About

Kate Townsend, CG®

Kate is a former professional investigator turned genealogist specializing in Pennsylvania, and Ohio genealogical research. She also has experience with court records, immigration, and naturalization records. Kate is the owner of Family History Investigations LLC. She is also the Immediate Past Chair of the National Genealogical Society Delegate Council.

Kate has spoken at national and local genealogical societies, libraries, and conferences, including the National Genealogical Society Family History Conference, New England Regional Genealogical Consortium, Ohio Genealogical Society Conference, and RootsTech.

Kate completed Boston University's Certificate in Genealogical Research in May 2020. Since then, she has completed continuing education at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). She is a graduate of ProGen 58. Kate holds the Certified Genealogist® credential.

Although Kate has been working on her own family history since she was sixteen, her interest in investigating and researching on a professional level was piqued when she served as an Archives Technician at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) while completing her undergraduate studies. She worked as a resource for amateur and professional genealogical researchers, alike, assisting them in conducting database and archives records research. Additionally, she gained experience with primary source documents in her first position with NARA, where she worked in the holdings maintenance department preserving and cataloging records dating back to the 1800s.