Your Roots
Becoming Better People One Generation at a Time.™
Exploring your family tree can be a life-changing adventure.
With decades of genealogy experience and over a hundred genealogy projects, I've helped clients:
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Lay the foundation for a rich family history that becomes a gift for the next generation
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Investigate family mysteries or legends
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Identify unknown parents or grandparents (when a DNA test is available)
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Uncover maternal lineages often lost to a patriarchal naming traditions
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Explore deeper lineages that connect to the broader human experience
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Go deep into Italian roots — tracing family lines, uncovering the journey from Italy to the US, and connecting you with the culture, the villages, and sometimes even the cousins (learn more)
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Discover whether you qualify for Canadian citizenship recognition — the answer may be hiding in your very American family history (learn more)
My Approach
Genealogy is more than names and dates—it's storytelling. Drawing on my background in Hollywood and writing (about me), I help uncover the hidden narratives of your ancestors, bringing depth and context to your family history. My approach goes beyond simple documentation, illuminating the challenges your ancestors survived and the paths taken that ultimately led to you.
And family history isn't just research—it's time travel! In this July 2025 podcast episode of The Naked Librarian, I share my unique perspective on genealogy, and take Victoria Payne on a captivating journey through the centuries, revealing surprising and dramatic stories about her ancestors.
My Services
Something I've learned after decades of this work is that you never really finish a family tree. You just get further in. My goal is to get you far enough that the research takes on a life of its own, and you have the knowledge and the foundation to keep going wherever your curiosity leads. Some clients want to know where a particular ancestor came from. Others are drawn to a specific ethnic line, a pattern of migration, the veterans in their family, or the women who disappeared from the historical record. There's no wrong direction, and there's always more to find.
When you work with me, each engagement concludes with a recorded Zoom call where I walk you — and any family members you want to include — through what I built and discovered. This is your chance to ask questions and get practical guidance on how to continue exploring on your own. While exact outcomes can be difficult to predict (much depends on available records and research complexity), I leverage every online resource at my disposal to investigate your roots and the stories behind them.
Testimonials
I wanted to give my mother the gift of a lifetime for her birthday. She knew very little about her paternal grandfather’s ancestry and Jacqueline was able to not only find a “skeleton in the closet,” but surprising and meaningful connections to the Revolutionary War, the Mayflower, and several European nobles. This ended up not only being a noteworthy gift to my mother, but also a gift to myself and all of our family. Jacqueline is curious, knowledgeable, and engaging and was able to find an incredible amount of information in a short amount of time. We are so grateful to have found her. - Erica K
Could Canadian Citizenship Be in Your Future?
With recent changes to Canadian citizenship law, many Americans may be eligible for Canadian citizenship recognition. The connection is often hiding in plain sight, and I have developed a specific research service for people who want to find out more. This helps to determine your path forward, before the expense of lawyers or Canadian citizenship consultants.