I enjoy the investigative aspects of research- connecting people to their family history and ancestors. 

Finding threads of personality and life... family stories that go beyond names and dates to tell the story of what life was like are my favorite part of research. 

My main focus centers on Southeastern history... particularly Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. However, people of the past moved around a lot and so my research has traveled across borders as the people did.  

I am connected and familiar to a variety of repositories and source options throughout the United States. 

I love bringing history to life with digital humanities projects... virtual history tours or creating online displays of information. 

With genealogy, favorite projects are cases where I helped clients who knew almost nothing about their family history. Being able to create a family tree gave them a sense of their roots and identity through family history. 

Studying the past always offers lessons for the present and future.  

Surprising findings always illustrate to me that no matter the time period or place, people are the same.

Once, I found an 1880's naturalization application where a bartender was applying and asked the milkman to be his witness. I imagine the milkman happened by, delivering milk, and the bartender said, "Hey buddy...sign this for me!"

Other examples: 
-Doodles on census records (I found a goose doodle once!) 

-Interesting names of children (John the Baptist, Wendle Swindle, America, or kids named after states - one family had Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and Tennessee!)

-Wills and obituaries that highlight the tenderness people felt toward loved ones.

-Photos of ancestors goofing off, celebrating at gatherings, or caring for others.

There are no guarantees. However, I leave no stone unturned while conducting genealogy and historical research. Some families are difficult to trace- perhaps they moved around a lot or multiple generations repeat the same name. Courthouses burned and records were often lost or destroyed- or not kept. Other times, records may exist but not be digitally accessible yet, or hidden in someone's basement. Your research report will always include steps for further research and details about the process and strategy undertaken for your genealogy project.