On 1 July 2026, I graduated from the University of Strathclyde with a PhD in History with Genealogical Studies. My thesis, Who Counts as an Ancestor? Technological Advancement, Documentary Evidence, and Changing Genealogical Standards in American Lineage Societies, 1970 – 2020, is finished, deposited, and (a fact I am still adjusting to) no longer something I am doing. It is something I did. I have written a great deal about other people's lives. It feels strange to turn the

If you were planning to join me on April 18 at RELIC for Tips and Tricks to Deciphering Colonial Handwriting , I have a small update to share: that presentation has been rescheduled and will now take place in September (date to be announced). The reason? The Manassas area will be buzzing that weekend with some wonderful community events, including the Thai Food Festival , and it seemed like the perfect weekend to be out enjoying the community rather than tucked away with old

You know the moment. You type a name into a search bar, brace yourself, and get… nothing. No results. And the temptation, especially for colonial-era research, is to assume the record doesn’t exist, if ever or not anymore. That your ancestor was one of history’s invisible people, leaving no paper trail, no proof, no story. Monument to Sgt. William Jasper. Savannah, GA. Image by author. Sometimes, that assumption is right. Fire, flood, war, and simple neglect have destroyed

We are in the home stretch, RootsTech 2026 kicks off on 5 March, and whether this is your first conference or your fifteenth, a little planning goes a long way. In this post, I am sharing the sessions beyond my own that have caught my eye, some practical tips for navigating the conference, and a few things I wish someone had told me before my first RootsTech. Sessions I Have on My Schedule One of the best (and most overwhelming) parts of RootsTech is the sheer number of sessi