Case Study: Historic Christ Church & Museum
We see so many great business uses that it’s tempting to think Knack was specifically designed for business applications. But Knack can help anyone do amazing things with their data, even if that data is historical.
This was part of the reason why talking with Patrick Heffernan was such a rewarding experience. Knack has helped him build something special, and we haven’t seen anything quite like it.
Patrick is a historian who works with Christ Church in Middlesex County, Virginia, and he’s spent years researching the slaves who once lived and worked on the nearby Corotoman estate. Through his efforts and his use of Knack, he’s created a comprehensive database that tracks references to these men and women across documents from that time period.
As someone who grew up in Virginia and is personally interested in history, it’s particularly affecting to see this part of our country’s past laid out; lists upon lists of people for whom, as Patrick put it, Corotoman was both a home and a prison.
When Patrick recounted the story of how his app helped a local woman find her earliest known ancestor, I was floored. Knowing your ancestry is not only interesting from a historical perspective; it can also be uniquely valuable for understanding your family and where you come from.
Software and technology companies do not typically have a hand in this type of personal discovery, so knowing that Knack had helped someone learn more about her ancestry was all the more meaningful.
After over a year at Knack, I’ve come to understand how flexible our product is, and I’ve learned not to underestimate how creative people can be with it. In hearing these personal accounts, I’m continually surprised and delighted. The stories never get old.