About

Genealogy At Heart is for everyone who is passionate about family history & heartwarming genealogical finds.  A new blog article is typically posted weekly. Visit the special offer page for gift ideas. 

We specialize in researching sensitive topics from the 19th & 20th centuries in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Affordable research services are available. Payment options – cash, check, and credit card.

Coaching – Are you stuck with your research?  We’re happy to provide helpful ideas to get you over your brick wall.  1 Hour consult in person (Fort Wayne, Indiana area), phone, or virtual – $75.00.

Education – Finding Your Family – a 3-hour individualized course to help you get started on your journey.  Offered in person (Fort Wayne, Indiana area) or virtually – $150.00.

Family History Research – Packets come with a free 1-hour meeting (in person Fort Wayne, Indiana area, phone or virtual) to clarify your genealogical request. A written report will be provided:

• Beginning Your Family Tree Packet – we’ll perform 5 hours of research/writing for 3 generations- $300.00.
• Intermediate Family Tree Packet – 10 hours of research/writing – $500.00.
• Extensive Family Tree Packet/Lineage Society Applications – contact us to discuss your needs.

Lectures – Is your group or society interested in a genealogical presentation? Contact Lori for pricing and date availability. For 2022-2023, the following 45-minute to 1-hour talks with Q&A following are available:

• Artificial Intelligence & Ancestry: Navigating the Future of Genealogy
• Fun Finds on FamilySearch.org
• Genealogy Inspiration – Creative Family History Ideas 
• Honoring Heirlooms – Preserving the Stories and Items of Your Family’s Past 
• Hot Cocoa and DNA – A Beginners Journey Using DNA
• Migration Trails Across the U.S.
• On the Road Again: Best Practices When Going On a Genealogical Adventure
• School Daze – Important Family Information Resides in Educational Records
• Skeletons in the Closet – How to Handle Sensitive Genealogy Discoveries 
• The Ins and Out of Interviewing: How to Conduct an Interview With Family
• Uncovering Genealogical Gems:  Finding Records in Atypical Places
• Using Genealogy Software: A How To for Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, and RootsMagic

Half Day Workshops are also available:

Look Up Service – Will pick up your requested document in the following Indiana counties:  Allen, DeKalb, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben and Whitley and Defiance, Paulding, and Williams in Ohio, for $30.00 plus any parking/postage/record fees. Need a record in Adams, Huntington, or Well, Indiana, or Mercer or Van Wert, Ohio counties?  The fee is $50.00 plus any parking/postage/record fees.

Gift Certificates – The perfect gift for your loved one who wants to know more about their family history.  Available in increments beginning at $25.00. 

Email us at GenealogyAtHeart@gmail.com

References are available upon request.  As a member of the  Association of Professional Genealogists we adhere to the Code of Ethics.

                                 

Genealogist Lori Samuelson (she/her) is a member of her local and state genealogical societies, the Association of Professional Genealogists, National Genealogical Society, New England Historic Genealogical Society, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, Society of Indiana Pioneers, Society of the Descendants of Lady Godiva, Hereditary Order of the Red Dragon & Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War.  In 2007, Lori was deemed a National Board Certified Teacher/Counselor. Please see the Professional Development tab on Genealogy At Heart to see courses Lori has recently completed to stay current in the field.

Lori blogged for Ancestor Cloud beginning in January 2017 and has written articles featured in Family History Daily. Genealogy At Heart’s blog has been recognized 6 times as a Fabulous Find by Jana Last.

Lori was featured in the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly in June 2016 and a reprint of a blog post was published in April 2016 by Ancestry Insider. She has been mentioned in 2023 in the Washington Post and the Association of Mature Adult Citizens.

She is the author of a GenBiz Solutions™ Guide – Building Credibility as a Business Strategy.

A unique transcription of a Civil War letter was published by the Florida Genealogist in the Summer of 2016. A follow-up article exploring the people and places named in the transcription was printed in the following issue. An article on a unique family heirloom was published in the December 2021 issue. Summer 2022 featured an article on the Garrison family of Palm Harbor; the Winter 2023 issue will present the truth behind the lore of Deserter’s Hill, Tarpon Springs, Florida.

Also see her journal articles in the Indiana Genealogist: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Ancestry:  Embracing the Future of Genealogy, Vol. 33 No. 2, June 2024, How to Find Little Known School Records, Vol. 32 No. 03 Sept. 2023, pp 14-17 and Armistice Day 1918: An Indiana Boy Remembers, Vol. 32, No. 01, March 2023, pp. 6-11 and in the Indiana Genealogical Society Newsletter: Genealogy Conference Tips, March 2024.

Currently, Lori is working on an eBook, Thanks to the Yanks, a collection of love letters written by an Indiana farm boy to his sweetheart during World War I. In January 2017 she published the eBook Perseverance Amidst Adversity: The Ancestry of Three George Harbaughs.           

Lori believes that it’s important to give back to her community through volunteering.  She is the Indiana Genealogical Society DeKalb County Genealogist,  a life long member of the DeKalb County Genealogy Society, a Governor of the Society of Indiana Pioneers, the Recording Secretary for the Society of Descendants of Lady Godiva, and the chaplain for the Daughters of the Union Vets of the Civil War.  Lori has served as a Summer Judging Assistant for DeKalb County 4-H Genealogy. She actively seeks photographs of WW2 soldiers who were killed in action for the Fields of Honor database, a nonprofit organization in the Netherlands.

Comments are always appreciated! Email Lori at GenealogyAtHeart@gmail.com