Join us via Zoom for a virtual genealogical program as part of our annual Find Your Ancestors series.

Attendees must register in advance for this program by clicking the link below or copying the following address into your browser: https://bit.ly/3QsGIDX

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the program.

Program topic: Not in Fine Fettle: Researching Your Ancestor’s Medical History

Why should a genealogist try to research the health of their ancestors? After all, medical conditions don’t help with identifying the parents of your 3rd 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 a profile of an ancestor beyond when they were hatched, matched or dispatched; 3) Expand what you know about your family health history. Learn how to find clues to a medical condition, and when preserved and accessible (which many aren’t), the documents that confirm it.

Presented by Jane Neff Rollins

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, New York, Los Angeles, 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.


Did you miss our past sessions? Check out the Find Your Ancestors playlist on our YouTube channel here: https://bit.ly/485JJzu NOTE: Not all programs are recorded or posted indefinitely.