Gary Ball-Kilbourne, CG®
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- Business Name
- Prairie Genealogy
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- Non-Research Specialties
- Author/Writer
- Editor
- Instructor
- Lecturer/Presenter - On-site
- Lecturer/Presenter - Virtual
- Transcriber
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- Research Specialties
- German American
- Lineage Societies
- Methodist
- Migration
- Scandinavian American
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- Research Counties
- Cass County, North Dakota, United States
- Clay County, Minnesota, United States
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- Research Provinces / States
- Connecticut, United States
- District of Columbia, United States
- Iowa, United States
- Maryland, United States
- Minnesota, United States
- Montana, United States
- Nebraska, United States
- North Dakota, United States
- South Dakota, United States
- Wisconsin, United States
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- Research Time Periods
- 17th Century
- 18th Century
- 19th Century
- 20th Century
I began researching my own genealogy as a hobby over forty years ago. After a career as a pastor and a senior editor, I started Prairie Genealogy to help persons find their family root especially in but not limited to the Northern Plains. My personal family stories have led me to develop research expertise in Maryland, Connecticut, and Germany.
Services
I offer a wide range of genealogical services for a variety of types of clients: start to finish projects for persons wanting full-scale family history research; consultations, evidence evaluation, coaching, help with brick walls, document pulls, and research projects for hobbyists and professionals desiring assistance; local research, editing of writing projects, assistance with evidence evaluation and proof construction for genealogists and other related professionals; lectures, seminars, and courses developed and presented with slides and handouts for societies, conferences, and other educational settings.
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- Degrees
- Ph.D, M.A., M.Div., B.A.
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- Repositories
- Institute for Regional Studies (North Dakota State University), North Dakota State Archives, Bismarck, Red River Valley Genealogical Society Library (eastern ND & western MN)
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- Testimonials
- "Dr. Gary Ball-Kilbourne greatly exceeded my expectations. I had one primary question. Dr. Ball-Kilbourne went back five generations and revealed much family history of which we were unaware. He produced a 30-page report with scans of many original documents. Reading my grandfather's obituary and death certificate was an emotionally moving experience. Inexplicably, this report connected me to my family history in a more meaningful way than I could have possibly imagined." --D.H.C.
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- Lectures
- "Researching Religiously in the District of Columbia (2023 SLIG); "Cemetery Research in the District of Columbia (2023 SLIG); "Peeling the Onion: Digging Down to the Original Sources" (2022 Reisinger Lecture); "Redeeming Heirlooms and Finding Genealogical Artifacts Online" (2017 North Star Genealogical Conference)
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- Publications
- "Who Was the Mother of Samuel Kilbourn of Hartford County, Connecticut, and Baltimore City, Maryland?," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, 108 (December 2020): 263-276.
"Confirming the Parentage of Samuel Kilbourn of Baltimore (1814-1855), Maryland Genealogical Society Journal 61 (August 2020): 273-299.
Review of How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records: A Genealogist's Guide, by Sunny Jane Morton and Harold A. Henderson, Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly 35 (March 2020): 40-41.
"A Cautionary Tale: Finding a Birthplace for Delany DeVine of Deuel County, South Dakota, " Minnesota Genealogist 48 (Winter 2017): 5-9.
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- Credentials
- CG®
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- Certificates
- Certificate in Genealogical Research (Boston University), Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies (National Institute for Genealogical Studies: American Records; German Records), Excelsior College Genetic Genealogy
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- Affiliations
- Board for Certification of Genealogists (trustee & secretary); National Genealogical Society; Association for Professional Genealogists; North Dakota State Genealogical Society; South Dakota Genealogy Society; Minnesota Genealogical Society; Germans from Russia Heritage Society; New England Historic Genealogical Society; Maryland Genealogical Society; Connecticut Society of Genealogists; Utah Genealogical Association; Sons of the American Revolution; Swedish Colonial Society
Contact
- Business site: www.prairiegenealogy.com
Work Contact
| Phone: | (701) 500-0985 |
| Email: | gbk@prairiegenealogy.com |
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| State/Province: | North Dakota |
| Country: | United States |
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