May Meeting Guest Speaker Details

Please join us for a virtual session via Zoom on 05 May 2020 at 10:00 a.m. An invitation will be sent to all CPGC members via email before the meeting.

From the Past to the Present: Forensic Genealogy in Practice

Summary

Forensic genealogy offers multiple career paths for the twenty-first century professional. The common element involves creating a bridge from people in the past to their present-day living relatives. Explore your potential role among the varied opportunities forensic genealogy offers, including research for probate, real estate, mineral rights, immigration, unknown parentage, law enforcement, military repatriation, and other types of cases. This session will address the following questions: Who are your prospective clients? What skills do you need? Where can you advance your education in the growing field? How can you get started?

Speaker bio:

Catherine Becker Wiest Desmarais, CG, is a full-time professional genealogist and the owner of Stone House Historical Research. She and her experienced team of researchers undertake forensic genealogy research to assist US Army repatriation efforts and to locate heirs in legal matters involving probate and property title issues.

Certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists since 2011, Catherine also holds a master’s degree in Education from the University of Vermont. She teaches at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), the Association of Professional Genealogists Professional Management Conference, the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference, the New England Genealogical Consortium and local venues. She has served as the vice-president of the Association of Professional Genealogists (2014-2017) and is a past board member and Mentor Program Coordinator for the Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy (CAFG). Catherine’s writing has been published in the National Genealogical Society QuarterlyCrossroads, and the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly.