Services

Research, teaching and preservation

Each engagement is scoped around a question rather than sold as a package. Fees are discussed directly once the work is understood.

Individual and Family Genealogy Research
Documented research into a family line, worked from original records and built outward from what you already know.
Who it is for
Individuals and families beginning a search, or holding years of notes that have stalled.
What it may include
- A review of what you already hold — names, dates, photographs, family accounts
- Research in vital, census, probate, land, church, military and newspaper records
- Analysis of conflicting or missing evidence, and what can reasonably be concluded from it
- Accurate citation of every source consulted
What you receive
A written report setting out the findings, the records they rest on, and the questions that remain open.
Request a Consultation
Fees are quoted after the scope is agreed.
African American Family Research
Research that continues past the point where many family searches stop — the 1870 census — into the records of slavery and its aftermath.
Who it is for
Families whose lines run through enslavement, migration or record loss.
What it may include
- Post-1870 documentary research on the family in freedom
- Slave schedules, enslavers' wills, probate inventories, plantation and county records
- The FAN approach — friends, associates and neighbors — to establish identity where direct records are silent
- Careful, plain explanation of what the records can and cannot establish
What you receive
A documented account of the line as far as the surviving records carry it, with the reasoning made visible.
Request a Consultation
Fees are quoted after the scope is agreed.
Archival and Records Research
On-site and remote research in national, state, county and institutional repositories.
Who it is for
Families, researchers, institutions and attorneys who need records retrieved and read in context.
What it may include
- Repository research in national, state and county archives
- Transcription and abstraction of original material
- Database and newspaper research across a range of subscription and public sources
- Guidance on what a given repository is and is not likely to hold
What you receive
Copies or transcriptions of the records located, with full citations and a summary of what was searched.
Request a Consultation
Fees are quoted after the scope is agreed.
Oral History Projects
Recording, transcribing and archiving testimony before it is lost — the memories that were never written down.
Who it is for
Families, churches, community organizations, museums and institutions.
What it may include
- Interview planning and question design grounded in the documentary record
- Recorded interviews with family members or community elders
- Transcription, indexing and archival description
- Guidance on long-term storage and access
What you receive
Recordings and transcripts prepared for archiving, with a finding aid appropriate to the collection.
Request a Consultation
Fees are quoted after the scope is agreed.
Community and Institutional Research
Research commissioned by colleges, museums, churches, civic bodies and community organizations.
Who it is for
Institutions documenting their own history, a site, a collection or a community.
What it may include
- Archival and literature-based research, and site or collection history
- Documentation prepared for grants, designations and public programming
- Digitization and archival description of existing collections
- Consultation with descendant communities where appropriate
What you receive
Research findings in the form the project requires — report, application, exhibition text or program material.
Request a Consultation
Fees are quoted after the scope is agreed.
Historic Preservation and Designation Research
The research behind a designation: establishing a site's historical significance to the standard the reviewing body requires.
Who it is for
Institutions, congregations, neighborhood groups and municipalities.
What it may include
- Evaluation of a property's cultural, architectural and historical significance
- Underground Railroad and Network to Freedom research
- Preparation of designation application material
- Research to support grant applications and external funding for preservation
What you receive
A documented significance case and the research file supporting the application.
Request a Consultation
Fees are quoted after the scope is agreed.
Genealogy Workshops and Instruction
Teaching people to do the work themselves — from a first session to a sustained program.
Who it is for
Libraries, colleges, churches, community organizations, family reunions and staff groups.
What it may include
- Beginning genealogy: what to gather first and how to record it
- Working with census, vital, probate and military records
- African American research strategies beyond 1870
- Hands-on database and archival practice
What you receive
A session or series shaped to the audience, with materials participants can keep using afterwards.
Request a Consultation
Fees are quoted after the scope is agreed.
Keynotes, Lectures and Panel Discussions
A lecture, keynote or panel appearance on genealogy, oral history, the Underground Railroad or preserving African American heritage.
Who it is for
Universities, libraries, museums, historical societies, churches, conferences and civic organizations.
What it may include
- A talk shaped to the audience and the occasion
- Narrated historic bus tours of Detroit's Underground Railroad, where the format suits
- Panel participation and moderated conversation
- Q&A and follow-up guidance for attendees
What you receive
A prepared session, agreed in advance, with any handouts the format calls for.
Request a Consultation
Fees are quoted after the scope is agreed.
Research Consultations
A working conversation about a specific research problem — where you are, what is in the way, and what to do next.
Who it is for
Anyone who wants direction rather than delegated research.
What it may include
- Review of the material and conclusions you already have
- Assessment of the records most likely to answer your question
- A practical next-step research plan you can carry out yourself
- Guidance on evaluating evidence and family accounts
What you receive
A clear plan for the next stage of your own research.
Request a Consultation
Fees are quoted after the scope is agreed.
Family Tree Review and Documentation
A professional read of an existing tree — what is documented, what is assumed, and where the evidence needs shoring up.
Who it is for
Researchers with an online tree or years of accumulated notes.
What it may include
- Review of the tree against the sources cited for it
- Identification of undocumented links and conflicting evidence
- Recommendations for the records that would resolve them
- Guidance on organizing and citing what you already hold
What you receive
A written assessment distinguishing what is proven from what is still open.
Request a Consultation
Fees are quoted after the scope is agreed.

