Many houses in Essex County have long and fascinating histories. David Moffat has researched many houses for Historic Salem, Inc. and will discuss using deeds, probates, tax, census, and poll records, and other sources to reconstruct the ownership and heritage of old houses. These research methods can teach you more about your own house or an ancestor's house.

David Moffat is the lead researcher at The House of the Seven Gables in Salem. He is the co-author of Images of America: The House of the Seven Gables and Caroline Emmerton: An Unbounded Vision. He co-founded the Salem Historical Society and sits on the board of Historic Salem, Inc. From 2015 to 2018, he was the editor-in-chief of The Essex Genealogist.