Heritage Seekers

Word for Genealogists
2026-10-26 18:30 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Zoom Virtual Meeting
Linda Debe

Linda Debe is a lecturer, writer, and lifelong student with over 40 years of genealogy research experience. She holds an AAS degree in Electronics Technology from the United States Air Force where she served for 11 years. Since 2019, Linda has been lecturing on genealogy and technology-based topics to societies public libraries, conferences, and institutes. Referred to by friends as “The Sleepless Genealogist,” Linda now has a website by the same name where you can find a list of the lectures she offers.

Being Microsoft Office certified in Access and Excel, she applies her training to creating automated spreadsheets to help with genealogy research. Her philosophy is to “Work Smarter, Not Harder.” She has a YouTube channel where she provides general “how-to” videos on genealogy technology. In addition, Linda offers a free Google calendar which is updated daily and organizes free and fee-based genealogical educational opportunities for genealogists of all levels.

A Zoom link will be sent to members and mailing list subscribers the morning of the event.

Leaving a Legacy: Who's Writing Your Story?
2026-11-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Virtual Meeting
Deborah A. Abbott, Ph.D.

Dr. Deborah Abbott is a professional genealogist specializing in African American research, manuscript collections, and genealogy methodology. She is a Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Archives Advisory Commission member and serves on the Lake View (Ohio) Cemetery Outreach Committee. She is an associate with the Kentucky-Tennessee Associates based in Springfield, TN; past president of the African American Genealogical Society, Cleveland, OH; and a retired professor of Counseling from Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland. She holds both a BS and an M.Ed. from Tuskegee University in Alabama and a PhD from Kent State University in Ohio.

Dr. Abbott is an instructor and the coordinator for both the week-long African American tracts at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), held at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA, and the Genealogy Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), held at LaRoche University in Pittsburgh, PA. She is also an instructor at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) in Salt Lake City, UT. She presents lectures and workshops at national, state, and local genealogy conferences. She lectures at colleges, businesses & libraries. She has published in both the Ohio Genealogy News and Family Tree Magazine. Dr. Abbott can be seen teaching the African American research course “Needles & Threads” in an educational video on Ancestry Academy, available on Ancestry.com. She coordinates monthly classes for the Genealogy and Family History Clinic for the Cleveland Public Library.

A Cleveland, Ohio native, Dr. Abbott is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Tuskegee University National Alumni Association, and Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland.

A Zoom link will be sent to members and mailing list subscribers the morning of the meeting.
