Grace DuMelle is the author of Finding Your Chicago Ancestors. Written for beginners, it has received state, regional and national awards for instructional nonfiction.

She is the owner of Heartland Historical Research Service, answering questions such as "What was Mrs. Lincoln's Chicago neighborhood like?" and "Can you get more information on my grandfather's killing in 1917?"

Audiences give her high marks for presentations blending book tips with field experience -- over 200 since 2005.