About

Kate Townsend, CG®

Kate is a former professional investigator turned genealogist who specializes in Pennsylvania research. She is the owner of Family History Investigations LLC, where she helps clients uncover, document, and understand their family stories. She has held the Certified Genealogist® credential since February 2024.

Kate is a frequent national and regional speaker, presenting for genealogical societies, libraries, and conferences, including the National Genealogical Society (NGS) Family History Conference, New England Regional Genealogical Consortium, Ohio Genealogical Society Conference, and RootsTech. She has served on the faculty and as co-course coordinator for the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh and has contributed research for the PBS television series Finding Your Roots.

Although Kate has been working on her own family history since she was sixteen, her interest in investigating and researching on a professional level was piqued when she served as an Archives Technician at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) while completing her undergraduate studies. She worked as a resource for both amateur and professional genealogical researchers, assisting them in conducting archival records research.