Carol Prescott McCoy
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- Business Name
- Find-Your-Roots.com
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- Non-Research Specialties
- Author/Writer
- Instructor
- Lecturer/Presenter - On-site
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- Research Specialties
- African American
- Civil War
- Colonial
- Emigration & Immigration
- German American
- Irish American
- Jewish
- Land Platting
- Loyalists
- Scots-Irish
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- Research Time Periods
- 18th Century
- 19th Century
- 20th Century
Dr. Carol P. McCoy has been tracing her family history for over forty years and helping others discover their roots for over twenty years. She enjoys giving presentations on genealogy as well as coaching and training others on how to do the research themselves. Carol is past president of the Maine Genealogical Society (MGS) (2018-19) and the Greater Portland Chapter (GPC) of MGS (2008-2009). She served on the MGS Board of Directors for 7 years. She transcribed the Vital Records of Durham, Maine (MGS, 2018.) She has authored several articles on genealogy for The Maine Genealogist and for Maine Families in 1790, the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, and the Essex County Genealogist. She co-authored a book on the Small and Metcalf families with Peter Small and Maureen Taylor.
Currently, she is writing the history of her 3rd great grandfather John McCoy (1751-1816) from Tyrone County Ireland to West Virginia and Beyond. She has traced 18th and 19th families in North America, particularly in the Northeast, especially Maine, Massachusetts, and New York and in West Virginia. She uses a variety of sources including online databases, traditional sources, and a wide network of personal contacts. Her concern is to help build a well-documented and well-rounded picture of a family in the context of their community.
As a professional management consultant she has spoken to large audiences throughout the US. She offers presentations on genealogy especially using deeds, tax records, probate records, census records, doing research in Maine and New England and solving complex genealogy problems.. She has spoken for many years at the New England Regional Genealogical Consortium (NERGC) conferences; she also taught genealogy workshops at the USM Center for Continuing Education.
A member of the National Genealogical Society, she completed their core genealogy home study program. She has taken several programs on Irish genealogy including GRIP Irish Genealogy I & II with David Rencher and Rick Sayre.
She grew up in Bronxville, N.Y and received her A.B. from Connecticut College. She earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in psychology from Rutgers University.
She worked as a management development consultant for Chase Manhattan Bank in NYC and came to Maine in 1991. Prior to starting her own business (McCoy Training) in 1999, Carol worked as a training director for UNUM in Portland, Maine. She is a life coach, and also conducts workshops on genealogy and on training.
She started her own genealogy business (Find-Your-Roots.com) in 2001 and now devotes almost all her time to writing her family history on the McCoys and to giving presentations on genealogy.
Services
Coaching on family history and genealogy
Conducting workshops and presentations on genealogy and family history
Helping genealogists and historians improve their skills in giving presentations
Geographic Specialties
ME, MA, NY, New England, Mid-Atlantic, Boston, New York City, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia
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- Degrees
- A.B., Connecticut College, New London, CT. (Psychology), M.S., Rutgers University (Psychology), Ph.D. Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ (Psychology)
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- Languages
- English, NYC Municipal Archives
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- Repositories
- Boston Public Library,Connecticut State Library,Maine Historical Society,Maine State Archives,Maine State Library,NARA New England Region,New England Historic Genealogical Society,New York City Municipal Archives,New York State Archives,Rhode Island Historical Society
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- Testimonials
- Carol McCoy helped me discover my father's family. Her ability to uncover clues is remarkable. She put together a wonderful family history and found cousins I never knew about. Carol has a passion for genealogy. She is a professional, discerning, intuitive and persistent. (Sue Leonard, ME)
Carol McCoy traveled many miles to research my 19th century ancestors. She uncovered new information. I found her to be professional, thorough, and exceptionally well-organized. (Charles Preble, VA)
Thank you for helping me break through a brick wall. Your enthusiasm and immediate attention are much appreciated. Your efforts were handled in a professional manner. You thoroughly outlined next steps. I highly recommend your services. (Peter Higgins, ME)
Dr. McCoy untangled many complicated situations to discover my ancestors. She is a true professional who does excellent, thorough and accurate work. (Jim Allen, ME)
I hired Carol McCoy to find out about my NY ancestors. Carol was the best we could have had! We now have authenticated records of the family's early history. Working with her is fun. She is an enthusiastic and professional researcher who provides complete documentation. (Ann Harden Babcock, McConnellsville, NY)
