Katy Bodenhorn
Pennsylvania-based U.S. genealogist
Katy Bodenhorn Genealogy Research LLC
Owner and Genealogist
Currently accepting clients for...
- Family History Research
- Speaking / Presenting
Family History Research
- Document Retrieval / Record Agent
- Family History Research
- Tutor / Coach
Speaking/Presenting
- Family History Research
- Methodology & Resources
- Available for in-person events
- Available for virtual events
Writing/Publishing
- Editor
Other Speciality
- Heir & Probate Search
- Handwriting / Palaeography
Contact me at katybodenhorn@gmail.com or visit my website at https://kbgenealogy.com!
Projects are billed at $80/hour and most projects require a minimum 15-hour purchase.
Katy is most recently the former Director of Genealogical Programs and Services at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. She is currently a freelance genealogist and the owner of Katy Bodenhorn Genealogy Research, LLC. She earned a B.A. in Family History and Genealogy from Brigham Young University and has spent over a decade in the professional genealogy world as a client researcher, speaker, and writer.
From 2014 to 2022, Katy worked a Senior Researcher and Editor at Legacy Tree Genealogists, where she completed over 100 research projects and performed peer review on hundreds more. While at HSP starting in 2022, Katy's regular responsibilities for the archive included client research as well as providing personal genealogy consultations for patrons, assisting with HSP's digitization initiatives, and coordinating public events such as genealogy webinars, exhibits, and workshops. She also co-produced an award-winning podcast at HSP (with funding from the Library of Congress) called "Resurrecting Voices: the Philadelphia Black Experience." Her written work has been included in NGS Magazine, Family Tree Magazine, and HSP's commemorative anniversary book, Two Hundred Years, published in 2023 by the University of Pennsylvania press.
In her free time, Katy enjoys music, true crime mysteries, being outdoors, dinners with friends, and spending time at the (Jersey) Shore. She lives in beautiful Berks County, PA, but spends as much time in Philly as possible. She has tried unsuccessfully to love scrapple.
Projects are billed at $80/hour and most projects require a minimum 15-hour purchase.
Katy is most recently the former Director of Genealogical Programs and Services at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. She is currently a freelance genealogist and the owner of Katy Bodenhorn Genealogy Research, LLC. She earned a B.A. in Family History and Genealogy from Brigham Young University and has spent over a decade in the professional genealogy world as a client researcher, speaker, and writer.
From 2014 to 2022, Katy worked a Senior Researcher and Editor at Legacy Tree Genealogists, where she completed over 100 research projects and performed peer review on hundreds more. While at HSP starting in 2022, Katy's regular responsibilities for the archive included client research as well as providing personal genealogy consultations for patrons, assisting with HSP's digitization initiatives, and coordinating public events such as genealogy webinars, exhibits, and workshops. She also co-produced an award-winning podcast at HSP (with funding from the Library of Congress) called "Resurrecting Voices: the Philadelphia Black Experience." Her written work has been included in NGS Magazine, Family Tree Magazine, and HSP's commemorative anniversary book, Two Hundred Years, published in 2023 by the University of Pennsylvania press.
In her free time, Katy enjoys music, true crime mysteries, being outdoors, dinners with friends, and spending time at the (Jersey) Shore. She lives in beautiful Berks County, PA, but spends as much time in Philly as possible. She has tried unsuccessfully to love scrapple.
Geographic Specialities
- Continental United States, 1700s-present, with emphasis on:
- Pennsylvania and the broader Mid-Atlantic region
- Pennsylvania Germans
- Midwest
- South
- Urban areas, especially
- Philadelphia
- New York City
- Baltimore
- Chicago
- Pennsylvania and the broader Mid-Atlantic region
- UK and British Commonwealth countries
- Immigration from
- Latin America (especially Mexico)
- Ireland
- Germany
- Italy
Publications/Media
- Appearance on the Tamron Hall Show, 2 May 2024: clip 1 and clip 2
- Genealogy research into Philadelphia city councilman Isaiah Thomas, February 2023: HSP hosts Councilmember Isaiah Thomas for Genealogical Consultation
Lectures
A selection of lectures on offer:
A selection of lectures on offer:
- "Three Countries, Three Surnames: a Father for Walter G. Swan of Cleveland, Ohio"
- "The Bodenhorn Origins: Finding my Hessian Ancestor"
- "Super-Sleuth Strategies for Finding the Original Records"
- "Children's Aid: Nineteenth-Century Social Services in Pennsylvania"
- "Through the Back Door: Using Indirect Evidence to Identify Parents"
- "Hidden in Plain Sight: Using Image-Only Collections Online"
- "Spanish Language Records for Non-Spanish Speakers"
Repositories
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia City Archives
Berks History Center
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia City Archives
Berks History Center
Research Time Periods
- 20th Century
- 19th Century
- 18th Century
Affiliations
- Mid-Atlantic Chapter APG
- Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
- Questers (Philadelphia chapter)
Degrees
B.A. (Family History & Genealogy)
B.A. (Family History & Genealogy)