Lorraine Arnold

Hello and welcome to my APG page. Before you consider hiring me, let me introduce myself and tell you a bit about my experience and what to expect. I have been researching since the age of 14 years old when my grandmother passed away. Viewing the documents my mother inherited, I noticed a surname I had never heard of, and so began my venture into genealogy. This was long before the resources we have today existed, requiring  sifting through microfiche and non-digitized, non-indexed records. Several years later, my occupation in the legal field led to completing an ABA approved paralegal AAS degree and a BA in Jurisprudence, providing an education in a field requiring detailed analysis and precise research results in well documented reports. This along with years of genealogy investigations led to the creation of Legacy Roots in 2011. Breakthroughs in DNA since that time, has allowed me to solve adoption quests mysteries of ancestors who have gone missing in the records, chose to hide their identity, in addition to solving other family mysteries.

With the indelible connection between ancestors and places they lived, along with a personal interest in architecture and archaeology, I have taken historic preservation courses at Drew University, NJ, later pursuing a masters through the University of Leicester, England in historical archaeology with a dissertation that connected specific English immigrants to the 17th century buildings constructed in the US. Over time, professional genealogy and house history research has led to connections with professional researchers and house historians throughout the US, Canada, England, Germany, Austria, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and France. Those I have served in the field of genealogy include family historians, adoptees, and real estate and probate attorneys. In the field of house histories I have researched for real estate agents, home owners, and historical societies, have written articles on the subject, as well as presented at conferences in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

When you contact me for genealogy research, I recommend that you provide me with as much detail as reasonable concerning who your focus individual is, birth and death dates (if known or the general timeframe), the location of where the research needs to take place, what specifically you are looking for, and what you have searched so far (including websites, local archives, use of professional researchers, family stories you have been told, etc.). If contacting me for research into houses or buildings, it is helpful to receive the address, what is known, and what the goal is. Once I hear from you, I determine if there are resources that may resolve your mystery and send a proposal, which provides you with an approximate time needed to research and the fees involved. Once we come to an understanding, I will then send an Agreement  with a detailed description of the plan and process to ensure that there is clarity between us before the research is conducted.

I hope this is helpful, but please feel free to contact me with any questions.