Meet the Author

I'm Jennifer, and I'm an Occasional Genealogist... sort of. For over ten years I've been a professional genealogist. I started researching my own family nearly 30 years ago. Like many of you, I started as an Occasional Genealogist. I had to squeeze research in while in school and while working full-time. Then I got my first genealogy job and for awhile, it was genealogy all the time. Now I have two kids. I do other people's genealogy constantly but my own? Coming up with ways to do great genealogy, despite all the interruptions, is now mandatory.

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Let's bust your brick wall!

Do you keep going off-track while researching your brick wall? Do you need to find more sources to continue your research? The Brick Wall Solution Roadmap can help.

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10:31 AM

The Genealogy Research Process : Improve Your Family History Research

Why do you need to learn (and follow) the genealogy research process? It's a time-tested process that leads to genealogy success. The alternative is being stuck, facing constant frustration, quitting genealogy, or worst of all---researching the wrong family tree. In this post I'll break the process dow…

10:10 AM

Another Way of Dealing with Incorrect Hints

Some of your hints for your online tree are wrong. You can get mad that you have to actually do your own genealogy research or you can use those incorrect hints to help you do even better genealogy. (If instead, you're looking for information on why you get so many incorrect hints and how to get better hint…

9:10 AM

10 FREE U.S. Record Collections to Search Later

Not all genealogy research can be fast (ok, maybe I should say, most genealogy research is not fast). Even with online searches available, sometimes it just takes time to use online records. Here are 10 FREE online U.S. Record Collections that are worth the time, even if you have to use them lat…

12:35 PM

Basic Genealogy Forms: Evernote Genealogy Templates

Genealogists are notorious paper users. I would love to have a completely paper-free office, and I've worked toward that. Still, when I use paper, I often use a lot. At the moment, the wall next to my desk is covered in pedigree charts for a select group of my atDNA matches. I did a pretty good job of reduc…

10:22 AM

Is Hiring a Genealogist Worth It? {+ alternatives}

Is it worth hiring a professional genealogist to build your family tree for you? This isn't a yes or no answer. In this post we'll quickly look at: the different types of work you can hire a genealogist to do how different projects are priced when you need to hire help and what your a…

11:17 AM

How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Genealogist?

You've been doing your own genealogy but you've hit a brick wall. Maybe it's an ancestor you can't identify, maybe you want specific information about your family and just can't find it. When you get stuck, you might think you have to give-up or hire a pro. Those aren't your only options! …