Katie Crichton is a Senior Researcher at Legacy Tree Genealogists, specializing in British and Irish genealogy, early American research, the U.S. South, and genetic genealogy. Her interest in family history began in elementary school, when a great-uncle sent her a large packet of genealogical information for a school project. Among the family stories it contained was the account of her ancestors’ arrival in America after being shipwrecked off the coast of Virginia during a hurricane. She was hooked.

Genealogy remained a separate passion as Katie pursued a degree in molecular biology, but her scientific training later gave her a natural framework for understanding DNA evidence and approaching genetic genealogy logically. She went on to complete the Certificate in Genealogical Research at Boston University and the ProGen Study Groups program and has served as secretary of ProGen Study Groups since 2021. Her professional experience has included client research, DNA analysis, curriculum development, and genealogy education.

Katie is happiest when a research problem gives her a reason to dig deeply. She enjoys moving beyond the obvious records to examine the people, places, communities, and historical circumstances surrounding a family, looking for pieces of context that might change the way a problem is understood. For her, the most interesting projects are rarely the ones that skim across generations; they are the ones that invite careful analysis, new questions, and a close look at the evidence.

That same philosophy shapes her teaching. Katie loves helping genealogists learn how to think through difficult problems rather than simply giving them another set of steps to follow. She believes researchers often have far more information—and far more ability—than they realize. Her goal in the classroom is to help students recognize those resources, break complicated questions into manageable pieces, and develop the confidence to decide for themselves what to do next.

June 2027 Instructor – 2027-07 From Scattered to Sorted: Organizing Your Genealogy Research One Family Group at a Time