The Mystery Girl, Elise McKenna, is a Louisville-based genealogist and research historian specializing in microhistories. She takes genealogy to a new level, bringing the leaves on a family tree to life. Going beyond the names, dates, and relationships that are central to standard genealogical practice, Elise focuses on the people themselves, examining family correspondence, newspaper articles, legal documents to give her clients a personalized microhistory for their ancestors or subjects of interest.

Elise is currently involved in several major research projects, including work for Blackacre Nature Preserve to identify the locations of burial grounds of enslaved people who lived and labored there when the land was owned by the Tyler family, who occupied the property from around 1780 until 1881. The land was later purchased by Judge Macauley and Emily Smith in 1950 and donated to the state in 1979 as Kentucky’s first state nature preserve.

You can find more information about her previous projects and ongoing work here.

Think you have a mystery for Elise? Fill out a research request!