Craig Rice

Craig Rice

Craig Rice has been doing genealogy research for over 40 years and researching professionally for the last 6 years. He got his bachelors degree from the University of Michigan and spent most of his career as a computer programmer and manager of computer programmers. Genealogy has always been his hobby and when he got laid off after his department's jobs were sent overseas, he decided to make that his profession. He is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and has completed over 30 courses at the National Institute for Genealogical Studies concentrating on North American and English research.

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Favorite genealogy quote:

I often say "my business is digging up your dead ancestors."

What got you into genealogy?

Both of my Grandmothers had family histories when I was in high school. I got interested in the charts that they had drawn and started doing research. By the time I got to college I was doing research all over the country.

Most surprising genealogical find:

I had a client, an elderly woman, that had discovered she probably had Jewish ancestry because she was using a word that her grandmother had used and a friend had told her it was a Yiddish curse. Her name was quite English but after doing a few hours of research I discovered that the name had been changed from a completely unrelated Polish name and those ancestors indeed were Jewish.

If you could find the family history of any historical great, who would it be and why?

One of my favorite things to do is to find famous cousins. As a result I have done research on many historical figures in America. I can't really think of a historical great that I would like to see the family history of, however I would love to find the English origins Pascoe Whitford who first appeared in Rhode Island in 1680. This is the immigrant ancestor on my mother's direct line and a dead end in my own genealogy since I first started doing research.

What is your favorite quotation related to genealogy?

I often say "my business is digging up your dead ancestors."

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