about me

professional genealogist Jennifer Dondero, author of Essential Skills for the Occasional Genealogist, an Amazon bestseller

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.

Learn More About Me

6:41 AM

The Two Most Basic Things You Need to Bust a Genealogy Brick Wall

Before you can do anything else to bust a brick wall, there are two things you must have, information and knowledge. This sounds really simple and it shoukd be. But people rush ahead and get stuck for years because they don't START with these absolute basics. Genealogy knowledge is the foundation for bu…

5:56 PM

Stop "Building" Your Family Tree and Do This Instead

Maybe your family tree is stuck because you're trying to "build" it. If you haven't had this genealogy revelation, it might just change the way you research. This is a follow-up post, read the other post, here . I use the term "great genealogy" but that is what you want to wor…

2:27 PM

What to Do Before Hiring a Genealogist [+Checklist]

In this post, we’ll go over what to do with your genealogy research before hiring a genealogist. Why you need to follow some essential steps before hiring a pro. The three things you want to do. What you'll get from this process, regardless if you actually hire someone or not! What to…

12:12 PM

How to Break Through Genealogy Brick Walls

Does this sound like you? You've searched the same databases three times. You've tried different spellings. You've stared at the same census record until the ink blurs. And your ancestor is still nowhere. If that sounds familiar, you've hit a genealogy brick wall and you're in good company…

9:54 AM

How to Bust a Brick Wall When You're Too Busy for Genealogy

It takes time to bust a genealogy brick wall. There are no magic shortcuts. If you truly don't have time for genealogy, you can't bust a brick wall (you would need to have someone else do it for you, either a volunteer or pay someone). But you're reading this so you've found some time for geneal…

1:12 PM

Organizing Genealogy Research : Organizing System Options

This is a follow-up post with brief information about... Tried and True Research Systems The Gold Standard for Genealogy Filing Hybrid and Digital Genealogy Organization Make sure you start with our post about organizing basics. Tried and True Organizing Options (Folders, Binders, &…