The Generational Quest of Emily Coffman Richardson

Posted by Stephanie Good on Jul 01, 2026

BEFORE THE PAGES

We often wonder about the history inside the books on our shelves, but rarely about the history of the person who wrote them. Today, we're thrilled to welcome Emily Coffman Richardson, an avid genealogist and former higher education dean, to our author feature series.

Emily’s writing journey is a beautiful testament to ancestral preservation, turning decades of raw data into a lasting narrative bridge across generations. Grounded in her extensive background in higher education and an inherited reverence for her family’s forty-year research legacy, she approaches the complex puzzles of lineage with both academic precision and deep heart. Today, she shares how she conquered the unique challenges of tracking a massive family tree across centuries, her strategy for solving historical mysteries, and the beautiful full-circle tradition of preserving these everyday legacies for future descendants.

A LEGACY IN TRUST

Emily’s journey to becoming a genealogy author is deeply intertwined with her own family’s history of preservation. Originally from Ohio, she spent 30 years in Pennsylvania before making her current home in Denton, Texas. While her professional career morphed from hotel and restaurant management into higher education where she served as a tenured faculty member and ultimately a dean focused on online learning and adult education, her passion for lineage was inherited.

"My interest came from my mother, who wrote eight genealogy research books during her life. I realized when I got gifted her collection of research, they were the most special, since I knew the time she took to do them."

In 2023, the culmination of over forty years of research conducted by her mother and later a cousin passed into Emily's hands. Recognizing the profound value of this lifetime of work, she knew it was time to sit down and write so that future generations could truly benefit. The result of that dedication is an monumental four-volume genealogy tracing five generations of the Melchior Yoder family from his arrival in the United States in 1766, tracking his seven children, hundreds of grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as they migrated from Pennsylvania across the Midwest all the way to the Pacific Coast.

THE 'PEOPLE BLOCK' AND THE POPULARITY OF WILLIAM

Compiling a family history across centuries requires structural discipline, especially when dealing with early American naming conventions. Emily shares a humorous fun fact from her deep dive into the records: the relentless repetition of first names. In just the Jacob Yoder family line (Volume 2), there are 31 Williams, 29 Johns, and 20 Elizabeths scattered across his nine children. While it sounds like a recipe for confusion, Emily notes that tracking these clusters actually helps confirm she has located the right family unit.

Unlike fiction writers, genealogists don't struggle with writer's block; instead, they face what Emily calls "people block." This occurs when an ancestor simply refuses to be found easily on the first try. Because she considers it her absolute duty to re-check every piece of historical data and report these lives correctly, rushing was never an option. Whenever she hit a people block, Emily’s strategy was simple: step away, pivot to researching a completely different branch of the family tree, and return to the original puzzle with fresh eyes later.

SOLVING THE HISTORICAL MYSTERY

For Emily, genealogy is the ultimate real-world mystery. An avid reader of mystery novels, she finds a striking parallel between a good detective story and the pursuit of ancestral truths. "That is so similar to genealogy—the mystery that surrounds our ancestors," she observes. Today, she channels that detective spirit into helping clients with their lineage societies as an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Driven by a current fascination with the Revolutionary War, she is focusing heavily on researching her own ancestors who served.

Emily’s commitment to family preservation extends beyond massive genealogical charts. To ensure her future descendants receive more than just sterile legal documents, she is currently writing short stories about each of her direct ancestors, her parents, and herself—putting flesh on the bones of history. This devotion brings her full circle to Masthof Press. Decades ago, Emily vividly remembers visiting the physical bookstore and getting lost in the shelves while her mother used Masthof to print her own self-published genealogy books. Today, working from Texas, Emily continues that beautiful family tradition, utilizing Masthof to turn over 40 years of shared family love and labor into an enduring print legacy.

Emily Coffman Richardson’s journey, shaped by a rich background in education and a deep reverence for heritage, is a powerful testament to the value of reclaiming our shared past. Her comprehensive four-volume work on the Melchior Yoder family is more than a collection of names; it's a preserved bridge between generations, honoring a mother's passion and mapping out the resilient lives that built American history.

Ready to explore your own roots or discover the sweeping legacy of the Yoder lineage?

The Melchior Yoder family genealogy volumes are available now, inviting researchers and family members alike to step into a richly detailed roadmap of our shared history.