Currently accepting clients for...

• Family History Research
• Other Speciality

Mark A. Wentling, MLS, CG, is a full-time professional genealogist, and Owner of Ancestor Introductions, LLC, offering forensic genealogy and professional family history services.  He holds the Certified Genealogist credential from the Board for Certification of Genealogists, of which he is also a current trustee, and has over 25 years of research experience.  He is a university adjunct professor of genealogy and a peer-reviewed, published author in the field of genealogy.

He has specialized in forensic genealogy since 2017, including probate, kinship research and quiet title cases for attorneys, primarily for cases heard in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and Florida, and on military repatriation cases for the U.S. Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.  His casework has involved international research, including in Germany, Slovakia, Peru and the Philippines.

Mark also specializes in New England and New York family history, lighthouse keeper research, and Mayflower and Revolutionary War lineages. His clients include the Newbury Street Press imprint at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston.  His research has been published in its peer-reviewed scholarly journal, The Register, as well as in Mayflower Descendant.  His research has also been awarded by the New York State Legislature and New York State Office of Historic Preservation and is used in the permanent exhibits at Rock Island Lighthouse, Fisher’s Landing, New York.

He is currently Adjunct Professor of Genealogy at the University of New Haven, Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, where he developed and teaches the Genealogy Principles & Methods course as part of the Graduate Certificate in Forensic Genetic Genealogy program.  He taught as a Case Study Instructor in the Fall 2022 Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.  From 2021 to 2022 he served as the Certified Genealogist Mentor for ProGen (Professional Genealogy) Study Group, cohort 56.  In 2018, he served as facilitator for Boston University's "Genealogy Principles" course.

Mark is a current trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists.  He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG). He previously served as Vice President on the founding board of APG's Forensic Genealogy Special Interest Group from 2020 to 2021, and chaired its Nominating Committee for 2022.  He was Vice President of APG's New England Chapter from 2018 to 2020, where he developed and coordinated its Peer Mentoring Program from 2019 to 2021.  From 2017 to 2019, he was the chapter’s delegate to the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium (NERGC) conference planning committee, and led development of new features for the chapter’s outreach that resulted in 30 new member signups at the 2019 conference.  He previously served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Genealogy Educators & Schools (AGES), and is a past chair and current member of its Curriculum Development Committee.

Publications/Media
- "Joseph Brownell (1699-ca.1773) of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and Little Compton, Rhode Island: Corrections to the Identities of His Wives and Children," Mayflower Descendant, 71 (Summer 2023): 132-163. -

- "Who Was Grace Holcom, Wife of Daniel Manley?," The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 174 (Fall 2020): 324-327.

Lectures
"Five Wives & A Feather Bed: Using Indirect & Negative Evidence to Resolve Conflicting Claims," Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 18 May 2022

Repositories
New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, MA
Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records, Dorchester
Massachusetts State Archives, Boston
Boston Public Library, Boston, MA
Mayflower Research Center, Plymouth, MA
Other New England courthouses, libraries and archives as needed

Research Time Periods

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

Honorifics/Credentials
Certified Genealogist (CG®)

Certificates
Certificate in Genealogical Research (Boston University)

Affiliations
Trustee, Board for Certification of Genealogists
Board Member, Association of Professional Genealogists (APG)
Past Board Member, Association of Genealogy Educators & Schools (AGES)

Degrees
Master of Library Science w/Archives concentration, College of Library & Information Science, University of Maryland at College Park