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Genealogy KC 2025
Where the spirit is
Norma King, Media Director (Rush Creek Ward)
Lori Garcia, Stake Communications Director (Hodge Park Ward)
More than 200 people attended the 10th Genealogy KC at the Liberty Missouri Stake Center August 23, 2025.
To be more specific – 200 happy, passionate people. One of them was presenter Lauri Jean Swett from the Platte City Missouri Stake.
“This year, I was thrilled that Genealogy KC was back in this building. It’s a wonderful opportunity for genealogists to get together, and I wish more of our members took advantage of the opportunity to learn. It’s free, so there’s no excuse not to,” said Swett.
She has attended many conferences since Genealogy KC started in 2013. She, like many returning attendees, loved it and wouldn’t “miss it for the world,” she said.
“Because it’s around family history, the spirit is here, adding a layer and a level to Genealogy KC.”
“I’m looking forward to attending another great genealogy KC in August 2026, anticipating meeting old and new friends there,” said Swett.
This was Shauna Wheelwright’s second year at Genealogy KC. The St. Joseph resident said the camaraderie, the sharing, and the learning made the experience awesome.
“Everyone should attend,” she said. “It just goes back to, if you know where you came from, you know who you are.”
Wheelwright is Family Search Coordinator in the Platte City Stake.
There’s always something to learn, said attendee Janee Probst. She shared an important insight about family history in the Book of Mormon:
“So Nephi went to Jerusalem two times. Why did he go to Jerusalem? He went to get the past and he went to get his future. And that is so important to know about family history, that it’s not just about the past, it’s about what’s coming next. It’s about knowing everything from the beginning to the end.”
Probst, who is also a Family Search Coordinator in the Platte City Stake, said that family history is so much more than researching the past. Recording grandchildren or grandparents is part of family history research.
“It’s just not that boring stuff… it’s about what’s coming, too. We all have to find our niche; we have to find our place in family history work. We all have our place where we belong.”
Genealogy KC is the largest genealogy conference in the Midwest, said Ashley Arnett, Co-chair of Genealogy KC.
“I think something like this is super impactful in the community. It shows one, that Latter-Day Saints care about genealogy work, and it shows that we also care about reaching out to the community in free ways and to help them. It’s a unique thing that they started here.”
As part of the conference, three dignitaries were treated to a special two-hour one-on-one session with an experienced genealogist to discover their roots.
Missouri State Representative Bill Allen (Dist. 17) and his wife Marta were excited to learn more about their family trees.
“Some of the most exciting things were life-long stories that I heard as a child, some of those weren’t true at all,” Rep Allen said. “But some of the things, the relationships and locations of my ancestors – like those from Poland – were so incredibly accurate.”
Marta Allen’s mother is from El Salvador and she and her family were surprised by all of the records she was able to find during the genealogy session.
“It was wonderful,” Marta Allen said. “We found ancestors and stories that I thought were lost to us forever. That means so much.”
Rep Allen was surprised to learn he was not-so-distant cousins to one of Missouri’s most famous residents, Harry Truman, the 33rd president of the United States.
“I’ve been to the presidential library recently, and the fact that I am 5th cousins with Harry Truman, is an incredible, incredible thing. It explains the political connections.”
Marta on the other hand has a more royal pedigree.
“I found out I was cousins with Princess Diana. She always meant so much in life, and I thought she was awesome. And I liked her spunkiness too, so that was obviously inherited,” she joked.
Missouri State Representative Carolyn Caton (33) was also thrilled to deep dive into her genealogy at the conference.
“It was probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Rep Caton said. “The most impactful thing was to understand my history and connections and where I come from.”
Rep Caton found some famous relatives, but she also found one in her own backyard. Through the one-on-one time with a genealogist, Rep Caton found something unique, that the two were in fact related.
“My coach today – Deanna – I found out through FamilySearch.org that we’re cousins. That was funny, and I feel like I made a good friend today.”
Clay County Commissioner Jay Johnson is no stranger to his family tree, but even he found something new working one-on-one with a genealogist.
“We found an article about my ancestor Jacob Johnson who was one of George Washington’s righthand men,” Commissioner Johnson said. “He was sent on a secret mission for [George Washington] and actually died doing that. On Jacob’s page on [FamilySearch.org] if you click on his page, under memories, he had 20 different articles and resources on him that I still need to read.”
Commissioner Johnson said working with a professional helped him tremendously.
“It was great. He attached over 100 articles and pictures about my family that went up to about three or four generations. One of them is a hand-drawn map from one of my ancestors showing where all my different relatives lived in this town and where the old general store was, which is crazy to be able to see that.”
Both Commissioner Johnson and Rep Caton said they’re not done diving into their roots.
“Oh yeah, I’m very glad I came. This takes us down a whole new rabbit hole and takes up more of my time,” Commissioner Johnson said chuckling.
“I’m related to Francis Cooke from the Mayflower, so that’s pretty exciting,” Rep Caton said. “I was disappointed that I didn’t have any famous scientists [in my family tree]. I would have liked to have had an astrophysicist or something, but I’ll keep searching.”