Carolyn’s journey into genealogy began in the reading rooms of Chicago’s Newberry Library. As a child, she went along on her mother’s research trips there and to local history centers, and watched the names on old pages turn into real people. Those early visits offered a lesson that still guides her work: family history isn’t just names and dates. It’s about understanding people in their own places and circumstances.
These days, Carolyn follows two threads in her own research: the paths her German, Italian, and Latvian ancestors took to Chicago and across the Midwest, and the history of flax and wool production in the region’s 19th-century farm communities, a reminder that our ancestors’ daily work shaped their lives as much as any record does.
Carolyn studied history at the University of Chicago, and has completed institute coursework at the Institute for Genealogy and Historical Research, as well as training in German genealogical translation. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, and the Kane County Genealogical Society.
Before turning to genealogy full time, Carolyn spent more than a decade as a certified project manager and technical trainer in local government and technology. Along the way she presented at national technical conferences and served as a house history docent. She went on to found Keystone Histories, a research practice specializing in the Midwest. Her research has covered Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, and Pennsylvania, as well as 19th-century Germany, Italy, and Latvia, with a special focus on immigrants and the ethnic communities they built. She is good at organizing complex projects, explaining findings clearly, and putting ancestors in their local context, which makes her a natural guide for clients.
Carolyn lives in St. Charles, Illinois, and is the mother of four. When she isn’t in the archives, she enjoys knitting, practicing her French, and settling in with a good costume drama.
We’d love to help you with your family history, whether we’re breaking down brick wall mysteries, finding your biological parents, or just starting from scratch finding the stories about your ancestors. Contact us today for a free consultation.
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