Mark A. Wentling, MLS, CG, is the Owner of Ancestor Introductions, LLC, and a Board-Certified genealogist in the Boston-Providence metropolitan area, with more than 25 years of experience connecting people with their unique family stories.  His work has involved research in every U.S. state.  He has offered probate, heir search and other forensic research services to attorneys and the military since 2017.  For family history clients, he specializes in New England and New York cases, including Mayflower ancestry and Revolutionary War lineages. 

As a university adjunct professor of genealogy, peer-reviewed author, and board member of professional genealogy standards-setting organizations, Mark ensures that your case receives professional attention with credible results that meet recognized standards. 

Mark works according to the Genealogy Standards published by the Board for Certification of Genealogists, of which he is an associate and current trustee, and he has signed it’s Genealogist’s Code of Ethics.  He is also a current director of the Board of the Association of Professional Genealogists and chaired its committee that revised its Code of Ethics & Professional Practices in 2024.

Contact Mark for a consultation on your case today.

Certified Genealogist and CG are registered trademarks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists®, used under license by Board certificants who meet competency standards.

Experience & Education

Certifications:

• Certified Genealogist, Board for Certification of Genealogists; no. 1134.

Teaching:

• Adjunct Professor of Genealogy, University of New Haven, Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, Forensic Genetic Genealogy Graduate Certificate Program, 2021-present
• Expert Consultant, Research in Albany Tour, New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, October 2023
• Expert Consultant, Empire State Exploration-Hudson Valley, New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, March 2023
• Case Study Instructor, Advanced Evidence Analysis Practicum, Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, Fall 2022
• Certified Genealogist Mentor, ProGen (Professional Genealogy) Study Group (cohort 56), 2021-2022
• Course Facilitator, Genealogy Principles, Boston University Center for Professional Education, Fall 2018

Publications:

Peer-reviewed articles

• “Joseph Brownell (1699-ca.1773) of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and Little Compton, Rhode Island: Corrections to the Identities of His Wives and Children,” Mayflower Descendant, 71 (Summer 2023): 132-163. [Read PDF article] [subscribe]
• “Who Was Grace Holcom, Wife of Daniel Manley?,” The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 174 (Fall 2020): 324-327.

White Papers

• Barbara Jean Mathews, Melinde Lutz Byrne, LaBrenda Garrett-Nelson, Mark A. Wentling, “Certification and Standards in the Practice of Forensic Genetic Genealogy,” Board for Certification of Genealogists, 25 January 2024.

Book reviews

• Michael Grow, John Grow of Ipswich, Massachusetts and Some of His Descendants: A Middle-Class Family in Social and Economic Context from the 17^th Century to the Present (Amherst, Mass.: Genealogy House, 2020); Mark A. Wentling, review, National Genealogical Society Quarterly 110 (September 2022) : 223-224.

Trade publications

• Mark A. Wentling & the AGES Board, “Genealogical Education Comes of AGES,” Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly 37 (Dec. 2022) : 8-13.

Peer Reviewer

• Michael S. Ramage & Catherine B. W. Desmarais, Forensic Genealogy: Theory & Practice (Annapolis, Md.: National Genealogical Society, 2024).

Boards & Leadership:

• Board for Certification of Genealogists
  • Executive Committee, Member at Large, October 2025-present
  • Trustee, October 2024-present
  • Ad hoc White Paper Committee on Certification and Standards in Forensic Genetic Genealogy, member, 2023-2024
  • Nominating Committee, member, 2023
  • Associate, 2021-present
• Association of Professional Genealogists
  • Board Director, 2022-present
  • Code of Ethics Review Committee — Chair, 2023-2024
  • Forensic Genealogy Special Interest Group — Vice President & Program Chair, 2020-2021; Nominating Committee Chair, 2022
  • New England Chapter — Vice President, 2018-2020; Mentoring Program Coordinator, 2019-2022; New England Regional Genealogical Consortium (NERGC) Conference, Planning Committee Delegate, 2017-2019.
• Association of Genealogy Educators & Schools
  • Board Director, 2022-2023
  • Curriculum Committee — Chair, 2022-2023, Member 2023-2024
• Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy
  • Founding member, 2024-2025

Education:

• Fundamentals of Forensic Genealogy.  Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh.  La Roche College, Pittsburgh.  22-27 July 2018.
• ProGen Study Group (professional mentored study program), Feb 2017-Jul 2018
• Certificate, Genealogical Research, Boston University, 2016
• Master, Library Science, with archives concentration, University of Maryland at College Park, 2002

Selected Webinars, Presentations & Appearances:

• “Five Wives & A Feather Bed: Using Indirect & Negative Evidence to Resolve Conflicting Claims,” Legacy Family Tree Webinars, 18 May 2022.
• “New York Genealogy Brick Wall Busters: Strategies For Finding Your Elusive Early Ancestors.” Jefferson County, New York, History & Genealogy Fair. Watertown, New York. 23 September 2017.
• “Identifying Early Family Photographs.” Cape Cod Genealogical Society Annual Luncheon.  Old Yarmouth Inn, Yarmouth Port, MA.  20 June 2017.
• “We Are New York:  Rock Island Lighthouse” [video].  New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Presevation.  16 May 2016.
• “Guardians of the River: The Keepers of Rock Island Lighthouse.” Rock Island Lighthouse, Fisher’s Landing, NY.  On invitation from Thousand Islands Region, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. 29 August 2015.
• Guest Speaker.  Grand re-opening of Rock Island Lighthouse State Park. Rock Island Lighthouse, Fisher’s Landing, NY.  On invitation from New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. 4 June 2013.

Awards:

• Certificate of Appreciation, Association of Professional Genealogists (2024) — for chairing the committee responsible for updating the Code of Ethics & Professional Practices.
• New York State Historic Preservation Award, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation (2013) — for volunteer role in “an outstanding collaborative effort to rehabilitate, interpret and revitalize” Rock Island Lighthouse.
• Citation of Merit, New York State Assembly (2013) — for volunteer role in multi-year project to preserve and interpret Rock Island Lighthouse at Fisher’s Landing, New York, by researching biographies of its fourteen keepers and the station’s history.

To learn more about my professional experience, please visit my LinkedIn profile.