How it works

From first question to finished findings

01
Share your question
Tell Dr. Carter what you already know and what you hope to discover — a name, a photograph, a story you were told, or years of accumulated notes. Everything starts from the known and moves toward the unknown.
02
Define the research scope
Together you clarify the people, places, time periods and record groups involved, and agree what the research is setting out to establish. A defined question is what makes an answer possible.
03
Research and documentation
Archives, databases, historical records and oral sources are examined and weighed. Original records are transcribed and cited, conflicting evidence is analyzed, and a proof argument is compiled.
04
Receive your findings
The research is organized and presented in the format agreed at the outset — with the sources it rests on, and a clear account of the questions that remain open.

Research findings cannot be guaranteed. Historical records are often incomplete, damaged, restricted, missing or contradictory — particularly for families whose lines run through enslavement. What can be promised is careful work, honest reasoning, and a clear account of what the surviving evidence does and does not support.

Questions

Frequently asked

What information should I provide to get started?

Whatever you have. Full names as your family uses them, approximate dates and places of birth, marriage and death, and the names of parents, siblings and spouses where you know them. Photographs, obituaries, funeral programs, family Bibles, deeds and letters all help. So do the stories — even the ones you are not sure about.

Can you help if I have very little information?

Yes. Many families begin with a single name or one remembered story. The first stage of the work is establishing what can be documented from that starting point, and a consultation is often the most useful way to begin.

Do you guarantee a specific discovery?

No, and no responsible researcher will. Records are incomplete, damaged, restricted or missing, and evidence sometimes contradicts itself. Dr. Carter will tell you plainly what the records support, what they do not, and where the search can reasonably go next.

Do you work with African American family histories?

Yes — it is central to her work. Research continues past the 1870 census into slave schedules, enslavers' probate and plantation records, and the friends, associates and neighbors who place a family in a community. She has traced her own maternal line to the plantation where her ancestors were enslaved.

Can you research outside Michigan?

Yes. She has researched records at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the Library of Congress and National Archives in Washington DC, and the Tennessee, Ohio, Michigan and North Carolina state and county archives, among others, and has worked with historical societies in the United States, Africa and Ireland.

How long does research take?

It depends entirely on the question, the records involved and how far the family line has already been established. A realistic scope and timeline are agreed before the work begins rather than estimated in advance of knowing the problem.

Do you offer speaking engagements and workshops?

Yes. Dr. Carter has taught genealogy for more than a decade and presented for universities, libraries, museums, conferences, churches, sororities and civic organizations. Use the inquiry form and select Speaking Engagement or Workshop or Training.

How are historical records and family information handled?

Family documents and research material are treated as confidential and handled in line with professional records-management practice. Nothing about your family is published or shared without your agreement. Please do not send highly sensitive personal information — see the note on the inquiry form.

Discuss Your Research Project

Research, teaching and preservation

Individual and Family Genealogy Research

African American Family Research

Archival and Records Research

Oral History Projects

Community and Institutional Research

Historic Preservation and Designation Research

Genealogy Workshops and Instruction

Keynotes, Lectures and Panel Discussions

Research Consultations

Family Tree Review and Documentation

From first question to finished findings

Share your question

Define the research scope

Research and documentation

Receive your findings

Frequently asked