LANCASTER, Pa. — 23-year-old Eric Schubert has a passion for the past.
At 10 years old, Schubert received an in-home genealogy kit, a gift that would transform his life and the many people who reached out to him for help.
“I was getting a lot of requests when I was in high school, just starting out in high school, to help people with family trees and to help people with d-n-a mysteries, so it was word of mouth and quickly transpired to something I was helping people with all across the country,” Schubert said.
A hobby transformed into a career.
“People might think genealogy and they think a basic family tree diagram, but at the same time as well you can use it to solve crimes,” Schubert said.
At 18 years old, Schubert was contracted by state investigators to help solve the 57-year-old cold case murder of Marise Chiverella.
Two years later in 2022, the case was cracked.
“That was one of the oldest cases in pa history to be solved through genealogy so that was a big honor,” Schubert said.
But Schubert says it’s not all about recognition.
When asked what case stood out to him the most in his career, Schubert said this:
“I think just getting those real-life updates and experiences months and sometimes years later on when I help people, I like that because it’s a reminder of it’s important work and it’s really powerful work but at the same time there is a real-life aspect to it.”
Today, Schubert runs a freelance genealogy service from his home and helps people map family trees.
He’s also attending graduate school at Elizabethtown College and is expected to graduate in 2026.
He is currently assisting in the genealogical research of Miller Barbour, an African American graduate from E-Town who is believed to have been an instrumental figure at the start of the Civil Rights Movement.