Katie Rebecca Garner Genealogy
Utah’s Professional Genealogist – Breaking Brick Walls Since 2018
Using census records, vital records, immigration and naturalization documents, probate files, military records, DNA evidence, and more, I piece together the real story of your ancestors, not guesses, not approximations, but verified genealogical relationships backed by original source documents. Every finding I deliver is documented with the evidence that supports it, so you can trust what you’re building on.
Your family history is worth getting right. Let’s find the answers together.
Services
You don’t need to have it all figured out before reaching out. Whether you’re just getting started with a handful of names and dates, or you’ve hit a wall that years of searching hasn’t cracked, there’s a package here for you. Every project delivers findings you can trust, verified, documented, and ready to build on.
Mini Genealogy Project
Document Retrieval or Research Plan
- Option A – Retrieving and transcribing a document.
- Option B – Developing a research plan based on what you’ve already done and what’s still available for you to research.
5 hours max
Genealogy Research Project
In-Depth Ancestor Investigation
Whether you know nothing at all about your ancestors or have spent years researching them, I will begin with what you have. I will seek out additional records, such as U.S. census records, vital records and immigration and naturalization records about your ancestors to answer your burning questions about them. I will write a report on my findings that details what the records prove, sparking new connections with your ancestors.
10 – 40 hours
Narrative Family History
Your Ancestors’ Story in Their Own Era
Have you already researched the heck out of your ancestors? Or have other people researched them and attached so many photos and documents that it’s overwhelming? I will go through all these photos and documents, write up the story they are trying to tell, and weave in historical information. This story will bring your ancestors to life.
10 – 15 hours per ancestor
Activities For Families
Genealogy isn’t just for grown-ups. The best family histories are discovered together. These activities turn ancestor research into real-world adventures your kids will actually want to go on, and talk about for years.
Cemetery Scavenger Hunt
Forget the museum gift shop. Send your kids on a real historical hunt through a local cemetery, tracking down ancestors who share their last name, their nose, maybe even their stubborn streak. I’ll design a fully customized scavenger hunt built around your family history and your local cemetery, so the adventure is personal, not generic.
Every headstone is a clue. Every clue is a story.
Family Discovery Trip
Travel Deeper Than Any Tour Guide Can Take You. Any traveler can see the sights. You can walk the exact ground your great-great-grandmother walked. Before your next trip to your ancestor’s homeland, I’ll research the specific places that shaped their life, their village, their church, their school, their employer. You’ll arrive not as a tourist, but as a family coming home.
Don’t just visit, belong there.
Refer A Friend
Book A Consultation
My path into professional genealogy began in 2014, when I started volunteering with FamilySearch as a young missionary. What started as service quickly became a calling. I took that passion to college and earned an Associate degree of Applied Science in Family History Research from BYU-Idaho in 2018, one of the few formal genealogy degrees available in the country. I haven’t stopped learning since, continuing my professional education through Heritage Genealogical College, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), RootsTech, and ongoing self-directed study.
I’m also a published genealogy writer, contributing research articles to Price Genealogy, GenealogyBank and Family Tree Magazine. On the creative side, I write genealogy ghost stories, because some ancestors demand a more dramatic entrance.
When I’m not tracking down elusive ancestors, I’m at home in Orem with my husband, spoiling him with my cooking, watching movies and anime, knitting or crocheting, or buried in a good book. I bring that same warmth, patience, and attention to detail to every research project I take on.”
Genealogy Blogs
Dig into the world of American genealogy research. From decoding census records and tracking immigrant ancestors to understanding DNA evidence and navigating courthouse archives, these articles are written to help you research smarter, whether you’re just starting your family tree or pushing through a stubborn brick wall.
Newspaper Research Backs Up Old Family Story
This article was also published by GenealogyBank. A good researcher will combine evidence from multiple sources to get a picture of what life was like for their ancestors. One such resource is an...
When in Research Fun?
I’ve been verifying the lineage on a few of my ancestral lines. I’m going through the Garner line for a lineage application to First Families of Pennsylvania. I’m going through the Herr line to...
German Influences in the United States Part 2
This blog is also posted on Price Genealogy. If you have German American ancestors, understanding the practices discussed in the last blog will help you know what to expect when researching them....
Married How Many Times???
One of the more interesting projects I embarked on this week was that of Mary J Wakeman-Saunders-Powers-Gordfrey-Gray-Lindley-Crowther-LePage. Yes, that is eight married names and sadly, no maiden...
German Influences in the United States – Part One
This blog was also published with Price Genealogy. Many Americans have German roots somewhere in their family tree. Until recently, German Americans largely stuck to their own communities in the New...
Making the Most of Your Genealogy Research Time
This article was also posted on Family Tree Magazine. Both experienced genealogists and casual hobbyists want to know as much as possible about their ancestors. While there are many discoveries to...
Mid-Atlantic Newspapers for Genealogy
This article was also published on GenealogyBank Before the internet and social media, people kept track of community goings-on via newspapers. Local papers could contain everything from election...
U.S. Regions: Mid-Atlantic
Pennsylvania can claim to be the birthplace of the United States, as that was where the continental congress was held which wrote the declaration of independence and later formed the constitution....
Newspaper Research
Newspapers are the ancestors of Facebook. Our ancestors used newspapers to keep up with the world around them, much how we use social media today. Newspapers contain political, sports, and social...
Finding Children Who Died Young
Family history is about learning of the lives of those who lived before us. Some of those lives were shorter than others. With the advent of modern medicine, life expectancy has increased while...
Testimonials
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Contact Me
Ready to find answers? Send me an email or click ‘Get Started’ below and tell me everything you know about your ancestors, names, dates, locations, family stories, dead ends, all of it. No detail is too small and no starting point is too bare. I’ll review what you share and get back to you with a custom estimate for your research project.
Katie Rebecca Garner
Phone: 1-385-472-7979 katie@krgarnergenealogy.com
Orem, Utah
Get Started
As a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, I adhere to its strict code of ethics, so you can trust that every research project is conducted with honesty, integrity, and respect for your family’s history.