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K.A. Powell | Family Historian

About

The Mission

This blog is a dedicated space for documenting my personal journey into our family’s history. My research currently focuses on the Powell, Patterson, Wolk, and Burgdorf lineages, as well as the 19th-century migrations of the Boyer and Devalley families. My goal is to piece together the puzzles of our past using census data, historical records, and personal recollections.

Accuracy & Sources

I strive for the highest level of genealogical accuracy. However, historical records can be contradictory or incomplete. The findings shared here represent my best interpretation of the evidence available at the time of posting. I view this as a “living document”—as new records emerge, I will update and correct information accordingly.

Privacy of Living Relatives

I take the privacy of my family very seriously. Out of respect for living relatives:

  • I do not publish specific birth dates, social security numbers, or sensitive personal data of living individuals.
  • The primary focus of this research is on ancestors who are deceased.
  • If you are a family member and have concerns about specific content, please contact me directly.

Copyright & Use

The original writing, blog descriptions, and specific research compilations found on this site are my intellectual property. While I encourage the sharing of genealogical facts, I ask that you do not copy my narrative writing or personal storytelling without permission.

Disclaimer This blog is a personal project and is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as a definitive legal or historical record for anyone other than myself.

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About Me

Hello!

Hi, I’m Kristin —a genealogy researcher, author, and digital content creator. This space is my digital home for sifting through the soil of the past. I specialize in Missouri and Illinois regional history, focusing on the ancestral journeys of the Powell, Patterson, Wolk, and Burgdorf lines (among many others). Whether I’m deep in the archives, planning research road trips, or hosting the Sifting Podcast on YouTube, my mission is to transform cold census records into deeply human stories. As a researcher, writer, parent, and grandparent, I’m dedicated to unearthing our history and leaving a well-marked trail for the generations to come. Glad you're here—let's uncover the past together.

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