Speaking & Events
Whether I’m presenting to a society of twenty or a conference of thousands, I bring the same thing to every room: deep research, real stories, and a genuine love of helping people find what they didn’t know they were looking for.
What I Speak About
My talks are built for genealogical and historical (preservation) audiences — local societies, regional conferences, libraries, and specialty clubs — though I’m always open to a conversation about other contexts. My topics range across the tools and records genealogists use most (Sanborn maps, newspapers, city directories, land records) and the histories hiding inside them: businesses, buildings, pandemics, immigration, and the everyday lives that standard records rarely capture in full. A complete topic list lives on the Services page.
Upcoming Events
Friday, November 6
11:30 am – 12:30 pm Central time
2026 TxSGS Conference
Topic: One Horse Town, One Tough Search: Small-Town Research Strategies for Texas Ancestors
August 8, 2026
Missouri State Genealogical Association Annual Conference
Recent Events
October 2025 — Keynote Speaker – X Marks the Spot, Lock-in 2025
Midwest Genealogy Center — Independence, MO
Using Maps to Fill in the Gaps in Your Family Story Bonus Session: Researching a One-Horse Town
The Midwest Genealogy Center is one of the premier genealogical research facilities in the country. Being invited to keynote their 2025 event was a genuine honor — and the conversation that filled the room that day is exactly the kind I love most.
May 7, 2026
OneMarysville, Marysville, KS
Boss Milliner: The Legacy of Mathilda Lorke
What does it take to build a business that outlasts you by four decades? For Mathilda Lorke, it took a transatlantic journey, a failed partnership, a legal battle, and an unshakeable eye for fashion. In this presentation, business historian Michelle L. Spencer traces the remarkable story of Marysville’s “Boss Milliner” — a German immigrant who arrived in 1884, weathered competition and setbacks, brought her family over from Berlin, and built a millinery enterprise that thrived on Broadway until 1957. Drawing on Sanborn maps, digitized newspapers, city directories, and local records, Spencer reveals how Lorke’s story illuminates immigrant entrepreneurship, women in business, and the commercial history of the Marysville Downtown Historic District.
May 19, 2026
Rochester Genealogical Society, Rochester, NY
Build a Better Family Tree with Brick & Mortar Research
May 26, 2026
North San Diego County Genealogical Society, San Diego, CA
Got Mail: Using Postcards and Letters to Unlock Your Family History
March 13, 2026
Missouri Conference on History — Lake of the Ozarks, MO
Clay, Commerce, and Community: The Undiscovered World of J. M. Hummel
August 9, 2025
Missouri State Genealogical Association Annual Conference.
Carl & Roma’s Farm: The Story Behind the Records & Real Estate.
I present in person and via Zoom and am available for society meetings, multi-day conferences, library programs, and webinar series. If you’re a program chair looking for a speaker who does the homework and makes it stick — let’s talk.