Currently accepting clients for...

• Family History Research
• Speaking / Presenting

kbarnes@hsp.org 

Katy is the Director of Genealogical Programs and Services at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. She earned a B.A. in Family History and Genealogy and has spent over a decade in the professional genealogy world as a client researcher and speaker.

From 2014 to 2022, Katy worked a Senior Researcher and Editor at Legacy Tree Genealogists, where she completed over 100 research projects and performed peer review on hundreds more. These days at HSP, Katy's regular responsibilities include conducting client research as well as providing personal genealogy consultations for patrons, assisting with HSP's digitization initiatives, and coordinating public events such as genealogy webinars and workshops.

In her free time, Katy enjoys music, being outdoors, good food, travel, and spending time at the (Jersey) Shore. She lives in Philadelphia.

***Katy is able to accept genealogy research clients as an employee of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. HSP requires a 25-hour minimum and projects start at $2,500. For more information, visit https://portal.hsp.org/past-made-personal or email Katy at kbarnes@hsp.org.***

Geographic Specialities

• Continental United States, 1700s-present, with emphasis on:
  • Pennsylvania and the broader Mid-Atlantic region
    • Pennsylvania Germans
  • Midwest
  • South
  • Urban areas, especially
    • Philadelphia
    • New York City
    • Baltimore
    • Chicago
• UK and British Commonwealth countries
• Immigration from
  • Latin America (especially Mexico)
  • Ireland
  • Germany
  • Italy

Publications/Media

• Appearance on the Tamron Hall Show, 2 May 2024: clip 1 and clip 2
• Genealogy research into Philadelphia city councilman Isaiah Thomas, February 2023: HSP hosts Councilmember Isaiah Thomas for Genealogical Consultation

Lectures
A selection of lectures on offer:

• "Three Countries, Three Surnames: a Father for Walter G. Swan of Cleveland, Ohio"
• "The Bodenhorn Origins: Finding my Hessian Ancestor"
• "Super-Sleuth Strategies for Finding the Original Records"
• "Children's Aid: Nineteenth-Century Social Services in Pennsylvania"
• "Through the Back Door: Using Indirect Evidence to Identify Parents"
• "Hidden in Plain Sight: Using Image-Only Collections Online"
• "Spanish Language Records for Non-Spanish Speakers"

Please contact Katy for other topics or custom presentations. She speaks at conferences and to local genealogy groups and societies.

Repositories
Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Research Time Periods

• 20th Century
• 19th Century
• 18th Century

Affiliations

• Mid-Atlantic Chapter APG
• Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
• Questers (Philadelphia chapter)

Degrees
B.A. (Family History & Genealogy)