►BILL EDDLEMAN RESEARCHER, SPEAKER, WORKSHOPS
Address: 1831 Ricardo Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, Phone: (573) 579-7978
Research Specialties: Land records; probate, vital records, military records; cemetery research; local history
Background: Retired biology professor and university administrator with 25 years’ experience in genealogical research. Officer in Cape Girardeau County Genealogical Society, and author of 15 books of record abstracts.
Missouri Counties Included: specialize in Southeast Missouri, experience with a number of other counties in the state.
Time Period Specialties: 18th and 19th century
Research Repositories Used: State Historical Society of Missouri; Missouri State Archives; North Carolina State Archives; Maryland State Archives; archive centers in Cape Girardeau, Perry, and Stoddard counties; numerous county courthouses in Missouri, North Carolina, and other states. I have fee-based subscriptions to Ancestry and Fold3.
SPEAKER/WORKSHOP TOPICS: “Getting the Most Out of Land Records,” “Show-me Land Records” [Missouri land record research], “So You Want to Start Your Genealogical Research,” “Land, Horses, Neat Cattle, Polls and More--Tax Lists and Your Genealogy,” “Researching Your Civil War Ancestor,” “The Ins and Outs of Some Useful Genealogical Websites,” “Southeast Missouri Families from the North Carolina Archives,” “How to Get the Most from Cemetery Research” (can be done as a workshop as well); “Cemetery Preservation and Restoration: Some Basic Considerations,” “Basic Genetic Genealogy.” Can develop others if the topic is requested.
►SHARLENE MILLER, RESEARCHER
Phone: (816) 233-7241
Research Specialties: Midwest states, NW Missouri: Buchanan County & Saint Joseph, MO; 19th and 20th century; newspaper research; public records including marriage, divorce, land, probate and court records; census, city directories, church records, other (ask). Will do photography, and will lecture about genealogy. Geographic specialties include Midwest, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Missouri Counties Included: Buchanan, Andrew, Platte, DeKalb, Clinton, Grundy, Daviess, Livingston
Time Period Specialties: 1800 to present
Research Repositories Used: Local courthouses, NW Missouri Genealogical Society, St. Joseph Public Library.
12/31/2025
CYNTHIA KEEFER PATTON, RESEARCHER & SPEAKER
Address: 7201 N Marston Ct, Kansas City, MO 64151 Phone: (816) 806-3790
Research Specialties: DAR and lineage applications; writing family histories; assisting with organization/archiving of family history papers; Missouri First Family applications.
Background: Cynthia Keefer Patton is a professional genealogist from Kansas City, Missouri, a member of the Heartland Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), and Registrar for the White Alloe Chapter, DAR. She is a BU Certification Program graduate. Cynthia retired from the US Army and has degrees in both Journalism and Political Science. She has presented for numerous historical, genealogical, and civic organizations. On her blog --https://cynthiapatton.blogspot.com she is currently participating in the #52Ancestors challenge to document the stories of her family line.
Missouri Counties: Johnson, Jackson, Platte, and other surrounding counties; Leavenworth, Kansas
Time Period Specialties: 18th, 19th, and 20thcentury
Research Repositories Used: Midwest Genealogy Center; NARA Kansas City; Truman Library; World War I Museum; local courthouses; local university libraries; Clay County Historical Society; Weston Historical Society; and others (please inquire).
SPEAKER/WORKSHOP TOPICS: “Setting Goals to Focus Your Genealogy”; “10 Steps to Organizing for the Busy Genealogist”; “Organizing Digital Files Using the 3 C’s”; “Finding Military Ancestors”; “So You Want to Join a Lineage Society – What Next?”; “Boots on the Ground—Researching in Person”. 12/31/2025
►MICHELLE SPENCER RESEARCHER & SPEAKER
Address: Millbrook, AL
Email: michelle@romamarygrace.com
Research Specialties: business & property research, material culture, pandemics, the National
Register of Historic Places, and government records.
Background: Michelle has more than twenty-five years of research and writing experience in
government and the private sector. A native of Missouri, Michelle holds undergraduate degrees
from the University of Missouri in German and Political Science, and a Master of Science from
Missouri State in Defense & Strategic Studies. She spent more than a decade in Washington D.C.
before founding her genealogical research firm RomaMaryGrace in 2014.
Missouri Counties Included: Morgan, Pettis, Laclede, Maries, Crawford, & Christian.
Time Period Specialties: 19 th & 20 th century
Research Repositories Used: State Historical Society of Missouri; Missouri State Archives;
Alabama Department of History & Archives. Numerous libraries and courthouses across
Kansas, Missouri, and Alabama. I have fee-based subscriptions to Ancestry.com,
Newspapers.com, MyHeritage.com, and Fold3.com.
SPEAKER/WORKSHOP TOPICS: Finding Your Ancestor in the National Register of
Historic Places, Business Records Hiding in Unusual Places, Digital Newspaper Research;
Sanborn Maps and City Directories; Using Postcards and Letters to Unlock Your Family
History; The 1918 Pandemic and Your Family Records; Using Government Documents to
Discover Your Ancestor; Using City Directories to Fill in Historic Context; Using Sanborn Maps
and Newspapers; City Directories: Google for a Different Generation; Historic Context from
Unusual Sources; and Military Records other than Personnel Files. For other topics or more
detail see romamarygrace.com. 1/31/2026
