Ashley Sabina Gaumond
ProGen Member Overview
My paternal grandmother was illegitimate and adopted which triggered by interest in genealogy. She was disinclined to discover her biological heritage, so I respectfully waited until after her death in 1999 to begin researching her background. Other than what I mention below, I can say I am unafraid to write letters (or otherwise contact) living family members in my tree (or a stranger's), as I am all too aware of how important it is to obtain information before it disappears. 🙂
Education
In college, I initially majored in English with a goal of becoming a creative writer. I switched to History after Freshman year and never looked back, earning my B.A. in 2002. I completed the Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate course in 2018, followed by the ProGen Study Group (#43) program in 2020. Since then, I have learned through practical application while working on the BCG portfolio for certification. Though I didn't become a creative writer, my favorite part of genealogy is writing the family history, fleshing out ancestors as best I can using every piece of supported evidence I can find. 🙂
Experience
I've been doing genealogy research since 2000, though this did not become serious until I was in my mid 20s, at which time I created an album-enclosed family history for a family member for a fee. This was the first and only one I've done thus far. In the meantime, I have worked diligently on my tree and have reached out to countless individuals, family, friends, and strangers, in an effort to assist them with their genealogical research. I refuse to accept money again until I'm certified, as I realized during the two courses I took how little I actually knew!
Publications & BLOGs
Aside from having a couple of articles printed in Kintracks, the bi-monthly newsletter for the Craven County Genealogical Society of North Carolina, nothing yet!