Presenter: Derek Blount

“Remember the Maine!” - The Spanish American War - This program will cover the events leading up to and including the war. A discussion of what kinds of artifacts and records were created and where to find them.

Derek Blount is a professional genealogist with his own business, “Lost Branches”. He has worked for 33 years on his family genealogy traveling America, Canada and United Kingdom gathering records, visiting cemeteries and churches. Derek was born in England and specializes in research in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth nations. He holds a B.S. degree from Oakland University and has completed course work at the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburg. He has lectured on numerous genealogy subjects for the past six years to many of the Michigan genealogical societies. He also serves as Vice President of the Oakland County Genealogical Society and is also on the Board of the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research. Derek also holds memberships in the Irish Genealogical Society of Michigan and the Welsh Genealogical Society. He holds memberships in the Association of Genealogical Professionals and the Society of Genealogists in London. Derek also serves as the Genealogist for the St. Andrew’s Society of Detroit.