Tired of asking her mother to explain how she was related to a family member she called “Aunt” (but was actually first cousin once removed to); Jeanie sat down and began building her family tree a decade ago. If you’re reading this, you know what happened next. Ever since, Jeanie has been enraptured by her uniquely American tapestry of family history. She is an 11th generation Pennsylvania Dutch descendant, living in the same county as her 7th great-grandparents; she’s also the descendant of 20th century Italian immigrants, Quakers, Huguenots, Highland Scots, and Africans enslaved in New York, Virginia, and the Carolinas. Jeanie’s undergraduate major in Philosophy at Swarthmore College honed her capacity to evaluate evidence and the strength of arguments, which are critical skills in genealogical work. A concentration in Art History cultivated her enduring fascination with the history of the built environment around her. Jeanie’s enthusiasm for peeling back the many layers of a house or landscape is nourished by the experience of sharing the stories found within each layer and seeing how those stories richen others’ perceptions of their own homes and surroundings, which previously seemed so ordinary and unremarkable. Jeanie is a professional genealogist and house historian, a member of APG and NGS, and volunteers her time in various capacities with multiple historical and preservation organizations.
