Our Vision
To become the highest quality, most sought after genealogical research and instructional service for clients of American, African American, Caribbean or Native American heritage.
Who We Are
Heritage Associates is a network of experienced genealogists, historians and researchers. Our product reflects the values of integrity, contextualization and scholarship. The principals are:
Brett M. Tyler
Brett is a seasoned genealogist with over 30 years’ experience researching family and institutional histories. An alumnus of Morgan State University and the British Transport Staff College, he is currently a graduate history student at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
In addition to serving as President of Heritage Associates, Brett is a board member of the African American Historical Association of Fauquier County, Virginia where he has been instrumental in establishing the museum’s extensive collection of data and artifacts documenting the pre- and post-Civil War Black experience in Fauquier County and throughout the Piedmont Region of Virginia. He also currently serves as chairman of his church board and is a former board member (term limited) of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials.
Brett has contributed articles to the African American National Biography published by Oxford University Press and is the co-author of:
- The Blackwell, Chapman, Tyler, Washington Family of Fauquier County Virginia, Heritage Associates, Baltimore MD, 1998.
- The Descendants of Henley Chapman, Heritage Associates, Baltimore MD, 1998.
- African Americans of Fauquier County, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston SC, 2009.
Recently retired from the transportation industry, Brett resides with his wife in Anne Arundel County Maryland.
Donna Tyler Hollie
Donna has a Ph.D. in History and taught African American History on the college level for fourteen years. She has done genealogical research and documented the history of African American communities for thirty years.
A charter member of the Agnes Kane Callum (Baltimore) Chapter of the African American Historical and Genealogical Society, she serves as its vice-president for history. In addition to co-founding Heritage Associates, Donna is a board member of the African American Historical Association of Fauquier County, Virginia where she is the group’s Director of Oral History Projects.
Donna has contributed articles to several genealogical and historical journals and has co-authored four books:
- The Blackwell, Chapman, Tyler, Washington Family of Fauquier County Virginia, Heritage Associates, Baltimore MD, 1998
- The Descendants of Henley Chapman, Heritage Associates, Baltimore MD, 1998
- African Americans of Fauquier County, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston SC, 2009
- Through The Tax Assessor’s Eyes: Enslaved People, Free Blacks and Slaveholders in Early Nineteenth Century Baltimore, Clearfield Company, Baltimore MD, 2017