Volunteer Jane Schwendinger has hosted the library’s Genealogy Group for over six years and in that time she has helped many patrons with major breakthroughs in their family research! Read on to learn more about Jane.
Tell us about your family:
My husband Jim and I have two sons and daughters-in-law and six grandchildren. The oldest granddaughter just entered Tulane University!
What are your hobbies?
My two favorite things are traveling the world via cruise ships and researching my family. While traveling, I enjoy not only learning about the places we visit, but also meeting new friends and playing Mah Jongg on sea days.
How did you get started in genealogy research?
My mother was interested in learning about her maternal family. Together, we made a huge family tree on shelf paper, which I still have today.
What is your favorite thing about volunteering at the library?
The most rewarding task is finding patrons’ biological parents using DNA. I have now identified over ten biological parents since I began helping library patrons and community members. My other favorite activity is helping patrons learn how to use the library’s free edition of Ancestry and suggesting genealogy resources. For example, I’m now using AI in my research and it has given me so much added information about my ancestors. I hope to do a class at the library on using AI for genealogy soon!
Do you have a favorite author?
I have enjoyed reading DonnaLee Overly‘s books, not only is she a friend, but her books also contain local ties which are fun to read!