Presenter Profile: Roberta Bobbi King

Bobbi King lectures and writes about the homestead records, the public lands survey system, and western settlement. Her homestead lectures introduce the researcher to the detailed accounts of homesteaders' lives contained within the land entry files held at the National Archives, contents of which contain testimonies, affidavits, and supporting letters documenting the settlers' claims to free grants of land. Her public lands survey lectures offer the student the logic and understanding of how sections, ranges and townships relate to the deeds discovered within the courthouses of the public land states.

Her articles about homesteaders have appeared in the NGS NewsMagazine, FGS FORUM, and various local and national publications. She wrote the description for the homestead records collection at Footnote.com, and she continues to lecture at national conferences about the rectangular survey system, the homestead records held at the National Archives, and the homestead laws.

Bobbi writes the professional profiles column for the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly for which she received the 2008 Award of Excellence. She wrote Research in Nebraska for the NGS Research in the States series, and authored the recently updated "Research in Nebraska" article for the NGSQ.

Bobbi is a member of the board for FGS, where her past work has included graphic and design work for conference publications, editor for the Society Strategy Series papers, and service as parliamentarian. She is presently vice-president of administration for the Federation.

Bobbi lives in Lakewood Colorado, is a member of numerous local and national genealogy organizations, and continues to write about homesteading. She is the owner of Miss Congenealogy.

Bobbi is teaching "Homestead Records: An Ancestor's Life Revealed" Wednesday at 4pm, "Survey and Settle, or Was It Settle and Survey?" Friday at 9:30 am, and "Homesteads Lost: Cancelations, Relinquishments, and Abandonments" Saturday at 4pm.