Crystal Burton was born in Halifax, Virginia and was raised with one older brother among a throng of family including grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and more cousins than she could count. That connection across the generations gave her a deep respect for those who came before and the value of their experiences. Crystal has many varied interests and in indulging them her path to genealogy has been a winding one. She attended Tulane University where she graduated with honors and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and International Relations. Both majors drew her into the study of sociology, law, and world cultures, exposing their true value in understanding events of the past. She went on to receive a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice and 16 years spent in emergency medicine, but she never forgot her love of history and family. Crystal spent years as a hobbyist researching her own family history, learning that she came from a very long line of North Carolinians since before the Revolutionary War and Virginians stretching all the way back to Jamestown in 1622. When injuries forced her away from the physically demanding fields of law enforcement and emergency medicine, she decided to turn that hobby into a new career as a genealogist where she can combine nearly all of her varied interests.
When Crystal went away to college, her very practical grandmother asked what she could do with a degree in history. She has finally found the answer: She will help others find their own connections to the past.
Crystal is a member of the National Genealogical Society and the Association of Professional Genealogists, and she recently joined the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Genealogical Society. She successfully completed the Certificate in Genealogical Research Program from Boston University in 2016 and is an approved researcher with the State Archives of North Carolina.
Contact Crystal today for a free consultation!
