Profile

Lorraine Arnold, historical archaeologist and professional genealogist, researches to discover historical stories, resolution to family historians’ brick-walls, adoptee’s birth parents, and produces histories of buildings and people. After receiving an ABA approved paralegal AAS degree and a BA in Jurisprudence, Lorraine was on the way to law school. While working in the legal field at that time, she took a detour into real estate, specializing in historic properties while researching her own family history. This led to the development of Historic NJ Homes and New York House Histories, for research focusing on the investigation and promotion of historic properties and the people connected to them. After completing a selection of historic preservation courses at Drew University, New Jersey, Lorraine pursued a MA in Historical Archaeology from University of Leicester, England, specializing in buildings archaeology. This generated interest in researching the material details of buildings in the eastern mid-Atlantic and lower New England states, as well as Europe. With a love of historical research, and the indelible connection between buildings and people, she also has years of experience as a professional genealogist, resolving numerous complex ancestral lineages and adoption cases through Legacy Roots, a business she began in 2011. Lorraine serves both the private and professional sectors including attorneys, architects, preservation organizations, owners of old houses, authors, playwrights, family historians, and adoptees across the nation and internationally in Europe. To learn more about Lorraine, download her CV or visit her LinkedIn page.