About Prairie Genealogy and
​Gary Ball-Kilbourne PhD, CG®, CGL®
Prairie Genealogy is owned and operated by Gary L. Ball-Kilbourne, a professional, board-certified genealogist residing in Fargo, North Dakota. 
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Meet Gary Ball-Kilbourne:
​     I began researching my own genealogy as a hobby over forty years ago. After a career as a pastor and a senior editor, I started Prairie Genealogy to help persons find their family roots, especially in the Northern Plains, spreading out from the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Montana, and Wisconsin.
     My personal family stories have also caused me to develop research expertise in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Connecticut, and Germany.
     I hold a Certified Genealogist® credential from the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG). In 2021, I was elected a BCG Trustee and named as the editor of BCG's publication, OnBoard​. I also serve as secretary for the BCG Trustees. In 2024 BCG renewed my Certified Genealogist® credential and awarded me the Certified Genealogy Lecturer® credential.
     Besides straightforward genealogical research, I am available to coach you as you work on your own research, as well as to engage with family history projects involving organizing information and files, writing, and editing.
    My recent client work has included such projects as:
  • helping persons push their family trees back additional generations in locales such as Pennsylvania, Missouri, Québec, and Luxembourg;
  • finding towns of origin for immigrant Norwegians, Germans, and Germans from Russia;
  • discovering the month-by-month Civil War activity and location for a Confederate soldier from Virginia;
  • scanning and displaying family photographs;
  • conducting local research for the ​Who Do You Think You Are? television show.
     I serve as a lead facilitator for modules of the online genealogy principles and the genealogy research certificate course at Boston University, as well as serving as an instructor for Boston University's genealogy practicum course. I have also taught in the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SALT) and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP).

​Upcoming Genealogical Presentations:​
  • "Peeling the Onion: Digging Down to Original Sources," Pikes Peak Genealogical Society, webinar, 14 May 2025.
  • "Beyond the First Clue: Unraveling a Genealogical Mystery with GPS," National Genealogical Society Family History Conference, Louisville, Kentucky, 25 May 2025.

Recent Genealogical Presentations:
  • "Fakes, Frauds, and Fabrications: A Genealogist's Guide to Deception," Fairfax Genealogical Society, webinar, 20 March 2025.
  • "Tracking an Immigrant Family's Migration: A Case Study," and "Beyond the Midwest: The Great Plains," in Midwest Family History, Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, 24–28 June, 2024.
  • "Researching along the Northern Plains" (course coordinator and instructor), Salt Lake Institute for Genealogy, 22–26 January 2024.
  • "The Many Wives of Howard William Lowe: Working with Social History to Glean Genealogical Insights," Reisinger Lecture, Board for Certification of Genealogists, Salt Lake City Utah, 20 October 2023.
  • "Researching Religiously in the District of Columbia," and "Cemetery Research in the District of Columbia," ​in Capitol Kin: Researching Ancestors Who Lived in Washington, D.C., Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, 25 January 2023.
  • "Peeling the Onion: Digging Down to the Original Sources," Reisinger Lecture, Board for Certification of Genealogists, Salt Lake City, Utah, 7 October 2022.
Training:
  • Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy—Exploring Their Life: The Social History of Your Family (2024); Capitol Kin: Researching Ancestors Who Lived in Washington, D.C. (2023); Advanced Land Records: Maps (2022); Proving Your Pedigree with DNA (2021); Pre-1837 English Research (2021); Meeting Standards Using DNA Evidence (2021); All-DNA Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum (2020); Maryland: Researching the Old Line State (2020); Burned Counties and More: Overcoming Destroyed, Missing, or Non-Extant Records—Sources and Techniques/ Methods (2019); Nordic Research (2018); Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum (2016)
  • Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh—Artificial Intelligence Genealogy Seminars: From Basics to Breakthroughs (2024); Tackling Tough Research Problems (2018); Advanced Research Methods (2016)
  • Institute for Genealogical and Historical Research—Genetics for Genealogists (2017)
  • International Institute for Genealogical Studies—Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies (PLCGS), American Records, with distinction (2017); German Records, with distinction (2019)
  • Boston University—Certificate in Genealogical Research (2016)
  • Excelsior College--Genetic Genealogy (2019)
  • GenProof 43—Mastering Genealogical Proof (2015)
  • Vanderbilt University—Doctor of Philosophy, ethics

​Professional & Lineage Society Memberships:
  • Board for Certification of Genealogists (trustee & secretary)
  • Association of Professional Genealogists
  • National Genealogical Society
  • North Dakota State Genealogical Society
  • South Dakota Genealogy Society (research member)
  • Minnesota Genealogical Society
  • Red River Valley Genealogical Society (eastern North Dakota & western Minnesota)
  • ​Maryland Genealogical Society
  • New England Historic Genealogical Society
  • Connecticut Society of Genealogists
  • Utah Genealogical Association​
  • Sons of the American Revolution (Maryland Society, Col. Tench Tilghman Chapter; Dakota Society)
  • Swedish Colonial Society (Forefather Member)

Genealogical Publications:
  • "Finding Parents for Ann Corden of Early Calvert County, Maryland," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, 112 (June 2024): 135–141.
  • "The Many Wives of Howard William Lowe," Generations: Quarterly Journal of the Minnesota Genealogical Society, 55 (Summer 2024): 6–12..
  • "North Dakota: Research Guide," Family Tree Magazine​, 25 (May/June 2024) : 37–40.
  • "Creating and Maintaining a Successful Educational Plan," Crossroads 17 (Spring 2022): 27–29.
  • "Who Was the Mother of Samuel Kilbourn of Hartford County, Connecticut, and Baltimore City, Maryland?," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, 108 (December 2020): 263–276.
  • "Confirming the Parentage of Samuel Kilbourn of Baltimore (1814–1855)," Maryland Genealogical Society Journal, 61 (August 2020): 273–299.
  • Review of ​How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records: A Genealogist's Guide, by Sunny Jane Morton and Harold A. Henderson, Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, 35 (March 2020): 40–41.
  • Calvin Research Report, "Genealogical Work Samples," Board for Certification of Genealogists (bcgcertification.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ResearchReportBall-Kilbourne.pdf). 

Let's get started!
If you are ready to work on your family's story, then let's get started!