Claire Smith-Burns became intrigued with family history in her teen years when she was tasked with sorting through boxes of old letters and photographs after the death of her favourite great aunt. And she has been happily involved in genealogical research ever since. Her long experience with Canadian, United Kingdom and Dutch records has been influenced by her educational background in anthropology (Universities of British Columbia and Victoria) and career in museum and archival management. Claire has been active in genealogy societies across Canada and has many years of experience in designing and implementing educational programs, workshops and conferences. In 1999, she attended a three-week genealogy study tour in England through Samford University, Alabama. Claire has also completed several courses through the Brigham Young University Family History program. She has led six research trips to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and organized ten “Harvest Your Family Tree” conferences for the Kelowna & District Genealogical Society. These conferences were some of the largest genealogy events held in Western Canada.
Claire has published several articles in Canadian genealogy journals and won the Marion Keffer Award from the Ontario Genealogical Society in 2002 for best original article. She enjoys presenting talks on family history topics to groups across North America. Currently, Claire serves as Vice-president of the Kelowna & District Genealogical Society and is chairperson of both the Public Education and Library Committees. She also volunteers as the Online Parish Clerk for three parishes in Dorset, England and has served on Kelowna’s Heritage Week Planning Committee since 2013. In her other life, Claire manages her husband’s international safety consulting company, enjoys hiking, her grandchildren’s exploits and spends countless hours in her garden in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Bonus Track
Going Down the Rabbit Hole: A Cautionary Tale!
