Jennifer Liber Raines
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- Business Name
- Bridge & Case LLC
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- Non-Research Specialties
- Compiler/Indexer
- Family Heirloom Preservationist
- Historian
- Lecturer/Presenter - On-site
- Lecturer/Presenter - Virtual
- Marketing Consultant
- Photographer
- Project Manager
- Transcriber
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- Research Counties
- Chautauqua County, New York, United States
- Erie County, New York, United States
- Genesee County, New York, United States
- Niagara County, New York, United States
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- Research Provinces / States
- New York, United States
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- Research Time Periods
- 19th Century
- 20th Century
- 21st Century
Offering genealogical and historical research and preservation/archival support services to individuals and organizations.
Jennifer Liber Raines has always loved a good story and problem to solve.
After a successful career in marketing and communications, her curiosity and her passion for research and storytelling led her to genealogy. For the past ten years, she has been helping clients, researchers, and community members explore and document history.
Jennifer’s personal research focuses on the history of Western New York’s institutional poor; specifically, her work documents the lives and experiences of individuals who worked and received care at the Erie County Poorhouse (1851-1926) as well as those children bound out and placed at local orphanages by the County of Erie. From 2013-2019, Jennifer served as a contributing member of the University at Buffalo’s Erie County Poorhouse Cemetery Project.
Deeply committed to preservation and collaboration, Jennifer is a member of the New York State Historical Records Advisory Board (NYSHRAB). She is a past President of the Western New York Genealogical Society and its current Chair of Preservation. From 2017-2022, Jennifer was a member of The Buffalo History Museum’s Board of Managers, where she served as the Board Vice-President and Chair of Advancement.
Jennifer received her professional certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University and her B.A. in English from the State University of New York at Geneseo.
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- Degrees
- B.A., English, SUNY Geneseo
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- Repositories
- Surrogate's Courts; County Clerk's Offices; City, Town, & Village Clerk's Offices throughout Western New York; Buffalo History Museum; Buffalo & Erie County Public Library; City of Buffalo Inactive and Vital Records.
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- Testimonials
- Awards:
- William Hoyt Archives Award for Advocacy - New York State Archives (2018)
- Empire Service Award - New York Genealogical & Biographical Society (2018)
- Owen B. Augspurger Award for Service to Local History - Buffalo History Museum (2016)
- Franklin Scott Prize Award, The Swedish American Historical Quarterly [co-author of article, "The Buffalo Orphan Asylum and the Settlement of Swedes in Northern Pennsylvania and Western New York"] (2016)
See LinkedIn Recommendations at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferliberraines/
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- Lectures
- Captured: Using Transcriptions, Abstracts, and Indexes in Your Research
Death Is Not The End: Introduction to Probate, Wills, and Estates in New York
Finding Your Family History: An Introduction to Genealogy
Genealogy in the Classroom: Research Possibilities & Resources Grades 7-12 (New York State)
Places, Faces, & Social Graces: Tips and Techniques for Researching New York Newspapers
Remembering: The Lives & Lessons of the Erie County (NY) Poorhouse
Understanding & Utilizing Western New York Land Records
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- Publications
- Publications:
Liber Raines, J.L. “Early Buffalo (New York) Tax and Assessment Roll Books: 1815 to 1823.” Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, volumes 46 (March 2020) through 48 (June 2021).
Liber Raines, J.L. “Children Bound Out by the Erie County Superintendents of the Poor, 1864-1868.” Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, volumes 45 (June 2018) through 46 (September 2019).
Sandy, D., Jones, J.E., & Liber Raines, J.L. “The Buffalo Orphan Asylum and the Settlement of Swedes in Northern Pennsylvania and Western New York.” The Swedish American Historical Quarterly, 67 (October 2016): 216-240.
Nystrom, K.C., Sirianni, J., Higgins, R., Perrelli, D., & Liber Raines, J.L. “Structural Inequality and Postmortem Examination at the Erie County Poorhouse.” K.C. Nystrom, ed. The Bioarchaeology of Dissection and Autopsy in the United States. Switzerland: Springer International, 2017. Pages 279-300.
Liber Raines, J.L. “Erie County Children and Orphans Placed at Local Charitable Institutions (1875-1882). Western New York Genealogical Society JOURNAL, volumes 41 (September 2014) through 42 (March 2016).
Conference Posters and Presentations:
Liber Raines, J.L. “Forgotten People, Forgotten Places: The Lives & Lessons of the Erie County Poorhouse Cemetery Project.” Lecture. New York Archives Annual Conference: Rochester, NY, 2019.
Liber Raines, J.L. (2014, April 14). “The Importance of Documentary Evidence in Understanding Demographic Patterns at the Erie County Poorhouse (1851-1926).” Symposium poster. Association of Physical Anthropologists Annual Conference: Calgary, AB, Canada, 2014.
Higgins, R. & Liber Raines, J.L. “Confirming Burial Location in the Erie County Poorhouse Cemetery Using Death Certificates and Mortality Records from 1880 – 1913.” Symposium poster. Association of Physical Anthropologists Annual Conference: Calgary, AB, Canada, 2014.
Higgins, R., Liber Raines, J.L., Perrelli, D., & Sirianni, J. “Using Documentary Evidence to Study the Erie County Almshouse Skeletal Collection: Problems and Potential.” [Conference presentation]. New York State Archaeological Association Annual Conference: Watertown, NY, 2013.
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- Certificates
- Boston University Professional Certificate in Genealogical Research, 2013
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- Affiliations
- Member, New York State Historical Records Advisory Board (2018-2023)
Western New York Genealogical Society
- Preservation Chair (2018-present)
- President (2017-2019)
- Chair of Publicity & Community Outreach (2012-2019)
- Chair of Programming (2012-2017)
Buffalo History Museum, Buffalo, NY
- Board Vice President (2020-2022)
- Chair, Advancement Committee (2019-2022)
- Member, Advancement Committee (2017-2022)
- Member, Strategic Planning Committee (2017-2022)
Member, Erie County Poorhouse Cemetery Project, University at Buffalo, Amherst, NY (2013 – 2019)
Memberships:
- Association of Professional Genealogists
- New York Genealogical & Biographical Society
- Western New York Genealogical Society
- American Association of State and Local History
- Digital Marketing Institute
Contact
- Business site: bridgeandcase.com
Work Contact
| Phone: | 716-217-2920 |
| Email: | jliberraines@bridgeandcase.com |
| Street Address: | P.O. Box 681 |
| Address 2: | |
| City: | Orchard Park |
| State/Province: | New York |
| Country: | United States |
| Zip/Postal Code: | 14127 |