About

I grew up in downstate Illinois and have worked in Chicago and lived in La Porte County, Indiana, for upwards of 20 years. Six of my eight great-grandparents lived in Chicago at various times between 1860 and 1936.

I enjoy family, writing, research, history, logical puzzles, and getting out and seeing the countryside (and the insides of courthouses!). Genealogy combines all these things, and there’s no end to what you can learn. I’m also happy to be part of the movement to improve professional genealogical standards — in other words, to do things right.

My wife’s and my grandparental surnames are Burdick, Bassett, Boren, Scholes, Schriber, Thrall, Boring/Andersson, and Henderson. Oh yes — my genealogy blog is over at

Midwestern Microhistory.