Ancestral Discoveries

Reconstructing Family History

 

Janice M. Sellers

janicemsj@gmail.com

Professional Genealogist -- Researcher, Editor, Indexer, Translator, Transcriber

MISSION STATEMENT

Ancestral Discoveries provides research services primarily in European and North American family history, using thirty-five years of research experience and the ability to read, translate, and transcribe several languages.

BACKGROUND

I have researched my own family for 35 years and conducted research for others for 10 years. I have experience with black American, English, German, Greek, (East) Indian, Irish, Jewish, Portuguese, Russian, and Scottish ethnic research.

I am the editor of The Galitzianer, the quarterly newsletter focused on Jewish research in the former Austrian province of Galicia, and of ZichronNote, the newsletter of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society. I am also the publicity director for SFBAJGS. I have been on the staff of the Oakland Regional Family History Center for eleven years.

I have a Bachelor's degree in foreign languages (French major, Spanish and Russian minors) and have also studied German and Italian. Most of my professional career I have worked as an editor, and I have also done indexing, translation, and transcription.

GENEALOGY EDUCATION

• Methodology Part 5: How to Prove It, National Institute for Genealogical Studies, October 2010
• Professional Genealogy study group, 2009-2011 (ongoing)
• Gold research associate certification, Oakland Family History Center, 2008
• Jewish Genealogy Research Group, Salt Lake City, 2004-2007
• Digging for Your Roots, Concord Family History Center, 2005-2007

MEMBERSHIPS

• Association of Professional Genealogists (APG); member 2005-present; representative for Northern California chapter 2006-2007
• Genealogical Speakers Guild, 2011
• San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society; member 2005-present; publicity director 2009-present
• California State Genealogical Alliance; member 2007-present; treasurer 2009-2010
• Gesher Galicia, 2009-present
• California Genealogical Society, 2011

PUBLISHED ARTICLES

• "International Jewish Genealogy Month", ZichronNote, San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, November 2010 (with Jeremy Frankel).
• "Members Report on Impressions of the IAJGS Conference in LA", ZichronNote, San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, August 2010 (with other authors).
• "Napoleon's Finest", ZichronNote, San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, November 2006.
• "Napoleon's Finest", Roots-Key, Jewish Genealogical Society of Los Angeles, Summer/Fall 2006.
• "Clues in Religious Traditions", More Brickwall Solutions to Genealogy Problems, Moorshead Magazines Ltd., 2004.
• "Keep Talking to Relatives!", More Brickwall Solutions to Genealogy Problems, Moorshead Magazines Ltd., 2004.
• "Lucky Thirteen", 500 Brickwall Solutions to Genealogy Problems, Moorshead Magazines Ltd., 2003.

VOLUNTEER WORK

• Editor, The Galitzianer, journal for Jewish research in the former province of Galicia, 2009
• Editor, ZichronNote, newsletter of the San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society 2010-present
• Research associate, Oakland Family History Center, 2000-2009

Last updated 12 January 2011.