About Me

My mission is to find my ancestors through carefully documented research, and illuminate their lives using the records and ephemera they left behind.

After earning an BA in history I took a multi-year detour into the computer industry. Since 2003 I’ve worked as a librarian, obtaining my Master’s in Library Science in 2009. I retired from the Parker Memorial Library in Dracut, Massachusetts in 2020.

I came late to genealogy, starting with my mother’s family in 2006. To focus and organize my work I completed the Boston University Certificate Program in 2013 and ProGen in 2018. To date I’ve researched at the National Archives 1 & 2, the Library of Congress, the DAR, the Mayflower Society, NEHGS, the Family History Library, the National Archives in London, and regional historical societies and archives. In 2018 I attended Gen-Fed at the National Archives in Washington, DC. My primary areas of research interest are New England, Great Britain, and military history through World War II.

Education

    • BA, History, Harvard University, 1974
    • MLS, Southern Connecticut State University, 2009
    • Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University, OL12, 2013
    • NERGC – New England Regional Genealogical Conference
      • 2013 – Manchester, New Hampshire
      • 2015 – Providence, Rhode Island
      • 2017 – Springfield, Massachusetts
      • 2019 – Manchester, New Hampshire
    • NGS – National Genealogical Society Annual Conference
      • 2014 – Richmond, Virginia
    • ProGen Study Group 32 – 2017-2018
    • British Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah
      • 2017 – “English Genealogical Research before 1837” – Amy Harris, PhD. AG, Brigham Young University
    • G.R.I.P – Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh
      • 2016 – “Diving Deeper into New England: Advanced Strategies for Success” – D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS
      • 2017 – “Confusion to Conclusion: How to Write Proof Arguments” – Harold Henderson, CG, and Kimberly Powell
    • Gen-Fed – Genealogical Institute on Federal Records
      • 2018 – National Archives, Washington, DC

Genealogy Presentations

    • Strategies for Starting Your Search
    • Getting the Most Out of Ancestry Library Edition
    • Getting the Most Out of FamilySearch
    • Getting the Most Out of AmericanAncestors.org
    • Using Military Records in Genealogy
    • Using Census Records in Genealogy
    • Young Dr. Parker Goes to War (Moses Greeley Parker’s Civil War Service)

Associations

    • Daughters of the American Revolution – Old Concord
    • Massachusetts Society of Genealogists – Middlesex Chapter
    • Essex Society of Genealogists
    • New England Association of Professional Genealogists