Amy became fascinated with family history research in 2014 when, as a stay-at-home mom, she dug into online records about her family’s origins as her newborn son slept each night. She believed her family was unexceptional; she would simply find names and places to insert in her tree. Boy was she wrong! Twelve Mayflower ancestors, one graduate from the first class at Harvard in 1642, and one Battle of Bunker Hill hero later, Amy realized the power of genealogical research to unearth forgotten family stories and help build on one’s sense of identity.
Education and Training
Amy earned her Bachelor of Arts in the History of Science from Harvard University in 1995. She also completed a Master’s degree in American History at Brandeis University in 2008. Her master’s thesis focused on the history of medical social work in the United States and entailed the study of individual patient and census records between 1905 and 1955 to demonstrate how social workers and doctors worked with their clients, particularly regarding tuberculosis treatment and infection containment. Amy also has earned her Certificate in Genealogical Studies from Boston University.
Specialties
Amy specializes in North American research, including pre- and post-Colonial New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and the Midwest states. She also has done considerable work in Germanic, Scandinavian, and British Genealogy. She especially enjoys using probate, pension, and parish records to locate clues about elusive ancestors.
Experience
Amy joined Legacy Tree Genealogists in 2024 and is an Editor on the Editing Team. She has worn a variety of work hats, especially ones related to history. Her first role was as a researcher and exhibit writer for a museum exhibit design firm. One of the museums she helped design is the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum in Jamestown, NY. Later, Amy worked as an editor in scientific publishing, after which she pursued her Master’s degree and worked on Boston’s Innovation Trail, a tour that focuses on the history of technological, medical, and other forms of innovation in Greater Boston from the colonial period through the present (https://www.theinnovationtrail.org/). Following a very different 15 years working in psychiatric rehabilitation, Amy has returned to her passion for history and genealogy. She has been doing family history research for over 10 years and ran a freelance genealogy business prior to joining Legacy Tree.
Amy lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her 10-year-old son Andy. Her other son, Jalen, is a college student at UMass-Boston. Amy is a proud hockey mom of 15 years. When not at an ice rink, she can be found enjoying nature photography, knitting, reading historical fiction, or, of course, pursuing the brick walls in her own family tree.
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