Allison Lawrentz Barnhart, Author/Designer

05/04/2026

At the Ashland Public Library on May 30th, Nayda Williams, Emily Carrington, and I will talk motherhood/writing and writing/motherhood. 🥰 Looking forward to participating in this panel with these two insightful and talented women!

If you're local(ish) to Ashland, we have a fun event this weekend, as we kick off this local authors series in collaboration with Ashland Public Library! And mark your calendars for the other events in this series, coming later this spring.

03/02/2026

It's the non-fiction Cover of the Month contest at Allauthor's website! 🎉📚

Would you mind voting for my cover desig n for The Record Keeper? It's open the entire month of March.

Thank you! 💕☺️

Vote for The Record Keeper: The Unfolding of a Family Secret in the Age of Genetic Genealogy, and help Allison Barnhart to win the cover of the month competition March - allauthor

02/07/2026

https://allisonbarnhart.com/yours-very-sincerely-sallie-an-1898-love-letter-from-coosa-creek-georgia/

01/31/2026

I was invited to give a virtual presentation for the Chicago Genealogical Society! For $10 you can register as a guest. Join me on Groundhogs Day AKA my mom's birthday AKA Monday evening at 7pm Central time or 8pm EST!

01/26/2026

Join the Chicago Genealogical Society on February 2, 2026 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. central for our CGS Webinar via Zoom, "Science, Artifacts, & Memory: The Uncovered Roots Holding Up My Family Tree" with Allison Lawrentz Barnhart (CGS Member $0/Guest $10*).

Our speaker, Allison Lawrentz Barnhart, demonstrates how three important tools in genealogy—DNA, physical items, and the stories and memories passed down—can work together in unexpected ways. Her own research uncovered a decades-old secret kept by her late grandmother, one that shocked the whole family and disrupted long-held assumptions of their ancestry.

Allison grew up in Ashland, Ohio, and graduated from Ashland University which included a year intensive at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Genealogy research has been a passion since grade-school and loves not only exploring her own family’s story, but helping others find joy in discovering their own roots. Her first book, a memoir entitled "The Record Keeper: The Unfolding of a Family Secret in the Age of Genetic Genealogy" was published in July 2024 by Legacy Book Press and was featured on the Ohio Genealogical Society’s podcast Ohio Roots, and in the Mar/Apr 2025 issue of Family Tree Magazine. Allison is a member of the Ohio Genealogical Society as well as the Ashland County Chapter of the OGS, and resides in Ashland, Ohio with her husband and two children.

* Registration is required via the Chicago Genealogical Society website at https://www.chicagogenealogy.org/event-6333693 . Registration will close 1 hour prior to the event. This webinar is FREE for CGS members. Non-Members can register for the event for $10. No refunds. The webinar will take place virtually via ZOOM. Everyone registered will receive an email the morning of the event with log-in instructions and a link. This information is not to be shared.

Note: The Webinar will be recorded and available on the CGS website in the Members Only section at https://www.chicagogenealogy.org/Webinar-Archive.

Thank you for being a member of The Chicago Genealogical Society! https://www.chicagogenealogy.or

01/04/2026

01/02/2026

*Designed during my time with Spire.