Bad seed in mix? Looking into ‘criminal past’ is the specialty of this genealogist

Uncovering a family’s history can be fascinating and informative.

And, sometimes, according to Michelle Bates, downright criminal.

Bates is a criminal genealogist and the speaker for this month’s general meeting of the Johnson County Genealogy Society. What About Our Criminal Past is the topic of the meeting, which is free and open to the public. It will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Carmack Room of the Johnson County Central Resource Library, 9875 W. 87th St., Overland Park.

Bates is a criminal legal assistant for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Oklahoma. She also owns a genealogy service business in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that offers research services for law firms.

She said most people who are researching their own family history are able to embrace a less-than-savory relative.

“We live in a true crime world where the obsession with the stories and the people is at its highest,” Bates said.

“To discover within your own family an ancestor or relative that misbehaved can be quite exciting, depending on the crimes that are committed, of course,” Bates said. “I find that most people either heard stories about an ancestor who committed a crime and they go looking for the truth or they come across something in a newspaper that shocks them, prompting them to learn more.”

Bates said that even if family historians and genealogists don’t want to share the truth of a criminal ancestor, it is still important to do the research.

“There are undiscovered gems in the records that can answer questions about family members, break down the proverbial brick wall in our research, and uncover new information about the ancestor and their family,” Bates said. “You never know what you might be able to find and no one has to share what they uncover. “

Bates’ presentation is just one of a multitude of events and activities available through the genealogy society for the public and society members, said Marsha Bennett, the society’s vice president – education and outreach.

There are lectures, workshops and social gatherings.

“We never run out of topics,” Bennett said.

The society also operates the Memory Lab out of the Central Resource Library, that, with the help of volunteers, digitizes people’s memories.

“My kids don’t want my stuff in the basement, but they’re OK if I give them a flash drive,” Bennett said.

The lab has helped with more than 1,000 people since opening in April 2023. In addition, society volunteers can help people one-on-one and nine special interest groups enhance people’s resources, Bennett said.

And, Bennett added, the Johnson County Genealogy Society has a collection of about 8,000 items, from family histories to how-to books within the library. These items can be used by the public, but cannot be checked out.

“We make our references open to the public,” Bennett said. “We feel like this is part of our mission.”

The society has about 225 members, but resources aren’t limited only to them, Bennett said.

“Programming and outreach are very important.”

Genealogy can be never-ending fun, Bennett said.

“There are a lot of mysteries to solve. There are a lot of puzzles to put together.”

For more information about the Johnson County Genealogy Society, go here .