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 two 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!