Working with Carol was a valuable experience. Her insightful questions helped me bring into focus what I hoped to accomplish in the world of genealogy. The transition from hobby to professional genealogist was not a smooth one for me. Carol's expertise helped me clearly define the genealogical specialty in which I wished to work and what types of genealogical activities suited me best. In addition, I have more solid goals for my work and feel more capable of reaching them. My commitment to the field of genealogy has been reinforced through my work with Carol.
--Barbara J. Ball - Genealogist & GIS Analyst
Working with Carol McCoy was delightful. Together, we shaped a strategy for uncovering the secrets of my family tree buried deep in the history of Maine. With a high degree of professionalism, Carol produced a picture of our family history that brought early generations to life. My family is indebted to her for connecting us with our past.
--Jeremy Travis - New York City
I became interested in genealogy some years back, but in spite of my efforts with ancestry.com (and my own sleuthing), I kept coming into roadblocks that simply dead-ended. I'd work hard for awhile and then stop - this went on for years (perhaps you know the feeling). Our family always thought that we came from Scotland, but I could never get further back than a few generations to the middle of Maine in the mid-1800's. Thinking I could use some professional assistance, I found Carol McCoy through the "Maine Genealogical Society.
I worked with Carol McCoy in late 2007 and throughout 2008 regarding the Rogers lineage that took us, not to Scotland, but to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The Rogers trail extends back to Ireland and likely Scotland and we will explore that later. Carol is great and the amount of information she uncovered in a very short time was amazing. She got me pictures of gravestones and the lineage back many generations in a matter of weeks to months. She was very thorough and had great detective skills to uncover relationships. She provided us with constant updates. Ultimately we invited her to join us on a genealogy vacation to Canada last summer so she could act as our guide to our past. It was a fun and worthwhile experience. She has even presented the work she did on the Rogers lineage in a couple of conferences. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her services.
--Alan Rogers, M.D. - New Mexico
Carol,
Thank you for your recent help in breaking through a brick wall for me. Your enthusiasm and immediate attention were very much appreciated. The result of your efforts was handled in a professional manner. It was very quick with next steps thoroughly outlined.
I will recommend your services to any person who is stumped or looking for hard to find information. Thanks again.
--Peter L. Higgins - Greene, Maine
Last year I decided I wanted to find my father's family. I knew I would have to find a professional to help me since I had virtually no information about him. I contacted Carol McCoy and she tackled the task like a true detective. Within a relatively short amount of time, she was able to put together a family history that I would never have had otherwise. As it turned out, I have cousins I never knew about.
Carol truly has a passion for genealogical research. She pursues a client's desire and need to connect with the past with the same zeal she has pursued researching her own family. She is a professional, discerning and intuitive. Her ability to uncover even the smallest of clues and thereby find new clues is remarkable. She is persistent and determined to find the answers that are so vital to her clients.
It is a difficult balance between delving into someone else's family history (and secrets) and at the same time, respecting a client's privacy. Carol has a great deal of integrity and just the right amount of empathy, having no need to know anymore than is necessary to continue her research. Confidentiality is paramount and I would never give this a second thought where Carol is concerned.
Because of Carol's high personal and professional standards, I will ask her to continue research on my mother's family. I feel fortunate to have found someone who has such a passion for her work and a keen desire to help others discover their past.
-- Sue Leonard
When you need help on your family genealogy and are at a loss about what to do next, I recommend Carol McCoy, Ph. D.
Carol, a professional in every sense, is proficient in strategies and research. She is fully aware that that "surfing the databases on the internet" is NOT research. Carol is resourceful in her investigating, using first hand, primary sources whenever they are available; systematic in her approach, using multiple sources, considering the reliability of each in her search; and thorough, an attribute that I strongly admire. Carol is a cautious detective, striving always for accurate information and conclusions. Fully schooled and proficient in her skills, she is passionate about accuracy.
Not only is she well trained as a genealogist, she is well experienced. As a past educator and fellow researcher, I commend her for the manner in which she applies the skills of her profession. I highly recommend her to anyone seeking assistance in genealogical research.
Very truly yours,
Marge Merrill Devine -Past President Falmouth Historical Society, and Publisher of The Falmouth Historian
When I retained Carol McCoy to help locate some of my long-lost ancestors, she traveled 1200 miles over Maine roads visiting many town halls and court houses to research my 19th century ancestors. She uncovered new information that was most helpful to me. I found her research to be very professional, thorough and exceptionally well-organized. I recommend her highly for anyone researching for their roots.
-Colonel Charles Preble, Virginia
I hired Dr. McCoy to find my Canadian ancestors who lived in Nova Scotia. It turned out that there were two James Hutchinson's who had wives with the same first name. She was able to untangle this complicated situation to discover my loyalist ancestors. She is a true professional who does excellent, thorough and accurate work. I would highly recommend her for genealogy and family research.
-Jim Allen, Maine
For many years, various family members attempted a genealogy of the Harden family of central New York State. Since I was a full time employer of Harden Furniture Company, I needed to hire someone to help build on the research started by another professional, who had passed away. I hired Carol McCoy to search for John Harden, who was the father of our branch of the family, to find out about his life and his country of origin. I am sure that Carol was the best we could have had! We now have authenticated records of the family's early history and evidence that John Harden came from Scotland.
Working with Carol McCoy is fun. Her fees are very fair. Her interest never flags, and she becomes part of her family under study. She is an enthusiastic and very professional researcher. And she provides complete documentation to her clients.
I would be happy to receive any inquiry from an interested person in having Carol do a genealogy for him or her.
Sincerely,
Ann Harden Babcock (McConnellsville, NY)
Dear Carol,
Working with you to find out the secrets of my ancestors has been really fun. Some of them turned out to be really good people and others very interesting characters, like the indentured servant who came to America to work of her hanging crime of theft. The tremendous stamina to go into what I would consider unknown wilderness is something I very much admire. Thanks for giving me all the information.
-Ellen Sutton (Evanston, Illinois)
I contracted Dr Carol McCoy to research elements of my family History in Maine. It was very difficult to achieve a great deal from Australia where I live. Carol proved to be an efficient and reliable source of documents relating to my family and I was very grateful for her thorough and helpful skills. I would thoroughly recommend Carol to all those home genealogists who want to fast track their research with someone who gets right to the source of the information.
-Dr. David Nelson Crockett
Mt Eliza Victoria, Australia