KB Barcomb
- Speaking / Presenting
- Military
- Available for in-person events
- Available for virtual events
KB Barcomb bridges the complexities of military history with the personal nuances of family history. Her focus is on understanding the chronology and context of military records, so as to more accurately interpret and analyze their content. She is a retired Army officer with over 20 years of active duty service and a member of the Society for Military History.
Sub-specialties are African American personnel of WWI and WW2; WW2 Army Air Forces (aka Air Corps) personnel; and WWI Army unit records. She also has a working familiarity with WWI- and WW2-era Federal Agencies and their records.
KB takes clients, by exception.
Those with general questions regarding nuances and details found in WWI/WW2 records are welcome to submit them to the military records & research discussion group she facilitates for the Kinseekers Genealogical Society (kinseekers.org). This relaxed and user-friendly forum is free and open to everyone.
KB is the course coordinator of Advanced US Military Records & Research: World War I for the Applied Genealogy Institute, course co-coordinator of Advance Family History Research: 1917-1930 for the GRIP Genealogy Institute, and is also an instructor for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.
African American (Black) Military (WWI & WWII) Research
Not available for additional speaking engagements until July 2025.
KB provides presentations, workshops, and seminars on a wide variety of WWI and WW2 topics. She can also develop programs tailored to the specific needs of the requesting organization and its members. Below is a sampling of formats & topics.
- 2-hour Workshop: Understanding, Correlating, & Analyzing World War One Records
- 2 hour Workshop: Understanding, Correlating, & Analyzing WWI Records of African American Doughboys
- 4-part Seminar: Tracing Your Doughboy from Registration to Return (Can be tailored to address the nuances of African American WWI research)
- 2-hour Seminar: WW2 Through the Lens of Family History (currently not available)
- 2 or 4-hr Advanced Workshop: Using Military Resources to Expand Your WWI & WW2 Research (focuses on US Military websites and publications)
- Military Brickwall Session (1.5-2h): Discussion of questions and brickwalls submitted by attendees prior to event. Demonstrates research methods.
PROGRAMS (1-hour)
WORLD WAR II
- WWII Records & Resources Available Online
- WW2 Research Strategies & Methods (with case study examples)
- Researching Black WW2 Ancestors (addresses specific context and nuances)
- Tracing Your WW2 Military Ancestors Across Multiple Locations and Units
- Shades of Danger: A Case Study of Three Brothers in World War 2
- WW2 Army Final Pay Vouchers: A Potential Wealth of Information
- Researching Your Army Air Forces (aka Air Corps) Ancestor
- Researching the American POW/Internee Experience in Europe
- Researching the American POW Experience in the Pacific and China-Burma-India
WORLD WAR I (sample programs)
- Tracing Your Doughboy Online: WWI Muster Rolls, Rosters, and Morning Reports
- WWI Research Strategies & Methods (with case study examples)
- WWI Through the Lens of Family History
- Researching WWI Ancestors Online
- Researching African American WWI Ancestors Online (addresses specific context and nuances)
- VA Master Index Cards: Valuable Clues to Your Ancestors' WWI & Post-War Experience
- Uncle Sam Says: The Selective Service Laws and Processes that Impacted Your WWI Ancestor
- Men & Women of the YMCA and How They Impacted WWI
NON-MILITARY
- Going Broke in the 1800s: Financial Panics and How They Impacted Our Ancestors
- Leveraging the Internet Archive for Family History Research (revised)
- Air Force Historical Research Agency
- National Archives II (College Park MD)
- National Archive Regional - Atlanta GA
- U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center
- 20th Century
Russian (Intermediate)
Society for Military History (SMH)
Association of Professional Genealogists
Alabama Historical Association