Qualifications
Formal Education
Boston University CPE Genealogical Research Program 2011/2012
Boston University CPE Advanced Forensic Genealogy Summer 2012
ProGen 17 – Professional Genealogy Study Group, September 2012 – March 2014
proud and consistent member of
Association of Professional Genealogists
APG New England Chapter
New England Historic Genealogical Society
Maine Historical Society
Maine Genealogical Society
National Genealogical Society
Genealogical Society of Nova Scotia
New Brunswick Genealogical Society
Maine Genealogy Network
President, Trustee and Volunteer
of the Increase Robinson Library & Neighborhood House
Personal Education
My own interest in genealogy began about 1988, inspired by my mother's need to operate the multi-media viewers and rapidly evolving computer databases used of the time. Conveniently located at the Maine State Archives and State Library nearby in Augusta, Maine; visits that started as passive instruction for my mother soon became the opportunity to touch the signatures of my great-grandparents generations after they had left their print on paper. Federal censuses and militia pay stubs, old birth and death records all became bold snapshots of life, footnotes in time, sourcing an even greater story than I could image on my own.
The endlessly knowledgeable staff of the Search Room at the Archives was always patient with my "what if?" and "where do I look next?" questions, and in time I was finding everything I needed on my own and had I begun to devour the genealogical resources in the State Library downstairs. I also started collecting together my own research library full of 'How-to-find-your-Roots' books, old town histories, historic genealogies and all the old photos and family stories I could get my hands on. It was with great pleasure that I found part of my own maternal genealogy published in 1904, with only 300 copies privately printed and bound in the pages of "The Yates Book" by Edgar Yates. Only recently I was able to find a first edition for my own joy.
Every free moment became an opportunity to work on my own ancestral lines, explore a historical society or museum with my children in tow and much to their horror, pull over and investigate any random New England cemetery that had an old headstone in it. In time they were well aware of what a ride with Mom meant, and a drive to the the cemetery on the top of Patch Mountain in the 4-WD Jeep always led to the question "Are we going to see the two Williams again?", "Are we gonna get stuck again?"
When I wasn't working on my own own tree, I was working for, or with, someone else on a similar quest. Realizing that I could work full time in a profession that could bring constant discovery, education, growth as a genealogist, and relationships with others who loved the field as I did; I knew a more formal education was needed to round out and validate what I had learned on my own over the years. I sought out lectures and workshops, memberships in related organization offering self-education benefits and Boston University's Genealogical Research Certificate Programs. The journey continues.