I am a retired English teacher- retired, not because I was ready, but because I'm disabled, and, before I was even 50, my health deteriorated to the point that I had to take disability retirement. For the first time in many years, I found myself with time on my hands, and began researching my family history, something I had wanted to do for awhile. Not only did I discover that I had a knack for this type of research, which I could do from home, on a computer and not have my physical problems interfere, but I learned that my specific degree, which I worried would now be wasted, is one that could qualify me to work as a professional genealogist!

I have a Bachelor's degree in English, with an emphasis in Medieval Literature and Linguistics (and most of a Master's- I became too ill to continue 3 or 4 classes short of completing the degree, but that hasn't stopped me from continuing my research), and a Minor in Women's Studies, focusing primarily on the Middle Ages and Renaissance. What this means for my genealogy work, is that I have been trained in how to decipher, read, and understand documents going back at least to the 3rd century CE (in Modern English, Middle English, Old English, or Anglo-Saxon, and even a bit of Latin, Old French and related languages like Danish and Finnish), as well as being educated in the customs and traditions of the era (including the traditions of how names are created and passed down). I find that my Women's Studies minor is particularly helpful to me in doing genealogy research. The female lines are often confusing and hard to track, and frequently left off altogether which, of course, means a huge chunk of any family history is usually missing, or incomplete. I have dedicated a lot of my time and effort to learning how to find these "lost grand-mothers."
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I have personally experienced the power this work has to bring families together, which is one reason why I have been slowly but surely pulled into this field in the last few years. I have become very dedicated to this work, and, if you need assistance in your search for your family connections and history, please feel free to contact me, and I will do everything I can to assist you. After all, in light of recent scientific discoveries in the human genome project, a stranger is just a cousin you haven't met!

This particular site, here at Find-A-Grave, has been an invaluable resource for me. It was a powerful experience, the first time I logged on, and found my grandmother's grave in Missouri. She died before I was born, and was buried halfway across the country, so there was little to no chance that I would ever get to go there myself. The wonderful person who created the memorial transferred it to me, and a kind volunteer took a picture of the grave site for me, for which I am deeply grateful, and I became an instant devotee of this site. I think a lot of people get confused, and don't realize that this site is not about death; it is about life- recognizing, acknowledging, learning from and connecting with the lives who have come before us, and with the extended family of cousins in the genealogy/family history community, a large part of which converges here.

There are a number of family branches that I am working on, and you will find most of them in my virtual cemeteries. A short list includes (on my side of the family): McDermott-Dewey-Slusser-Potts-Teefer-Brinley-Earnhart-Keever-Matheney-Wentworth-Thompson-Larvie-Gerry-O'Kelley- etc. On my husband's side, a few of the lines I am working on include: Roston-Gordon-Raser-Nissly-Bartholomew-Feldman-Jones-Levinson-Lehman-Longenecker and others. In addition, as part of my genealogy work, one of my services is to create a virtual cemetery along with a client's family tree. If the virtual cemetery says "Branch" or "Direct Line," they are my relatives. If the title of the virtual cemetery includes "Family Tree," Then it is for a client.

I am a retired English teacher- retired, not because I was ready, but because I'm disabled, and, before I was even 50, my health deteriorated to the point that I had to take disability retirement. For the first time in many years, I found myself with time on my hands, and began researching my family history, something I had wanted to do for awhile. Not only did I discover that I had a knack for this type of research, which I could do from home, on a computer and not have my physical problems interfere, but I learned that my specific degree, which I worried would now be wasted, is one that could qualify me to work as a professional genealogist!

I have a Bachelor's degree in English, with an emphasis in Medieval Literature and Linguistics (and most of a Master's- I became too ill to continue 3 or 4 classes short of completing the degree, but that hasn't stopped me from continuing my research), and a Minor in Women's Studies, focusing primarily on the Middle Ages and Renaissance. What this means for my genealogy work, is that I have been trained in how to decipher, read, and understand documents going back at least to the 3rd century CE (in Modern English, Middle English, Old English, or Anglo-Saxon, and even a bit of Latin, Old French and related languages like Danish and Finnish), as well as being educated in the customs and traditions of the era (including the traditions of how names are created and passed down). I find that my Women's Studies minor is particularly helpful to me in doing genealogy research. The female lines are often confusing and hard to track, and frequently left off altogether which, of course, means a huge chunk of any family history is usually missing, or incomplete. I have dedicated a lot of my time and effort to learning how to find these "lost grand-mothers."
​
I have personally experienced the power this work has to bring families together, which is one reason why I have been slowly but surely pulled into this field in the last few years. I have become very dedicated to this work, and, if you need assistance in your search for your family connections and history, please feel free to contact me, and I will do everything I can to assist you. After all, in light of recent scientific discoveries in the human genome project, a stranger is just a cousin you haven't met!

This particular site, here at Find-A-Grave, has been an invaluable resource for me. It was a powerful experience, the first time I logged on, and found my grandmother's grave in Missouri. She died before I was born, and was buried halfway across the country, so there was little to no chance that I would ever get to go there myself. The wonderful person who created the memorial transferred it to me, and a kind volunteer took a picture of the grave site for me, for which I am deeply grateful, and I became an instant devotee of this site. I think a lot of people get confused, and don't realize that this site is not about death; it is about life- recognizing, acknowledging, learning from and connecting with the lives who have come before us, and with the extended family of cousins in the genealogy/family history community, a large part of which converges here.

There are a number of family branches that I am working on, and you will find most of them in my virtual cemeteries. A short list includes (on my side of the family): McDermott-Dewey-Slusser-Potts-Teefer-Brinley-Earnhart-Keever-Matheney-Wentworth-Thompson-Larvie-Gerry-O'Kelley- etc. On my husband's side, a few of the lines I am working on include: Roston-Gordon-Raser-Nissly-Bartholomew-Feldman-Jones-Levinson-Lehman-Longenecker and others. In addition, as part of my genealogy work, one of my services is to create a virtual cemetery along with a client's family tree. If the virtual cemetery says "Branch" or "Direct Line," they are my relatives. If the title of the virtual cemetery includes "Family Tree," Then it is for a client.