I have been researching my family history since 1999 when I formally took over research from my sister. I love doing research. Yes, it can be difficult and requires a lot of thinking, reasoning and just plain old fashioned work. In today’s world, it’s so easy to just start looking online for information. However, the real work comes in traveling to the various repositories in the different localities to dig through the records that are definitely not online which generally yields the best information. It’s through those trips that I have been able to “walk in my ancestors’ footsteps” – see the country that they saw several hundred years ago. It has only been through this travel that I have been able to break through a couple of brick walls and to prove other relationships.

I have travelled to different localities in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont in addition to Northern Ireland looking for information on my ancestors. It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience. My research has allowed me to join the Daughters of the American Revolution, National Society Daughters of the Union 1861-1865, The General Society of Mayflower Descendants, New England Women, Colonial Dames of XVII Century, National Society United States Daughters of 1812 and National Society Daughters of American Colonists.

I have attended several “Come Home” research events with the New England Historic and Genealogical Society. In addition, I have attended genealogy conferences held by the National Genealogical Society, the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the Association of Professional Genealogists and RootsTech. I was in one of the first classes to complete the Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate program. I completed the Intermediate Genealogy Research classes held at both the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh. I have also completed the first three classes of the Genealogical Educational Program through the DAR.