ABOUT ME
Introduction
Katherine R. Willson of Dexter, Michigan is a 7th generation Michigander who began researching her own family as an 8-year-old Junior Girl Scout earning the now-retired “My Heritage” badge.
She is an engaging and dynamic genealogy lecturer at regional, national, and international events; a full-time researcher specializing in pre-statehood Michigan; a genealogy educator for 25+ years; and the host/moderator of German Genealogy Headquarters’ virtual quarterly symposiums with Ursula C. Krause and Ute Brandenburg.
Katherine is the founder & past President of the Virtual Genealogical Association, past President of the Michigan Genealogical Council, past board member for both the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Genealogical Speakers Guild, and has held numerous leadership roles within Michigan’s genealogical community.
She has taught at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, and has coordinated and taught at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy with sessions focused on Midwestern repositories, America’s westward expansion, migration due to U.S. financial panics, and teaching community genealogy classes.
Katherine is the author of the book, The Genealogist’s Guide to Grand Rapids, Michigan (2018) and Family Tree Magazine’s “Research Guide to Michigan” (2022). Her website SocialMediaGenealogy.com offers a Genealogy on Facebook list (a catalog of almost 17,000+ genealogy/history links on Facebook), catalogs of genealogy YouTube channels and genealogy podcasts, and multiple other free resources.