Meet Our Experts

Areas of Expertise: Colonial New England, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, Ireland.

Lynn Betlock is Managing Editor of American Ancestors, a quarterly member magazine that blends popular content with high-quality scholarship.

Christine Bachman-Sanders is a researcher in the Research & Library Services Department.

Robert is the editor of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the nation’s premier genealogical journal.

Areas of Expertise: Ireland, Midwestern/Western states

Areas of Expertise: African American genealogy, Oklahoma and Freedmen of the Five Tribes, Mississippi, and generational Americans with enslaved and/or enslaver ancestors.

Peggy Carpenter Genealogist has a B.A. in Family History from Brigham Young University. 

Zobeida leads the volunteer program for Database Services and assists with creating and improving the database offerings on the American Ancestors website.

Chris Child has worked for various departments at American Ancestors since 1997 and became a full-time employee in July 2003. He has been a member of American Ancestors since the age of eleven.

Sarah Dery has been with American Ancestors since 2017, working closely with the Chief of Research.

Curt is American Ancestor’s Curator of Fine Art. As part of the Education team, he curates American Ancestors' large art collection, lectures around the world, and hosts the celebrated American Ancestors Art & Architecture webinar series.

Sheilagh Doerfler joined American Ancestors in 2013 as a member of the Research and Library Services team.

Cécile joined American Ancestors with nearly ten years of editorial and project management experience in academic publishing.

Zack has been a member of the research services team since 2014.

Area of Expertise: State and Federal Censuses, New England, Ireland, and New York research, with a focus on research methodology and organization. Lindsay also oversees the research team working on the 10 Million Names project.

Kate Gilbert has been a member of the Research Services team since 2023. She holds a BA in History from the University of New England, as well as a Master's Certificate in Museum Studies from Tufts University.

Areas of Expertise: Colonial-era New England, Jewish history, lineage societies in the United States, and archival standards.

James writes family histories for our Newbury Street Press imprint.

Fitch oversees the expansion, management, and preservation of our Digital Collections within the American Ancestors Special Collections.

Areas of Expertise: Irish immigration, Irish records, DNA, church records, German, New York (both city and state), and New England.

As a member of the Learning & Interpretation team, Kyle researches and writes family histories.

Sharon leads a team of ten who write and publish our two journals—the New England Historical and Genealogical Register and Mayflower Descendant—as well as up to twenty print publications per year.

Areas of Expertise: 19th-century America, Germany, New York, New York City, Norway, Italy, westward migration, immigration history, and descendancy research.

Areas of expertise: New England and Atlantic Canadian records of the 17th through 21st century; American and international military records; DNA research; and Native American and African American genealogical research in New England. 

Areas of Expertise: Irish genealogy, the Atlantic Canadian Provinces of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and New England.

Kimberly Mannisto joined American Ancestors as a researcher on the Research & Library Services team in 2021.

Shalley Marshall received a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Russian from Tulane University, and a M.S. in Library and Information Science, with an Archival Management focus, from Simmons University.

Ginevra Morse joined the American Ancestors staff in 2010 as Publications Coordinator, transitioning to the Education team as Online Education Coordinator in 2013.

Areas of Expertise: American genealogy, Ireland, Italy, and DNA.

Anjelica is a senior researcher on the 10 Million Names team.

Todd Pattison, Conservator, works to preserve and care for the collection of books, manuscripts, and fine art.

Elizabeth studied at the University of Connecticut and Smith College, earning a dual B.A. in History and Classical Studies. Before joining the American Ancestors team she worked as a Lead Guide at Roseland Cottage for Historic New England.

Eileen writes family histories as part of the Learning & Interpretation team. She has authored several books, written articles for American Ancestors magazine, and contributes to the Vita Brevis blog.

Peggy Polydoros is a Researcher in the Research & Library Services Department.

As Senior Editor for American Ancestors magazine and the Weekly Genealogist enewsletter, Jean writes and edits articles, strategizes content, and provides illustrations.

Danielle Rose oversees the many dedicated volunteers who assist with creating database content for the 10 Million Names Project.

Gabrielle is responsible for overseeing the preservation, capture, access, control and promotion of the Center’s archival collections. She is an ACA Certified Archivist. She earned an MS in Information Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

Paul is part of our Research Services team working on research cases as well as lineage cases for lineage society applications.

Areas of Expertise: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.

Meaghan joined the American Ancestors staff in 2013 as a Researcher before moving to the Publications team in 2018 where she is currently a Senior Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press.

Author of the award-winning Witches, Rakes, and Rogues, and other books, Brenton Simons has served as President and CEO of American Ancestors - New England Historic Genealogical Society, the nation’s flagship genealogical institution, since 2005.

Areas of Expertise: DNA, New England, Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and Italy

Prior to joining the American Ancestors staff as Lead Genealogist of the Early New England Families Study Project, Alicia compiled and edited numerous important genealogical publications.

Areas of Expertise: African Americans, Enslaved Africans, Colonial America, Revolutionary War, and New England

An educator and historian, Ryan Woods is President & CEO of American Ancestors. For nearly two decades, he has led the development of award-winning experiences for exploring family history, heritage, & culture.