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Ask a Genealogist—Live Chat

Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. ET

LIVE and Free! Join our experts through our online chat feature and ask your genealogical questions now! This online chat feature is available for new and expert researchers that have questions to be answered in 15 minutes or less.  

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Personal Genealogist for the Day

Ideal for beginners

This unique experience is available digitally – through Zoom – for beginner researchers. Consult with a genealogist during this hourly experience and learn research methodologies from the American Ancestors experts.   

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Hire an American Ancestors expert to conduct historical or genealogical research on your behalf. We specialize in all geographic areas and can help knock down those brick walls in your family history.

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Invite an American Ancestors expert to speak at your next workshop, seminar, conference, reunion, or upcoming event!

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Not able to visit our Library?  We can scan pages from books, periodicals, and manuscripts located in our American Ancestors/NEHGS Research Center.

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Meet Our Experts

Lynn Betlock

Lynn Betlock

Managing Editor
Lynn has been the editor of American Ancestors since 2003, and she has written numerous articles for the publication.
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Keira Breitenbach

Kiera Breitenbach

Senior Researcher
Areas of Expertise: Ireland, Midwestern/Western states
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Peggy Sue Carpenter

Peggy Sue Carpenter

Researcher
Areas of expertise: Midwestern States, German, old German Gothic script, England, French, and Latin.
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Zobeida Chaffee-Valdes

Zobeida Chaffee-Valdes

Researcher
Areas of Expertise: Archival work with physical and digital collections, Black Activism and Histories of Essex County, local Abolitionist movements, Archaeology, Medieval and Renaissance Studies
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Chris Child

Christopher C. Child

Senior Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press and Editor of Mayflower Descendant
Chris Child has worked for various departments at NEHGS since 1997 and became a full-time employee in July 2003. He has been a member of NEHGS since the age of eleven.
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Sarah Dery

Sarah Dery

Director of Research & Library Services
Sarah Dery has been with American Ancestors/NEHGS since 2017 and works alongside the Vice President of Research & Library Services. She performs managerial work for the Research & Library Services team.
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Curt DiCamillo

Curt DiCamillo

Curator of Special Collections
Curt DiCamillo, who joined American Ancestors/NEHGS in February of 2016 as the organization’s first Curator of Special Collections, is an internationally recognized authority on British historic houses and the decorative arts.
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Sheilagh Doerfler

Sheilagh Doerfler

Genealogist
Areas of expertise: DNA, Adoption, New England, New Netherland, Ireland, Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Norway, and Sweden.
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Susan Donnelly

Susan Donnelly

Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press
Susan is a native New Englander and second generation American from a large extended family of artists. She spent two years with the Research Services team, working on several large projects, before joining Newbury Street Press.
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Cécile Engeln

Cécile Engeln

Editorial Director
Cécile joined NEHGS with nearly ten years of editorial and project management experience in academic publishing.
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Lindsay Fulton

Lindsay Fulton

Vice President of Research and Library Services
Area of Expertise: State and Federal Censuses, New England, Ireland, and New York research, with a focus on research methodology and organization. Lindsay also oversees the research team working on the 10 Million Names project.
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Zachary Garceau

Zachary Garceau

Researcher
Areas of expertise: Rhode Island, French-Canadian Genealogy and Sports History. He also enjoys working on heraldic and royal research.
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Kate Gilbert

Kate Gilbert

Researcher
Areas of expertise: Ireland, French Canada, and New England
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James Heffernan

James Heffernan

Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press
James Heffernan, Genealogist, has been with American Ancestors/NEHGS since 2015. He is a graduate of Boston College, where he worked in the conservation department at the John J. Burns Library.
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Fitch Henry

Fitch Henry

Digital Archivist
Fitch earned dual B.A.s in History and Education at Rowan University and holds an M.S. in Library and Information Science with a concentration in Information Science and Technology from Simmons College.
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Jonathan Hill

Jonathan Hill

Researcher
Areas of expertise: Military records, New England and southeastern United States records, deeds and property records.
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Henry Hoff

Henry B. Hoff, CG, FASG

Editor of the Register
Henry has been the editor of The New England Historical and Genealogical Register since 2001. Previously he was trustee editor of The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record.
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Pam Guye Holland

Pam Guye Holland

Researcher
Areas of expertise: Irish immigration, Irish records, DNA, church records, German, New York (both city and state), and New England.
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Kyle Hurst

Kyle Hurst

Senior Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press
Kyle holds a B.A. in both History and Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison and a Master’s certificate in Museum Studies from Tufts University.
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Sharon Inglis

Sharon Buzzell Inglis

Vice President of Publishing
In over 35 years in the publishing industry, Sharon has developed, edited, and directed the production of hundreds of books on a wide variety of subjects.
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Chloe Jones

Chloe Jones

Associate Director of Database Content
Chloe earned her B.A. in History at Connecticut College, and holds an M.S. in Library and Information Science with a concentration in archives management from Simmons College.
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Hallie Kirchner

