Ann Horvath was born in 1940, the oldest of four children and has lived most of her life in Carroll County. Ann's parents lived near Finksburg, on "Sorency" the Hollingsworth family farm at the time of her birth. Her mother was Ann Carter Hollingsworth and her father was George Nelson Parry. Her father's family was originally from Tennessee, but her mother's family has deep roots in Maryland.

She grew up in various rental or tenant homes in the Finksburg area. She attended the Mechanicsville elementary school in Gamber and graduated in 1958 from the Westminster High School. During high school she worked regularly at Lassiter's fruit and vegetable stand along Route 140, saving this money to attend nursing school.

In 1961 she graduated from the nursing program at Franklin Square Hospital, then in the city of Baltimore. During her early professional career, she worked at Franklin Square Hospital, Kernan Hospital and the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. In 1973 she completed one of the pioneer Nurse Practitioner programs at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore and became the Greater Baltimore Medical Center's first Nurse Practitioner.

Later she worked at the Fairhaven Retirement Center in Sykesville, primarily as a Nurse Practitioner in the outpatient department, but also in various administrative rolls. In 1991 she started working as a Nurse Practitioner in Internal Medicine at Kaiser Permanente at their Woodlawn office. She retired in 1997.

In 1977, she married George Horvath, Jr. and moved back to Carroll County, having lived in the Reisterstown and Pikesville area since graduating from Nursing School. She is the stepmother to George's four children and the grandmother to his grandchildren. Ann and George have a long standing interest in history and genealogy. George is known for his knowledge of early land records and maps. Ann became interested in genealogy as a result of items handed down in her family, many of which came from the women.

Ann is an active member of the William Winchester Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Historical Society of Carroll County, and is the current President of the Carroll County Genealogical Society. In addition, she is a member of several other local historical and genealogical societies. She currently lives in the Sykesville area with her husband. She enjoys gardening, her pets, her family, history and genealogy.

Sam Piazza graduated from Loyola College in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He then attended law school, graduating from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1986 with a Juris Doctor degree. He has practiced law for over twenty years and is currently an Assistant Attorney General.

In 2008, Sam was awarded a Master of Arts, Historical Studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. His thesis, entitled Margaret Mehring: The Making of a Reformer: Personal Tragedy, War and Religion, chronicles a Carroll County girl who witnesses the Civil War firsthand and from her life experiences is thrust into the leadership of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.

Sam is an active participant in the Carroll County History Project, interviewing and preserving the memories of Carroll County residents. Sam lives with his wife and children in Carroll County.

John Foertschbeck became a certified Carroll County History Project producer in June 2008. He was drawn to the project because of his dual interests in local history and video production.

To date, John and his partner Ann Horvath have videotaped nearly a dozen interviews including Helen Ridgely Gaither, Maudie Hood Dusome and Robert Clarke. John and Ann plan to focus on capturing interviews from residents in the southern half of Carroll County.

John has lived in Carroll County since 1969. His interest in local history grew out of a friendship with neighbors, Jim Pickett and Charlie Harrison, whose families have been in Carroll County for generations.

John has become a valued member of the Community Media Center and expects to remain active for years to come.