Kate Townsend, Genealogist

02/05/2026

I am delighted to be on this list of fellow professionals in the field of genealogy. If you're going to be at RootsTech this year, I would love to see you there!

02/05/2026

Registration starts today for the GRIP Genealogy Institute! I would love to see you all in Pittsburgh in July, in the course that I am co-coordinating, called Surrogates and Substitutes – the 1890 US Census Exemplar.

02/03/2026

Registration for the GRIP Genealogy Institute begins this Thursday, February 5th. I am so excited to be co-coordinating "Surrogates and Substitutes – the 1890 US Census Exemplar," with Cecelia McFadden. The course will be in-person in July 2026 at the University of Pittsburgh. If you want to learn more about the surviving components of the 1890 census, techniques to achieve reasonably exhaustive research, and more about the "Gilded Age" as a whole, this is the course for you!

Visit the post for more.

01/02/2026

The next installment of my lecture series on Blue-Collar Ancestry has been announced at the Heinz History Center. I would love to see you there on March 1, 2026, at 2:00 PM. More details are available here:

Take a deep dive into the Take a deep dive into the lives of your coal miner ancestors. of your steelworker ancestors.

12/17/2025

If you're planning on attending RootsTech next year, I will be presenting a lecture in Salt Lake City on the advanced track entitled: Planning and Organizing Research Findings for Tough Problems.

Kate is a former professional investigator turned genealogist, specializing in Pennsylvania genealogical research. She also has experience with records from Ohio, West Virginia, and New York City, as well as expertise in immigration, naturalization, and court records. Kate owns Family History Invest...

12/14/2025

I am excited that I was chosen as a speaker at the National Genealogical Society Family History Conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana, next year!

I will be presenting a lecture on researching ancestors in state hospitals and asylums, as well as leading a panel discussion on healing intergenerational trauma through genealogy with trauma therapist Angelica Singh and moderated by Cecelia McFadden.

Registration will open in early December. The event schedule below is subject to change at any time. Loading… Powered By Whova Conference management tools Registration will open in early December.

11/14/2025

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Mary S. Biesecker Public Library in Somerset, PA. I shared tips on avoiding common genealogical mistakes by using the Genealogical Proof Standard (while sharing some mistakes I made in my youth).

11/10/2025

I will be at the Fairfax Genealogical Society in person this Saturday, for a workshop: Immigrant Ancestor Roundup. If you live in the area and are curious what records might exist for your immigrant ancestors, I would love to see you there.

https://www.fxgs.org/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=912730&item_id=2689403

09/10/2025

In case you missed it, my lecture, as well as the lightning talks on "Blue Collar Ancestry: Researching Your Steelworker Ancestor," at the Heinz History Center, is now available online!

Take a deep dive into the lives of your steelworker ancestors with the Detre Library & Archives. The first session focused on Western Pennsylvania steelworke...

08/11/2025

I am so excited and proud that the lecture series "Blue Collar Ancestry" that I am involved in at the Heinz History Center was featured in Pittsburgh Magazine. The kick-off lecture, "Tracing Your Steelworker Roots," is tomorrow night at 6:30 PM both in-person and online. A recording will also be available following the lecture.

The Heinz History Center is giving you the opportunity to find out more about your Pittsburgh ancestors, with the first of many workshops in a new genealogy series on blue-collar industries deep in the city’s lineage.

07/17/2025

My last day giving lectures at GRIP Genealogy Institute was today! I had an amazing time connecting with students and faculty this week.

In between my lectures, I stopped by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh to look at a microfilm reel film for a client project. I had to document the fact that I was wearing a dress to do work in an archive (usually I’m not due to dust!).

07/16/2025

I really love my job, and today was no exception! This morning and early afternoon, I was at the Heinz History Center for my class at the GRIP Genealogy Institute. Later this afternoon, I was downtown looking at tax liens and criminal records for a client.