Get in touch
555-555-5555
mymail@mailservice.com

About Rick Allen

  • 35+ years genealogical research experience, including solving Brick Wall problems
  • Master of Arts in History, American History Instructor, Southeast Missouri State University
  • Member – Association of Professional Genealogists, National Genealogical Society, Illinois State Genealogical Society, Kentucky Genealogical Society, Organization of American Historians, Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois, other local organizations. As a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, I subscribe and adhere to their Code of Ethics and Professional Practices.
  • I have completed several courses of study including:
  • Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research
  • Advanced Methodology with Elizabeth Shown Mills
  • Genetic Genealogy Tools and Techniques
  • Research in the South
  • Virginia: Her Records and Laws
  • Virginia: Land and Military Conflicts
  • Genealogy as a Profession
  • Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh
  • Tackling Tough Research Problems
  • Advanced DNA Evidence
  • Get Your Hands Dirty! A Workshop in Land and Property Records
  • Regular Attendance at National Genealogical Society and other Conferences
  • Editor – Saga of Southern Illinois, 2006 – 2012
  • Author/Publisher
  • Two volumes of Claiborne Hall and Elizabeth Herod of Smith County, Tennessee: Ancestry and Descendants
  • All federal census records of Pope County, Illinois from 1818 to 1900
  • Various articles in the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, Saga of Southern Illinois, and Springhouse Magazine. 
  • Pope County, Illinois Death Records, 1877 - 1915, With Annotations
  • Postcards of Roy Hall and Lura Cole and Other Family Correspondence, Pope County, Illinois, 1908 - 1948
  • Director, Illinois State Genealogical Society
  • Treasurer, Pope County (Illinois) Historical Society
  • Genealogist, Genealogy Society of Southern Illinois

Are your ancestors Lost or Hiding? Would you simply like to know more about them?

Backstory Bloodhound, LLC can help! 

Per the American Kennel Association – “The world-famous 'Sleuth Hound' does one thing better than any creature on earth: find people who are lost or hiding. An off-duty Bloodhound is among the canine kingdom's most docile citizens, but he's relentless and stubborn on a scent.”*


  • Source: “Bloodhound, About the Breed,” - https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/bloodhound/


Backstory Bloodhound, LLC is owned by Rick Allen. Just like a bloodhound pursues its target, I promise to relentlessly pursue your backstory (your family’s ancestry). I have solved many long-standing brick wall problems because I just do not give up! As a local historian, I can also provide on-site historical research.   

While the internet is often helpful, it is important to note that many tough genealogical brick walls are still solved by digging into the original records often found in courthouses, archives, and libraries. Some of these are on the internet but most are not. Each fact I uncover in my research will be fully sourced and documented.


I specialize in:


  • Onsite and Online Professional Research/Consultations – Family History and Regional History in Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, Southeast Missouri, Southern and Midwestern Research
  • Problem-Solving and Online Genealogical Research – Midwestern and Southern United States
  • Free Initial Consultations
  • DNA Analysis (generally as a part of a research package)
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