Not in Fine Fettle: Researching Your Ancestors' Medical History

Speaker: Jane Neff Rollins, MSPH

Why should a genealogist try to research the health of their ancestors? After all, medical conditions don’t help with identifying the parents of ones 3^rd great-grandfather. But spending research time exploring medical conditions can help you to: 1) distinguish two people of same name as you analyze and correlate evidence to meet the Genealogical Proof Standard; 2) Build an engaging profile of an ancestor beyond when they were born, married, and died; 3) Expand what you know about your family health history.

Bio:

Jane Neff Rollins is a professional genealogist who works primarily with clients whose ancestors came from the former Russian Empire, providing research and translation of Russian documents. She has researched in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, Washington DC, and Jerusalem. She is an alumna of ProGen Study Group 29, and a multi-time attendee of the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the Forensic Genealogy Institute.  Jane has lectured at the annual conferences of the National Genealogical Society, the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, the Southern California Genealogical Society, and virtually and in-person for societies throughout the United States.  Jane’s genealogy articles have appeared in NGS Magazine, FGS Forum (for which she won the 2020 Forum Writer’s Award), Crossroads, and Avotaynu: The International Review of Jewish Genealogy: “Researching Jewish Ancestors Who Served in the Civil War.” Other writing has appeared in Roots-Key, the LA Jewish Journal, and medical trade magazines.