Image collage of Jessica Neaves and black cat in a box — Hi! I’m Jessica
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I help people who want to learn more about their family, find answers, and uncover stories about them.

I believe that building your family tree isn’t only about collecting names and dates. It’s about discovering the little things that made your ancestors who they were.

What hobbies did they have?
What did of work did they do?
What did they look like?
Where did they grow up?

So, who am I anyway?

I’m a California girl (and a Pisces) and have to live near the ocean.

I live in San Francisco with my chonky cat Nohea (which is Hawaiian for handsome).

My favorite show of all time is the X-Files. (Where are all my X-Philes at??) I even used to host watch parties!

As an introvert and reading nerd, you can usually find me at home with a good book or in a library, where I try to resist checking out all the available genealogy books.

I’m an expert-level list maker, preferably on paper, old school style.

I'm the Advancement Director of the Massachustts Genealogical Council and a member of Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), National Genealogical Society, APG New England Chapter, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Utah Genealogical Association, and the Okinawan Genealogical Society of Hawaii.

My education and training includes:

• ProGen 61 Study Group certificate

• Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG): Advanced Genealogical Methods

• Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR): Writing and Publishing for Genealogists

I was once where you are

Maybe you’ve heard some stories about your family or seen photos of them and want to know more. Or maybe your family won’t talk about the past at all and you want to learn something – anything – about your family tree.

You know your ancestors are a part of your history and a part of you, but you don’t have the answers you need yet.

You’re feeling overwhelmed on where to start and have no idea where to look.

Picture being able to...

Go on a road trip to see where your ancestors came from and randomly meet a cousin in a very tiny town of 400 people
Meet descendants of your grandfather’s birth parents
Get the chance to go inside your 3x great-grandparents’ home

… which is exactly what I’ve experienced on my own genealogy journey!

I get where you’re at.

I’ve been there. I know how hard it can be to figure out where to begin, which websites to use and how to use them, what to Google…

I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed with genealogy research.

My grandfather was adopted. It was a family secret that his adoptive mother didn’t tell him until he was getting married. After he found out, he always wondered who his biological parents were.

About 20 years ago, I decided to try to identify his birth parents as a Christmas present for my dad.

I had no idea where to even start. I was so confused and overwhelmed.

All I had were puzzle pieces and no clue on how to put them together. But I knew my family story wouldn’t be complete until I did.

This was 20 years ago, before Ancestry and the other sites were anything like what they were today.

When I found his birth parents, I felt a huge sense of relief. I finally knew what family I belonged to!

Since that amazing day, I’ve been able to trace several branches of my New England and French Canadian roots back to the 1600s. And actually, these areas of genealogy are now some of my specialties.

I want to help you avoid the frustration and overwhelm that I felt. I want you to not have to spend time wondering what to do or where to look and get straight to getting answers so you can build your family narrative.

I offer done-for-you research service packages, as well as done-with-you services for those who want to do the research themselves, but just need a hand getting started or getting around roadblocks.

I love supporting people to connect to their family history every day and understand their present by discovering their family's past.