Currently accepting clients for...

• Family History Research
• Speaking / Presenting

Lori Thornton is a full-time librarian and part-time genealogist, specializing in Southern and Midwestern States research. As a seminary graduate, church records are another interest. My job limits my research availability  but breaks and summer provide some opportunity for client work. I wrote Research in Mississippi for NGS' Research in the States series. I speak for societies, libraries, and confererences in both in-person and online environments.

Geographic Specialities
Southern States and Midwestern States

Publications/Media
Research in Mississippi (NGS Research in the States Series)

Lectures
This lecture list includes a few needing updates and a few under development. Please contact me if you are interesting in one of these lectures for your in-person or virtual event.

Records (Print & Online)
Census Research: The Population Censuses, Slave Schedules, and So Much More
Cousin Harry's Tree Adventure and Other Newspaper Discoveries
Deed Books: Land Records and More
Exploring Your Ancestor's World with Maps
Left Behind: Wills & Probate for the Family Historian
National Youth Administration (NYA): The New Deal for Young People
Rendering Unto Caesar: Taxation Records
​Resources and Repositories for Southern Research: Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina
Tennessee Valley Authority and Its Records


Technology
Branching Out: Online Family Trees
Social Media for Genealogists

State & Regional
Alabama Ancestral Sources
Appalachian Research from the Comfort of Home
Cumberland Gap and the Wilderness Road
Deep South Roots: Alabama and Mississippi Ancestors
Finding Ancestors in the Great Smoky Mountains
Kentucky Research from the Comfort of Home
Mississippi Roots: Finding Your Magnolia State Ancestors
North Carolina Research from the Comfort of Home
Ohio Research from the Comfort of Home
Southeastern States Research from the Comfort of Home
Tennessee Research from the Comfort of Home

Religious Records
Baptist Ancestors in Tennessee and the Carolinas
Christians Only: Researching Christian Churches and Churches of Christ Ancestors
Finding Family in Religious Newspapers and Periodicals
Plain and Fancy: The Amish, Their Migrations, and Their Records
Preserving Church Records & Church History
Religious Records in the Bible Belt
Researching Your Ancestor's Church
Researching Your Tennessee Baptist Ancestor
​Shepherding the Flock: Building a Clergy Profile

Writing
Hand in Hand: Research & Writing
Righting Your Wrongs through Writing
Telling Your Ancestral Story

Occupations
Digging Up the Dirt on Your Farmer
Grinding Out a Living: Millers & Millwrights
Little School on the Prairie: 19th Century Frontier Teaching
Shepherding the Flock: Building a Clergy Profile

DNA
The Benefits and Cautions of Using DNA in Genealogical Research
Descendant Research: Finding DNA Matches and Other Contemporary Cousins
Working with Your Ancestry DNA Results

Introduction to Genealogy (2-part)
Warning! Family History Can Be Addictive
Digging a Little Deeper in the Family Tree

Repositories
Federal Depository Libraries and Your Genealogical Research
Resources and Repositories for Southern Research: Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina
University Libraries and Your Genealogical Research
Using Special Collections and Archives in Your Genealogical Research

Miscellaneous
Check Up Time: Reviewing and Updating Old Research
Community and Family Cookbooks: Treasured Tastes of Social History
Creating Locality-Specific Research Guides
Research Guides: A Key to More Exhaustive Research
With Needle & Thread: Women's Stories Told

For Librarians
Assisting the Genealogical Researcher
Bringing Order to Small Genealogical & Historical Society Libraries
Building a Local Genealogy and History Collection
Preserving Church Records & Church History

 

Repositories
Calvin M. McClung Collection, Knoxville, Tennessee; Tennessee State Library & Archives; Mississippi Department of Archives & History; County courthouses and county archives; other state and local repositories as needed.

Research Time Periods

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

Honorifics/Credentials
MLIS

Affiliations
National Genealogical Society; North Carolina Genealogical Society (Director, 2020-2024); Ohio Genealogical Society; Tennessee Genealogical Society; Texas State Genealogical Society; Association of Christian Librarians

Degrees
MLIS (University of Kentucky
MRE (Cincinnati Bible Seminary)