Presentations

Kate is an engaging lecturer who can explain complicated topics in a clear and concise manner. Kate would be glad to speak at your next society meeting or conference. Please contact her to initiate this process.

Available Lectures

Applying Investigative Skills from the Financial Crime World to Genealogy

Kate started her career as an investigator fighting financial crime. Learn how to apply the skills she developed investigating fraud, money laundering, and high-net-worth individuals to your genealogical research pursuits.

*A version of this presentation geared towards professionals in the forensic field of genealogy is also available.

A Guide to Pennsylvania Court Records Research

Have you researched your Pennsylvania ancestors, but have never delved into court records research? Learn how you might find anything from a probate file to the criminal records of your ancestors in the Commonwealth.

Becoming an American: Naturalization through the Ages

Whether your ancestors became naturalized American citizens in 1850 or 1950, learn the laws that dictated this process, how to identify these records, and where.

Beyond the Basics: Effectively Using Ancestry.com

Whether you're a newbie or you consider yourself an old pro, there is always more to learn on Ancestry.com. Develop an understanding of how Ancestry.com works so that you can better utilize search features, mitigate problems, and prevent yourself from crawling up the wrong branch of your family tree.

Beyond the Computer Screen: Planning for Repository Visits

If most of your genealogical research is conducted in your pajamas, it's time to venture to the repository. Learn how to embark on this adventure through proper planning and insight.

Charting Out the Company Town: Understanding Coal Industry Communities

Many individuals who worked in coal mines lived in towns that the coal company either owned completely or partially. Learn what it was like to live in a company town, and more about them through case studies.

Court Records Research Without the Law Degree

Court records are an underutilized resource for genealogical research. Discover how to explore courthouses (no law degree required) to find records involving your ancestors.

Crossing the Pond to England and Wales

Discover how to research your English and Welsh ancestors without leaving the United States. A discussion of how to get started researching within parish, vital, census, probate, and more will help you get started!

Family Narrative Lineage Projects Demystified

Instead of being intimidated, have tools at your disposal to succeed at writing a family narrative lineage project. Learn steps, techniques, and guidance on how to systematically gather evidence, organize, and write a family narrative lineage project.

Finding and Decoding Passenger List Records

Whether your ancestors arrived in the United States prior to the Civil War or were twentieth-century immigrants, learn research strategies, techniques, and information about these records.

Follow the Records and See Where They Go!

Get into the habit of "following the records." Often, if you find one record, it leads to something else. Learn about some common examples of how following clues in record sets can lead you to more information.

Gilded Age Treasure – Industry Magnate Finds

Step into the "glittering" world of the Gilded Age and unearth genealogical treasures hidden in the records of America’s industry magnates. This session guides participants through the unique types of documentation generated by and about prominent business leaders—railroad tycoons, steel barons, coal magnates, and their ventures—during the late 19th century.

Italian Immigrant Ancestors: Following the Community's Migration

Just as Italians thrived through a network of friends and family in Italy, it is pretty common to see this community pervasive in aspects of their lives in the United States. Through case studies, explore how Italians may have migrated to and within the United States, utilizing the communities they established.

Lessons Learned: A Cautionary Tale of Common Genealogical Mistakes

As a beginner, Kate climbed up the wrong branch of her family tree. Learn techniques (with antidotes) to avoid the error of her (old) ways and understand the Genealogical Proof Standard.

Neighborhood Reconstruction – Using Maps to Build Mining Communities

Mining communities were often established based on the discovery of a coal seam in a region. Once the seam was exhausted, the communities died or shifted their industry. Discover the various types of maps available to help reimagine these communities during the peak of their involvement in the coal industry.

Organizing and Preserving Your Personal Archive

Do you have photographs, documents, and other family artifacts that need to be organized and properly stored? Learn some strategies for preserving these items, both physically and virtually, for future generations.

Pittsburgh Genealogy 101: A Guide to Researching in the Steel City

Have you dabbled in genealogical research for your Pittsburgh ancestors? Do you think there might be more records out there, but you don't know where or how to find them? Learn what is available both online and offline.

Planning and Organizing Research Findings for Tough Problems

Learn how to plan and organize your research findings when encountering challenging problems or projects. In addition to a discussion on research questions, plans, and logs, an organizational strategy derived from the investigative world will be showcased to teach you how to have all of your findings in one location for optimal efficiency.

Researching Your Coal Miner Ancestors

Did your ancestor(s) work in the coal industry? Learn about who typically worked in coal mining, and about the living and working conditions within the industry. Research strategies on how to investigate the lives of these ancestors will be shared, including employment records, accident reports, coroner's files, and photographs.

Researching Your Steelworker Ancestors

Did your ancestor(s) work in the steel industry? Research strategies and how to identify records, including employment files, union records, photographs, and company newsletters, will be shared so that you can get started pursuing these records.

Stop the Presses! Incorporating Newspaper Records into Your Research

Newspaper records are not just useful for identifying the obituaries of your ancestors. Learn about an additional level of information that might exist, as well as where and how to find it.

Tips and Tricks to Optimize Your Genealogical Search Net

Are you utilizing search techniques to their potential? Do you know what "Boolean" means? Learn how to optimize your searches to find new genealogical treasures.

The People Who Built America: Researching Your Blue Collar Ancestors

Delve into the rich but often overlooked records documenting the lives of blue-collar workers. Discover practice strategies for identifying which industries and workplaces shaped ancestors’ lives and for locating repositories that hold valuable records for these workers.

Timeline Methods – Your Genealogy Axis

Learn practical and advanced methods for constructing detailed genealogical timelines, which can assist in correlating evidence, identifying gaps in research, and ultimately solve research problems.

Understanding and Acknowledging the Lives of Ancestors in State Hospitals and Asylums

Behind every state hospital record is a human story. Learn how to uncover and understand the lives of ancestors who lived in state hospitals and asylums, and how to acknowledge their experiences with honesty, empathy, and respect.

Unlocking the Keystone State

Do you have ancestors who hail from the Keystone State? If so, it's time to learn about Pennsylvania's records and repositories.

United States Immigration Records: A Primer

Learn about the records that your immigration ancestors might have left on their journeys to the United States and on their journeys to become (or not) United States citizens.

Year by Year: Reconstructing Families with City Directories

Learn how to use city directories to trace ancestors year by year, enabling the creation of detailed timelines that reveal changes in address, occupation, and shifts in household composition. In addition, learn how to siphon other details out of city directory records to learn more about the communities in which your ancestors lived.

Writing Clear and Concise Client Reports for Yourself and Others

Kate has written hundreds (if not thousands) of client reports as both an investigator and genealogist. Learn best practices for structure, format, and writing to write client reports that your clients will want to read.