Background

The Ingram Surname Study was founded circa 2009 by Davida Ingram Symonds. Motivated by the excitement surrounding National Geographic’s “The Genographic Project: Your Genetic Journey,” Dee and her Ingram relatives became early testers. Dee recalls, "I initially had 7 Ingrams, but that soon grew.”

Born in Wellington, Texas, in 1920, Dee had a fulfilling career that included studies in engineering and work in research and development of missiles and drones, making her a woman well ahead of her time. During retirement, she and her husband Gregg traveled the world, with many stops across the US in their RV to explore historical sites and further her genealogy research.

In 2015, Dee secured the legacy of the Ingram Surname Study by passing the torch to Laverne Ingram Piatt. Even when Scott Kendall joined in 2017, Dee remained very active in the project, sending him incredibly detailed and well-researched emails to get him up to speed on her work-to-date. At the age of 97, she kept her fellow administrators on their toes and inspired them to maintain the highest level of research scrutiny and accuracy.

Dee passed away in 2021 at the remarkable age of 101. As the matriarch of the Ingram Surname Study, she left us with a passion and curiosity for genetic genealogy that we only hope to do justice in furthering her research. We are immensely grateful for her vision and for those who continue to join the project with the same aspiration of advancing our collective Ingram research.

Rev 11/2023