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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10:46 AM

The 3 Genealogy Mistakes You Have to Tame to Improve Your Skills

Do you want to further your genealogy skills so you can research better or faster? Have you run into a problem that seems too "difficult" for your current skill level? Whatever reason you have for wanting to improve, there are three basic mistakes you have to tame before you can move beyond-beginner…

2:53 PM

That's Not a Genealogy Source!

Big genealogy websites are not a genealogy source. In this post we'll look at how understanding what they are helps you use them more effectively. That means you'll bust more of your brick walls and grow your family tree! That expensive genealogy website you have a subscription to, it's not a …

4:26 PM

Organizing Genealogy Research : What You Need to Organize

You want to organize your genealogy. But what exactly needs to be organized? Information Documents Everything else This post will cover the basics of what to organize and why.

1:12 PM

Organizing Genealogy Research : Problems

This post highlights problems you can run into even when starting with a good (tried and true) genealogy organizing system. The problems you encounter will occur due to your preferences related to the actual organizing method PLUS your unique research. A great way to avoid or minimize issues with a new gene…

8:35 AM

Genealogy Records : 4 Ways to Learn About New Sources

This post is just a quick add-on to my post about identifying new sources when you hit a genealogy brick wall. It covers four ways to try and identify new sources, specifically when you are stuck on a tough genealogy problem. by repository by location by record type by time period …

2:35 PM

Genealogy Brick Wall Help : Next Steps for Finding More Records

You’ve been building your family tree for awhile. Maybe it’s been months, maybe even years. Now you don’t know what else you can do. Here are several ways to identify sources that can help you.