Hallie Kirchner

Genealogist
Areas of expertise: 19th-century America, Germany, New York, New York City, Norway, Italy, westward migration, immigration history, and descendancy research.
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David Allen Lambert

David Allen Lambert

Chief Genealogist
Areas of expertise: New England and Atlantic Canadian records of the 17th through 21st century; American and international military records; DNA research; and Native American and African American genealogical research in New England. 
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Judith Lucey

Judith Lucey

Senior Archivist
Areas of expertise: Irish genealogy, the Atlantic Canadian Provinces of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and New England.
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Kimberly Mannisto

Kimberly Mannisto

Researcher
Areas of expertise: Early Pennsylvania Settlers, Colonial New Jersey, Quaker records, Midwest (Michigan and Ohio), Finnish, DNA, Descendancy research, Scottish and English hereditary peerage titles, and Scottish genealogy.
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Shalley Marshall

Shalley Marshall

Assistant Archivist
Shalley Marshall received a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Russian from Tulane University, and a M.S. in Library and Information Science, with an Archival Management focus, from Simmons University.
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Rhonda R. McClure

Rhonda R. McClure

Senior Genealogist
Areas of expertise: Immigration and naturalization, late 19th and early 20th century urban research, missionaries.
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Melanie McComb

Melanie McComb

Senior Genealogist
Areas of expertise: Irish genealogy, DNA, Atlantic Canada, Jewish genealogy, and military records.
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Ginevra Morse

Ginevra Morse

Vice President for Education and Programming
Ginevra Morse joined the NEHGS staff in 2010 as Publications Coordinator, transitioning to the Education team as Online Education Coordinator in 2013.
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Angela Napolitano

Angela Napolitano

Researcher
Areas of expertise: American genealogy, Ireland, Italy, and DNA.
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Jared Nathan

Jared Nathan

Researcher
Areas of Expertise: Lineage societies, pre-colonial/colonial New England, English immigrant origins, medieval ancestry
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Anjelica Oswald

Anjelica Oswald

Researcher
Areas of expertise: Revolutionary War and Massachusetts records, Spanish fluency
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Todd Pattison

Todd Pattison

Conservator
Todd Pattison, Conservator, works to preserve and care for the collection of books, manuscripts, and fine art.
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Elizabeth Peay

Elizabeth Peay

Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press
Elizabeth studied at the University of Connecticut and Smith College, earning a dual B.A. in History and Classical Studies. Before joining the NEHGS team she worked as a Lead Guide at Roseland Cottage for Historic New England.
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Eileen Curley Pironti

Eileen Curley Pironti

Senior Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press
Eileen graduated with a B.A. from Saint Anselm College, and received an M.S. from American University.
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Peggy Polydoros

Peggy Polydoros

Researcher
Areas of Expertise: Greek ancestry, Greek American organizations, history of the Mediterranean, Orthodox Christianity, early 20th century immigration, and archaeology
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Jean Powers

Jean Powers

Senior Editor
As Senior Editor for American Ancestors magazine and the Weekly Genealogist enewsletter, Jean writes and edits articles, strategizes content, and provides illustrations.
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Danielle Rose

Danielle Rose

Researcher
Areas of interest: Colonial Massachusetts, Revolutionary War veterans, African American history
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Gabrielle Roth

Gabrielle Roth

Collections Management Archivist
Gabrielle is responsible for overseeing the preservation, capture, access, control and promotion of the Center’s archival collections. She is an ACA Certified Archivist. She earned an MS in Information Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.
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Paul Sanborn

Paul Sanborn

Researcher
Areas of Expertise: New England, Ireland, Italy, and Scotland
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Jen Shakshober

Jen Shakshober

Senior Researcher
Areas of expertise: Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont research.
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Meaghan Siekman

Meaghan E.H. Siekman, Ph.D.

Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press
Meaghan holds a PhD in history from Arizona State University where her focus was public history and American Indian history.
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D. Brenton Simons

D. Brenton Simons

President and CEO
As President and CEO since 2005, D. Brenton Simons has overseen a period of extraordinary growth for American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society. It now serves more than 415,000 members in 139 countries and millions of online users.
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Aidan Walsh

Aidan Walsh

Senior Researcher
Areas of Expertise: DNA, New England, Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and Italy
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Alicia Crane Williams

Alicia Crane Williams, FASG

Genealogist
Prior to joining the American Ancestors/NEHGS staff as Lead Genealogist of the Early New England Families Study Project, Alicia compiled and edited numerous important genealogical publications.
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Ryan Woods

Ryan J. Woods

Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
An educator and historian, Ryan Woods is Executive Vice President & COO of American Ancestors/New England Historic Genealogical Society. Since 2006, he has led the development of award-winning experiences for exploring family history, heritage, & culture.
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