About

Genealogy is all about detective work, and tracking people.  I specialize in Dutchess and Columbia County, NY; Litchfield County, CT;  Maine; New Brunswick, Canada and their surrounding areas.  But, those pesky ancestors did not stay put.  They came from other locales and moved on…thus necessitating research in many areas across the US, Canada, and Europe.  It is that hunt,  tracking ancestors across time and space, that is so compelling….see below….hence the name for this blog.

I am active in both church and civic affairs, President of Dutchess County Genealogical Society, Town of Dover Co-Historian, Founder of Harlem Valley Historic Pathways, past Webmaster and Editor for National Association of Leavitt Families, member of the Town of Dover Planning Board and many historical and genealogical societies.

I am a third generation genealogist, continuing the work of my father and grandmother; eventually my passion became a career.  Professionally, I worked for many years as a construction manager, and prior to that as a freelance architectural designer.  All of my career paths, past and present, require data analysis, critical thinking, writing and graphic design.  In this way a construction project is not so very different from genealogy research.  But whereas one calls for pro-activity the other requires patience with sometimes limited or no results.  It is fairly easy to make sure the plumber arrives on a certain day and gets the job done (yes, believe it or not!) but how do you put a deadline on finding a document or record that may not even exist?  Still I try….using a combination of custom designed database applications and data forms to view and track documents and search results with more efficiency.  I also use what I call “immersion genealogy” to look at the migration paths, target areas, and relatives of the ancestor to enhance results.  It is so exciting and fulfilling when I find that link that breaks down the client’s brick wall!

Please also visit my web site, Vale Consulting, Genealogy Research.

Forgotten Legacies

At some time during our lives, most of us will dream of achieving fame; almost all will fall short.  But, for better or worse, we all leave a legacy for those who follow.  Time erodes the knowledge of this legacy, but still it lives on in the descendants of those we touch—our stories disappear but the fractals remain as part of an infinite mosaic.  Just as the archeologist recreates past cultures from skeletal fragments and pottery shards, so the genealogist recreates ancestors’ stories, from a chance sighting here, a glimpse of shadows there, chasing echoes down the corridors of time, tracking footprints across continents and oceans, until enough flesh is added to the bones.  Yes, we can see them if we try!  They cry out to us from the mists: “Find me.  Tell my story.  I was once important to someone.”  The genealogist hears these cries and must answer.  We really have no choice in the matter—you see, we are obsessed.