Currently accepting clients for...

• Family History Research
• Speaking / Presenting
• Other Speciality

Genealogy is my passion! I love building family trees to find ancestral ties as well as living cousins. With over 27 years experience in researching trees, I have developed the skills to find the living as well as the dead, as well as using documents, newspapers, census records, and historical context to help understand the lives of those I'm researching. 

Experience

• Created, produced, wrote, and hosted a genealogy-based podcast, Murderous Roots.The podcast explored the family trees of notorious killers.
• Teaching genealogy at a local community college
• Limited heir research for a law firm in Florida
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Specialities

• Census records
• Newspaper research
• Descendant research
• Online research
• Applying historical context to findings.
• Currently researching and writing a book about Walter Davis (1733-1803) and his descendants 

Geographic Specialities
Multiple locations in the United States; Some limited experience with records in the UK and Germany

Testimonials
"Denise is an incredible genealogist! I came to her wanting to find out more about the origins of my family, with very little information to go on since I don't know much but Denise was able to wade through and piece together a long and detailed family history backed up by actual records and other primary sources. And she didn't just give me a list of names and dates--she found detailed accounts of these peoples’ lives, making them more real for me. Thanks to her diligence and thoroughness, I now have an accurate picture of how my family came into being." -R. Berglund

Lectures
Where Do I Begin: Introduction to Genealogy
Using Census and Vital Records to Furthur Your Resarch
Creating Family Stories and More through Newspaper Research
Immigration & Naturalization Records that Will Help You Find Your Origins

Repositories
Ancestry.com
Missouri State Archives (online)
amilySearch.org
Illinois State Archives
Local libraries
Illinois County Courthouses (outside of Cook County)
Willing to call and request probate records nationwide

Research Time Periods

• 21st Century
• 20th Century
• 19th Century
• 18th Century
• 17th Century

Languages
English

Affiliations
Association of Professional Genealogists
Missouri State Genealogy Society
 

Degrees
B.A. Psychology with a minor in History
M.A. Research Psychology