Mary Williams began learning about genealogy in the sunlit parlor of a funeral home in Sparta, Tennessee. For generations, her mother’s family lived in the same small town, using the same small town funeral home for all of their burials.
But it was the mystery of her grandmother – her father’s mother – that really stoked her interest. Pictured above, the little blonde girl in the first row, was “taken to raise” by the Richards family.
Unofficially adopted by Susan and Levi Richards, Grandma Gladys was later accepted by Susan’s second husband, George Saals. At 17, she married Harold Huston. She lived many lives before her death in 1960.
A trained historian, Mary used her research capabilities to find the official documents, news articles and personal narratives that would build out the story of her grandmother and help her finally learn more about her missing branch.
Let her tend to your family roots as carefully as she has to her own.
In addition to her work in research, Mary has had the privilege of writing for the Akron Beacon Journal, a Pulitzer prize winning newspaper, and as a brand journalist for the American Red Cross. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, including the Great Lakes Chapter, and adheres to its Code of Ethics. In relation to her own family research, Mary is proud to be a member of both the Ohio and the Tennessee Genealogical Societies.
Let us find your roots | Rooted Professional Genealogy 