About Me

Hi! Welcome to Rookie Genealogy. My name is Jennifer and I am here to help you start (or continue) your journey through your family history.

I hail from the Midwest (proud Hoosier!) and cheer on the Chicago Cubs and Indianapolis Colts. When I was a kid I always told my grandpa I would see the Cubs win the World Series and after he passed I hoped I would—for him.  I got that chance in 2016!! I am a Communications major who has had the amazing opportunity to be a stay at home mom for awhile. I now work for a fabulous non-profit that helps cancer patients.

I am 55% Germanic Europe (my grandpa was born in Germany), 27% Eastern Europe and Russia (My ancestors came from Poland), 14% Ireland/Scotland, 2% Baltic States, 2% Norway.

How did I get started?

Back in high school (let’s just say ‘many years ago’)  I had to make a family tree for one of my classes. I was able to fill in my mom’s side of the family pretty well and had quite a few family lines that extended down to the edge of an 11X14 piece of paper. However, my dad’s side didn’t even cover a quarter of the page. I knew who my paternal grandparents were and that was it. Nothing more. My grandpa, being an immigrant, seemed to have left stories, dates, and names behind in Germany. I know strive to uncover them.

That completely lopsided family tree led me on a quest that has resulted in thousands of relatives in my database, 7 two-three inch binders lining my bookcase, countless old photos, ability to read crappy handwriting,  basic recognition of Latin, and numerous family heirlooms filling my house.

Genealogy can become an obsession at times. My family is amazed I can tell you things like the date of my great great grandfather’s death or how I can name all of the siblings of my great great grandmother and their spouses. My brain has become a database of family information.

I hope you, too, can discover your roots and appreciate your history just as much as I have. 

-Jennifer