top of page
Author Pic Cropped - adjusted.png

CRYSTAL TORONYAI DAVIS

Achievements and Experience

ICAPGen
- PURSUANT OF ACCREDITATION

3 OCT 2022 - PRESENT

The journey of becoming an Accredited Genealogist is lengthy. As of October 2022, my Level 1 Project of the ICAPGen Accreditation process was submitted and accepted for review. This review process can take from six months to over a year.

ANCESTRAL SPOTLIGHT
- PUBLISHING HOUSE

JAN 2022 - PRESENT

Publications were a natural progression of my work as a genealogist. Traditional genealogies, biographies, genetic genealogy research reports, group DNA study research reports, and speculative genealogy pursuits were best served, in my opinion, in this format to preserve the vast amounts of data compiled over the years. The creation of a formal publishing house made a fantastic addition to the various ventures of Ancestral Spotlight.

CLAN BAIRD SOCIETY WORLDWIDE
- GENEALOGIST

8 MAR 2021 - PRESENT

Invited to serve as genealogist for the Clan Baird Society Worldwide, I humbly accepted. I proudly volunteer my time and expertise to this worldwide community and publish a column on genealogy in their society quarterly, The Gryphon. In coordination with this society, I've made available both an autosomal and Y DNA study, hosted via Ancestral Spotlight. While the volunteer position offers two hours per query, my passion of our Baird ancestry drives me to pursue many queries through to the finish line. With simple cases usually done pro bono for society membership, an occasional brick wall entices some to become paying clients for the full weight of my services via Ancestral Spotlight.

ANCESTRAL SPOTLIGHT
- GENEALOGIST

2020 - PRESENT

Ancestral Spotlight very quickly eclipsed Raven Oak Genealogy, thus it was a natural jump to merge the entities into one - YouTube videos, tutorials, and genealogy research.

ANCESTRAL SPOTLIGHT
- YOUTUBE CHANNEL

15 SEPT 2019 - PRESENT

An avid fan of documentaries, I found it unfortunate that only ancestors of historical acclaim fell worthy of being featured in videos. Telling the tales of our ancestors "a little less known" became a personal goal. A YouTube channel felt the natural outlet for this pursuit, thus, Ancestral Spotlight was born. In addition to honed research skills, an entirely new skillset was necessary for the production of these mini-documentary videos. A progression to tutorial videos soon followed, then announcements for DNA studies, publication releases, merchandise... It's proved a fantastic way to communicate directly with others in our collective interest of genealogy.

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR GENEALOGICAL STUDIES
- AMERICAN RECORDS
- DNA & GENETIC GENEALOGY

5 JUN 2017 - PRESENT

A lifelong learner with a goal of keeping up with cutting-edge advancements in not only genetic genealogy, tools, tricks, and methodologies, but also the constantly updated repositories as we move forward into the digital age. I am pursuant of various certifications available at the International Institute for Genealogical Studies. My main focus is on DNA & Genetic Genealogy and American Record certifications. Future endeavors include certification in Scottish and Eastern European Records.

RAVEN OAK GENEALOGY
- RESEARCHER

2015 - 2020

Relocating from southern New Jersey to the top of New England, where I once again decided to offer genealogy services to the public. Rebranding seemed a proper course of action. My love of Norse and Hungarian culture came forward in the name.

GENETIC
GENEALOGY
- RESEARCHER

2009 - 2015

Honed genetic genealogy skills with my own family tree. Assisted and solved dozens of adoption/NPE cases via genetic genealogy. Majority of this work was done pro bono.

HERITAGE C. T. M.
- RESEARCHER

2006 - 2009

General family history research for friends and family. Majority of research was pro bono to hone research skills. Entered into the world of genetic genealogy and began applying this to my own family tree.

TRAINING
WHEELS

1992 - 2006

Captivated early on with stories and pictures of my Hungarian relatives shared via my grandmother, I was fascinated by the thought of sharing DNA with people on the other side of the world.

Then, after the sudden passing of my father in 1992, the embers of my lifelong passion for genealogy began to burn; I was nine years old. Seasoned by trial and error and mentored by older generations of family researchers in traditional genealogy practices, I discovered my own family history. It was not long before I began doing research for extended family and friends.

Special Thanks:

  • Dorothy Taylor nee Berghaier

  • Mary Lou Torney nee Richman

  • Frank Kozempel

  • Davey Lee Taylor

  • Istvan Guti

bottom of page