About Kassie
Kassie Koester (formerly Nelson) received her Master of Arts in History from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She utilizes a blended research methodology that combines the careful and thorough principles of the Genealogical Proof Standard with the practices of academically trained historians. Her projects often entail managing complex research projects. She is a historian of the American West who specializes in the history of steamboating on the Upper Missouri and the Overland trail and is a history instructor at a local university.
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Kassie was the original creator, founder, and leader of the NextGen Genealogy Network. Kassie also previously served as the President and Chapter Representative of the Association of Professional Genealogists' Great Plains Chapter, a chapter she was instrumental in forming. She continues to regularly participate in history conferences and support the Pi Nu Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta.
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Kassie is also an avid photographer with some of her photographs featured on this site.
Curriculum Vitae
Education:
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Master of Arts, History, 2013
University of Nebraska at Kearney
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Awards & Publications:
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Under Contract: The Prince of the Upper Missouri: The Life and Times of Steamboat Captain James McGarry. History Press. Expected publication date, 2026.
Research Grant for Authors. State Historical Society of Iowa. Des Moines, Iowa. 2020.
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The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck. Great Plains Quarterly 37 (Summer 2017): 237.
Independent Research and Creative Work Award. Charles Redd Center, Brigham Young University, Salt Lake City, Utah. 2016.
Outstanding Alumni Paper Award Presented at the Missouri Valley History Conference.
University of Nebraska at Kearney, 2016.
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Conferences:
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2024 Upcoming: “The Rooster Crows for Captain McGarry: A New Examination of the History of Steamboating on the Upper Missouri, 1860-1880.” Western History Association Annual Conference. Kansas City, Missouri. October 2024.
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2019 Presented: “William A. Paxton: Cattle, Indian Agencies, and Scandal on the Northern Plains, 1871-1876,” Phi Alpha Theta Regional
Conference. Omaha, Nebraska. March 2019.
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2019 Participant: Phi Alpha Theta 2019 Regional Conference Undergraduate and Graduate Award Submissions Committee Member
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2018 Presented: “Emerging from the Shadows: Lending a Voice to Steamboat Historian Virginia Burlingame,” Missouri Valley History
Conference. Omaha, Nebraska. March 2018.
2018 Panel Organizer: “Changing Course: Navigating Women’s Roles in American Steamboat History,” Missouri Valley History Conference.
Omaha, Nebraska. March 2018.
2017 Presented: “Steamboats North: The Life of John Christie Barr,” Missouri Valley History Conference. Omaha, Nebraska. March 2017.
2016 Presented: “The Prince of the Upper Missouri: Captain James McGarry,” Missouri Valley History Conference. Omaha, Nebraska. March 2016.
2015 Presented: “We Are Now in Indian Territory: A Comparative Study of Men and Women’s Views of Indians along the Overland Trail,” Missouri Valley History Conference. Omaha, Nebraska. March 2015.
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Presentations:
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"Portrait of Steamboat Town: Sioux City, 1868-1873." State Historical Society of Iowa, (Zoom). Des Moines, Iowa. 8 December 2022.
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"Crossing the Plains: Researching Your Overland Trail Ancestors." Omaha Public Library (Zoom). Omaha, NE. 15 November 2020.
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"John Barr: River Pilot. By Virginia Struble Burlingame." History Camp Iowa. Des Moines, Iowa. February 2020.
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"Researching Your Steamboat Ancestors," Steamboat Bertrand Museum, Desoto National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri Valley, Iowa. August 2019.
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"Researching Your Steamboat Ancestors," Family History Day, UNL Libraries, Lincoln, Nebraska. June 2019.
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“Researching Your Steamboat Ancestors,” Nebraska State Genealogy Society Annual Conference. Columbus, Nebraska. April 2018.
“Steamboating on the Missouri,” Sarpy County Museum. Bellevue, Nebraska. January 2018.
“The Prince of the Upper Missouri: Captain James McGarry,” History Camp Iowa. Des Moines, Iowa. November 2017.
“We Are Now In Indian Territory,” History Camp Iowa. Des Moines, Iowa. November 2017.
“Military Records and Your Family Tree,” Sarpy County Museum. Bellevue, Nebraska. April 2015.
“Handing Down History: Sparking the Next Generation’s Interest in Genealogy.” Nebraska State Genealogy Society Annual Conference. Grand Island, Nebraska. April 2015.
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Volunteer and Service Work:
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Phi Alpha Theta Honors Society, Pi Nu Chapter
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Historian, 2014-2015 Term
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The NextGen Genealogy Network
Founding Leader, 2013-2015
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Association of Professional Genealogists, Great Plains Chapter
President & Chapter Representative, 2012-2013