About the Author

Carolyne Gould is a professional journalist, writer and website designer. A dedicated genealogist, she is also of Cherokee descent (5/8) as well as having ancestry that includes Scots-Irish, English, German and most probably some Cree. She qualifies quite well for the designation -- an "American Metis."

Gould's professional career has spanned the spectrum of journalism from field correspondent for the Fort Worth Star Telegram to serving at different times as the editor of two newspapers in Texas: The Joshua Star, a weekly newspaper in Joshua, Texas; and the Weatherford Democrat, a 105-plus year-old daily newspaper based in the heart of Parker County, Texas. She is currently the editor and webmaster for Native History Magazine and writes for GenWeekly, a publication of Genealogytoday.com.

While advancing in her professional writing career, Gould worked for two major insurance companies, serving as the Western Region expert on IRA, Keogh and pension plans for Allstate Life Insurance Company. Since retiring from the hectic world of daily newspapers, Gould has concentrated on writing and her love of Native American history, which combined well when she was bitten by the "genealogy bug."

Using the investigative skills she learned in her early days as a reporter and later as editor, Gould has now tackled one of the hardest fields of genealogical research -- Native American ancestry.

"Every day is a learning experience," Gould said. "And every day provides an opportunity to learn. I'm hoping to pass my own family genealogy records on to the younger generations. But, I want those records to be more than just a list of names showing when and where people were born and died. I want to those records to also show how my ancestors lived -- their joys and their sorrows, triumphs and tragedies"

"Most of all," Gould said, "I want to help people discover how all our ancestors contributed to the growth of this country. I'd like to help correct misconceptions about Native Americans and document realities. If I can help other people along the way, I will be taking a small step in honoring the place my traditional ancestors called "Turtle Island."

Gould has given many group presentations on Native American genealogical research and on using the internet to aid in genealogical research in general. She travels a great deal and, if her itinerary permits, accepts speaking engagements for genealogical socities.

Current and past affiliations include:

• Parker County Genealogical Society
• National Genealogical Society
• Native American Journalists Association
• Associated Press Managing Editors Association
• Parker County Adult and Community Education Advisory Board
• HTML Writers Guild
• Association of Professional Artists
• North Texas Writers Guild