I contracted Dr Carol McCoy to research my family History in Maine. Carol proved to be an efficient and reliable source of documents relating to my family. I recommend Carol to anyone who wants someone who gets right to the source. (Dr. David Crockett, Australia)
Your talk was a lot of fun and very informative. Your enthusiasm is contagious! You can really tell you thoroughly enjoy what you do. Thanks again for a wonderful afternoon! (Mary Anderson, Limerick Historical Society)
Carol McCoy is a dynamic speaker whose enthusiasm in genealogical research is readily apparent and contagious. Carol's delivery of material, no matter its complexity, is well-grounded and straightforward. Her presentations are easy to relate to because she makes extensive use of real-life examples. I would sum up the experience as "Exciting and Motivating!" (Dale Mower, President, Maine Genealogical Society)
I really enjoyed your talks. You are so enthusiastic! Just makes one want to go home and get started on new things. I appreciate that you think 'outside of the box' and talk about the less used sources. You make it clear that good research takes a lot of work. (Janice Gower, MGS Executive Committee)
Carol is very knowledgeable. She brings her passion and sense of humor to every class. I got great tips on how to get started, and am more focused now.(Cindy Legassie)
Thank you for your genealogy class. You guided me toward the appropriate tools and infused my research with an energy that I had not felt before. (Debbie Goss)
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- Lectures
- Making the Most of Census Research. Learn tips and tactics to make the most of your census research. Avoid common pitfalls and use a variety of censuses. Get beyond the census indexes and broaden your focus beyond a specific relative to get the whole story.
Finding Your Family Roots in New EnglandSound Strategies for Genealogical Research. Learn tips and tactics for locating your ancestors with New England roots. Find ways to maximize traditional resources, historical societies, family mementos, and the internet to learn about your family heritage.
Enriching Genealogy with Memorabilia and Pictures. Pictures are indeed worth a thousand words. Find out types of memorabilia that can enrich your family history and become inspired to locate them!
Tracing Your AncestorsGetting Started. This talk presents the fundamentals of genealogy and family research to help people get started on a solid foundation. Learn how to unravel family mysteries and avoid common pitfalls.
Creative Ways to Solve Genealogical Problems. Have you hit the proverbial brick wall or road block in your genealogical research? Learn some solid strategies and ways to take a fresh look at what youve tried and what else you can do to find those pesky hidden ancestors.
Finding Your RootsUnpuzzling Your Past. A six-session workshop series. This fun and inspiring workshop will help you to learn sound techniques for tracing your family genealogy and history. This class will teach you ways to track down your ancestors, learn more about their lives, and create a meaningful family history.
The Maine-Canada-Ireland Connection Seeking Rogers Roots. An intriguing and entertaining case study shows how we discovered the Canadian and Irish roots of the Rogers family who lived in Brewer Maine in 1850. Learn how US and Canadian census, land, probate, historical, cemetery, and newspaper records as well as archival material, online sites and databases and internet contacts can bring a complex family history to life.
Finding Treasures in Cumberland County Maine DeedsWhy Use Deeds in Your Research? Deeds are a valuable research tool especially when early probate records have been destroyed. Carved from York in 1760, early Cumberland County covers areas which later became other counties. This lecture will clarify ways to use deeds effectively and inspire people to use them to discover critical information.
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- Publications
- I dont have any formal genealogy publications, however, I have published several books and articles relating to training and development.
Becoming a One-Person Consulting Firm chapter in In Action: Building a Successful Consulting Practice by Jack J. Phillips, Ed., (VA: ASTD, 2002)
Managing a Small HRD (Human Resource Development) Department: You Can Do More Than You Think, (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1989)
Editor of and contributor to In Action: Managing the Small Training Staff, (VA: ASTD, 1999)
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- Affiliations
- National Genealogical Association
New York Genealogical and Biographical Society
New England Historic Genealogical Society
Maine Historical Society
Maine Genealogical Society, and president of the Greater Portland Chapter of the MGS
Bennington (Vermont) Historical Society
Tyler County (West Virginia) Heritage and Historical Society
Marion County (West Virginia) Genealogy Club
Connecticut Society of Genealogists
New London (Connecticut) Historical Society
Rhode Island Historical Society
Rhode Island Genealogical Society
Jewishgen.org.
Contact
- Website: www.find-your-roots.com
Work Contact
| Phone: | (207) 373-0318 |
| Email: | cmccoy3333@aol.com |
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| State/Province: | Maine |
| Country: | United States |
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