Career:
I was born and raised in Aurora, Illinois. I have a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in curriculum and supervision. After college I returned to Illinois and was a
classroom teacher for 19 years. Following
three years in junior college (two associate's degrees), I became the part-time administrator at a law firm in Aurora which concentrates in the area of elder law—estate planning and asset
preservation for boomers and seniors. The rest of the time, I do genealogy.
Family:
My grandparents and parents have all passed away, as well as
one of my two siblings. I was married
for the first time at age 51 and gained a wonderful husband and two great step
kids! My husband and I live in Yorkville, Illinois, and we hope to retire in 2017 and move to northeastern Indiana.
Genealogy:
I got my love of genealogy from
my grandmother and father. I began doing
it in a structured way after my father’s death in 1993. I began doing it for pay in 2011.
I get bored with just filling in names on a pedigree chart... Genealogy doesn't have to be just names and dates. I like the details and the stories! My favorite projects involve tracing one person’s ancestors back on as many branches of his/her tree as I can, fleshing out their stories from census records and other sources.
In addition to my regular genealogy work, I have done some Amish genealogy in recent times and enjoyed it very much. I also enjoy reading genealogy books and journals and sharpening my skills by means of online tutorials and videos. And I love to tell the stories! So, in addition to my website, I started this blog. My goal is to share the best stories I discover in my research, to inspire others to find their own best stories.
I get bored with just filling in names on a pedigree chart... Genealogy doesn't have to be just names and dates. I like the details and the stories! My favorite projects involve tracing one person’s ancestors back on as many branches of his/her tree as I can, fleshing out their stories from census records and other sources.
In addition to my regular genealogy work, I have done some Amish genealogy in recent times and enjoyed it very much. I also enjoy reading genealogy books and journals and sharpening my skills by means of online tutorials and videos. And I love to tell the stories! So, in addition to my website, I started this blog. My goal is to share the best stories I discover in my research, to inspire others to find their own best stories.
