Deborah A. Abbott, PhD, is a professional genealogist specializing in genealogical methodology, manuscript collections, and African American family research. She is a member of the Cuyahoga County (OH) Archives Commission, the Lakeview Cemetery Community Outreach Committee (Cleveland, OH), past president of the African American Genealogical Society, Cleveland, Ohio, and a retired professor of Counseling from Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. She holds both the BS and MEd degrees from Tuskegee University and the PhD degree from Kent State University.

Dr. Abbott is coordinator of the African American Track at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) in Athens, Georgia. She teaches for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) and the Texas Institute of Genealogical Research (TIGR).

Dr. Abbott has articles published in the Ohio Genealogy News and FamilyTree magazines. She can be found teaching African American genealogy in a segment entitled “Needles & Threads” on Ancestry Academy, an educational video course for Ancestry.com. Dr. Abbott also coordinates the “Genealogy and Family History Clinic” for the Cleveland Public Library.

She is a member of the National Genealogical Society (NGS), and the Association of Professional Genealogist (APG). A Cleveland, Ohio native, Dr. Abbott is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Tuskegee University National Alumni Association, and Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland.

June 2027 Instructor – 2027-03 Using U.S. Religious Records for Family History