“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” – Zora Neale Hurston
Research & Records
This page is in progress.
Digital Equity
I believe history is most valuable when it’s accessible and enduring. In the modern era, that often takes shape in online archiving. That belief guides how I share my research work; I regularly upload documentation to Find a Grave, one of the most widely used (and free) platforms for cemetery and genealogical research. I also often cross-post findings to custom trees on Ancestry.com.
Through these contributions, I aim to make information about past community members more visible and usable for current and future generations. My goal is to make these records and resources easier to find, easier to use, and available to anyone, whether they’re an experienced researcher, a local history buff, or just trying to find out about their family.
You can explore my Find a Grave profile and contributions below.
Contextual Research
Each burial site represents more than an individual; it reflects a network of relationships, history, and community. My research process is designed to uncover that broader context.
I conduct detailed research into the lives of those buried within a cemetery using a combination of historical records, genealogical sources, local archives, books, and on-site investigation and observations. This often includes census data, death records, newspaper archives, family connections, and burial patterns/plot layouts within the cemetery itself.
By building a more complete picture of an individual and their family, it often becomes possible to identify relationships between nearby graves, uncover unmarked or misidentified burials, and better understand the historical structure of the cemetery as a whole. This approach allows preservation work to be informed not just by the physical condition of a monument, but by the story it represents.