown children and two new sons-in-love!