Research & Library Services

Area of Expertise: State and Federal Censuses, New England, Ireland, and New York research, with a focus on lineage society applications.

Areas of expertise: New England and Southern states, genealogical software, DNA testing, and lineage societies.

Sally Benny manages the American Ancestors Digital Library & Archives website and is responsible for digitizing manuscripts and arranging and describing born-digital archives.

Areas of expertise: 19th-century America, Germany, New York, New York City, Norway, Italy, westward migration, immigration history, and descendancy research.

Areas of Expertise: Ireland, Midwestern/Western states

Areas of expertise: Midwestern States, German, old German Gothic script, England, French, and Latin.

Areas of expertise: New England, New York, Puerto Rico

Areas of Expertise: urban development and preservation, transit and westward migration in the United States, the lineage society application process and Mayflower descendant research.

Sarah Dery is the Research & Library Manager at American Ancestors/NEHGS and has been with our Society for the last 4 years.

Curt DiCamillo, who joined American Ancestors/NEHGS in February of 2016 as the organization’s first Curator of Special Collections, is an internationally recognized authority on British historic houses and the decorative arts.

Areas of expertise: DNA, Adoption, New England, New Netherland, Ireland, Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Norway, and Sweden.

Areas of expertise: Lineage Society Applications, Ireland, New York, Virginia, and the Midwest.

Areas of expertise: Rhode Island, French-Canadian Genealogy and Sports History. He also enjoys working on heraldic and royal research.

Helen Herzer has been the Volunteer Coordinator since 2007, overseeing a program that matches volunteers with American Ancestors/NEHGS staff needs.

Areas of expertise: Military records, New England and southeastern United States records, deeds and property records.

Areas of expertise: Irish immigration, Irish records, DNA, church records, German, New York (both city and state), and New England.

Areas of expertise: New England and Atlantic Canadian records of the 17th through 21st century; American and international military records; DNA research; and Native American and African American genealogical research in New England. 

Areas of expertise: Irish genealogy, the Atlantic Canadian Provinces of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and New England.

Areas of expertise: Early Pennsylvania Settlers, Colonial New Jersey, Quaker records, Midwest (Michigan and Ohio), Finnish, DNA, Descendancy research, Scottish and English hereditary peerage titles, and Scottish genealogy.

Areas of expertise: Immigration and naturalization, late 19th and early 20th century urban research, missionaries.

Areas of expertise: Irish genealogy, DNA, Atlantic Canada, Jewish genealogy, and military records.

Areas of expertise: American genealogy, Ireland, Italy, and DNA.

Areas of expertise: Colonial New England, New York State, and lineage society applications.

Todd Pattison, Conservator, works to preserve and care for the collection of books, manuscripts, and fine art.

Areas of expertise: Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont research.

Areas of expertise: Genetics, New England, Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Italy