As someone who has loved history all her life, Michelle has been a professional genealogist since 2002, and has gained a wide-spectrum of experience in her career. She has conducted research for those with ancestry in eighteen countries worldwide, particularly focusing on Central and Eastern European heritage. With her vast experience she leads the International Research Team at Legacy Tree.
Education and Training
Michelle is an Accredited Genealogist® in the Mid-Atlantic Region. She as attended institute-level course at Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP), Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research (IGHR), and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). She completed the ProGen Study Group (ProGen17) in 2014.
Specialties
Michelle specializes in the former territories of Galicia and Bukovina (Austria-Hungary) and the modern European countries of Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Austria and Germany as well as Mid-Atlantic & Southern United States Genealogy.
Experience
With over 30 years of genealogy experience, Michelle enjoys solving challenging research projects. She loves helping others break through genealogy “brick walls” and discover their heritage. Her journey into genealogy began in 1982 and transitioned to professional genealogy in 2002. Since then, she has researched families in the Mid-Atlantic (Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania) and broadened her geographic skill set to deep dive into her immigrant roots in Eastern Europe.
Her career has had many milestones…she was a researcher on TLC’s Who Do You Think You Are? (Season One) and appeared in the Brooke Shields episode, which aired in April 2010. In 2013, she became the co-coordinator for the Ukrainian Historical & Educational Center’s Nashi Predky Family History Group and served as a Commissioner on the Middlesex County Heritage & Cultural Commission (2011-17).
Currently, Michelle serves as the Trustee of the Genealogical Society of New Jersey serving as Vice-President and Membership Chairperson. As a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), she serves as the Chapter Representative for the New Jersey Chapter of APG and maintain memberships in local and ethnic genealogical societies.
In October 2016, Michelle joined Legacy Tree Genealogists as their staff Eastern European Researcher. Since then, she has held positions of Senior Researcher, Team Lead and the role she has today — International Research Team Manager. Michelle resides in New Jersey with her husband and two daughters. She loves to travel, read historical novels, and enjoys learning new languages.
Blog Posts authored by Michelle
4 Eastern European Archives Growing Through Citizen Archivists
Tracing Cherokee Ancestors with DNA, Tribal Citizenship, and Cherokee Rolls
Using Newspapers Around the World to Make Family Tree Connections
Finding Your Soldier of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45 (Eastern Front of WWII): Part II
Finding Your Soldier of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–45 (Eastern Front of WWII): Part I
Connecting Culture to Ancestry: The Cherokee Heritage Center
Research Spotlight: Colonial New Jersey Family History Resources
Legacy Tree Onsite: A Visit to the Mid-Continent Public Library – Midwest Genealogy Center
Ukrainian Genealogy Research? Three Must-Have Tools to the Rescue!
Legacy Tree Onsite: Genealogy Research at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
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