Who I Am
My name is Heather Collins and I've been interested in family history for most of my life. From the time I was a little girl, I was curious about my family and where we came from. I had no idea that the pedigree I hand-drew in the back of my journal as a 14 year old would be the springboard for a lifelong love of genealogy.
When I first started out, my hand-drawn pedigree chart didn't even have all eight of my great grandparents on it. Filling in all the blanks seemed so overwhelming. But little by little, I filled in more and more details of what information I could find. Because I started early, I had to learn to do genealogy without the luxury of subscription services, without direct access to most records that were pertinent to my research, and without the help or mentoring of others to teach me basic skills. In my earliest days, I was completely on my own. And it stretched me into the creative solution-finder I am today.
My Approach
I'll try anything and everything to solve a research problem--no matter how many years it takes--which means I always find the cheapest, most efficient way to do something. And if the tool I need to get the job done doesn't exist, I'll make it myself. To me, that's what it means to be a DIY Genealogist.Now that I have close to 15 years of experience, I'm more passionate than ever about sharing the tools and experiences that have brought me this far. I don't want to keep my knowledge to myself because I know there are people out there who want answers too, who will never be able to pay top dollar to have someone else do genealogy for them. And I do this by providing instruction and tools, free and low-cost, for those who are also taking the DIY approach to genealogy.
I believe in making genealogy easy and accessible enough that anyone can do it, even for the most challenging research projects. I believe in keeping genealogy accessible by protecting and expanding access to public records, and bucking the trend of putting history behind paywalls. And most of all, I believe in an inclusive genealogy community, where no one is ever limited or turned away because of their race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Genealogy is for everyone, and it's time for the tools and technologies we use to reflect and capture the lives we all live.
So, come along with me and let's make new discoveries together!