Michael W. Rawlings, JD is accredited for research in the United States Mid-South and the United States Gulf South. He is a member of the Virginia Bar and enjoys combining his legal, genealogy, religious studies, American studies, leadership, and behavioral science backgrounds including U.S. cultural diversity. He earned his B.A. in Colonial and Early American Studies (Interdisciplinary) and Religious Studies at The College of William and Mary, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond Law School.

Michael is a member of SAR and chartered the Rappahannock Chapter SAR in 2016 with thirty-seven members serving as both charter Registrar and charter President. He has served as a staff Genealogist for the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs; designed and taught a semester long applied genealogy course at the University of Richmond's School of Professional and Continuing Studies; and created and taught for fifteen years versions of "Y/Our American Story", a diversity through genealogy course for Federal leaders. He designed a program on finding and getting to know your Masonic ancestors for his Lodge, Federal #1, Washington, D.C. He has regularly supported research in African American and Native American genealogy and community history as well as assisting parents and children of adoption and uncertain paternity locate each other and reunite - helping heal relationships. Michael is an emeritus member of William and Mary's Swem Library Board with a lifelong passion for Swem's Special Collections since his student years at W&M. For more than 20 years, Michael has supported the Library of Virginia as a professional researcher. As an Army veteran, his most meaningful contribution to the field of genealogy has been in supporting the identification and repatriation of remains of hundreds of our MIA/KIA servicemembers for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency through the American History Company since 2000.

As both a 17th generation southern American and a 2nd generation American raised by his immigrant grandmother from Eastern Europe, Michael enjoys U.S. and European history and genealogy and has extensive experience in British, Irish, Czech, Polish, and Volhynian (Western Ukraine) research and project collaboration. He has served on the organizing committee and provided genealogy support for the New Bohemia, Virginia annual Czech and Slovak Heritage Festival in his native Prince George county.

Michael provides support to private clients for family genealogical research, heritage society membership, antiques provenance, real estate matters, intestate succession, and heir finding.