In June 2024, while attending the Daughters of the American Revolution’s 133rd Continental Congress, I was honored to serve as a “Balcony Volunteer” providing genealogy consultation to DAR members. The DAR library is located inside DAR Headquarters, two blocks from the White House in Washington, D.C. and occupies the former auditorium. The name “Balcony Volunteer” references the balcony where we work, behind the iconic DAR Library Clock. It was one of the highlights of my week and I plan on volunteering again next yer.

In February of 2024, I presented an “Introduction to Using Chromosome Browsers in Genetic Genealogy” to the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists DNA Special Interest Group. This presentation reviewed, compared, and contrasted numerous chromosome browsers available on websites from the US, UK, and the Netherlands. Feel free to contact me for more information on this presentation.

As member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, I have authored an online course, manual, worksheet, and checklist to assist DAR members with the supplemental application process for established Patriots. The course and its accompanying material became available to the Piestewa Peak Chapter, NSDAR members in October 2024.

In April 2024, I presented an overview of Ancestry’s Pet DNA along with a case study with dog DNA results in “Breeds, Traits, & Matches: A Look at Ancestry’s Pet DNA Testing” at the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists DNA Special Interest Group. For more information on this presentation, please contact me.

I have recently completed an exciting project utilizing chromosome browsers to analyze three generations of DNA testing to create a lineage tree for eye color inheritance within a family. The process and results were presented at the Massachusetts Society of Genealogists (MSOG) DNA Special Interest Group in February 2024. If you want to join MSOG to learn and share with other genealogists of all levels, click the link below. For more information on the eye color inheritance project, please get in touch with me.

I was recently invited to join The National Society Colonial Games XVII Century, a women’s lineage based service organization whose goals include historic site preservation, veteran support, and scholarship. To join, your direct ancestor must have lived and served prior to 1701 in one of the thirteen Original Colonies. I will be joining under my 10th great-grandfather, Pilgrim Francis Cooke’s service as a signer of the Mayflower Compact and am busy preparing documentation of the thirteen generations back to him!

Discover the story of Albert Clement Carr, my third great-grandfather. Known as the Apple King of Maine, his success in the gold rush led to a lucrative apple export business in the late 1800’s. His interesting life also included success in the dairy business and public office. This brief biography was prepared for the author of an upcoming book on the history of apple farming in Winthrop, Maine.

A recent proof argument writing project uncovered the story of Fred Jackson, my great-grandfather, and an 1898 gold rush scandal. While the proof itself was easy, the story behind the scandal was far more interesting!

Pilgrim Francis Cooke, my tenth great-grandfather, arrived on the Mayflower in 1620. He was also a signer of the Mayflower Compact and surveyed many of the original roads established in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Direct descendants of my grandfather, Arthur Whitten, are eligible to join the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, an organization that pays homage to the Pilgrims through preservation and education. Feel free to contact me to discuss the process. A brief summary of Francis Cooke’s life is available at the Mayflower Society by clicking the link below.

I am sharing sections of a three-generation sketch starting with my great-grandfather, John Power, who immigrated from Ireland in the early 1900’s. He settled in Wakefield, Massachusetts where his descendants have lived for over 100 years and five generations. I hope to publish each descendant’s story together as one article this year.

I recently had the pleasure to travel out to the Piestewa Peak Arizona DAR Chapter and give a presentation and workshop on completing DAR supplemental applications. It was an amazing day educating and working with members on proving additional Revolutionary War Patriots in their famlies.