Genealogy Services

05/06/2025

I have recently published a family history book on my mother's father's family, An American Book of Kells, Ancestors and Descendants of Stephen Avery Kells with Avery and Rockefeller Families. This is about the family in England and Germany in the 1600s and to America in the late 1600s to the early 1700's, following through to about now. There are Revolutionary War soldiers (some fought under George Wasington), Civil War soldiers (one was on Sherman's March to the Sea), WW I and WW II soldiers (one was a German POW.) There's a royal conection to Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. There are Rockefellers who are the ancestors of John D. and his sons and grandsons. And farmers, pioneers, a doctor, a lawyer, writers, teachers, etc. An American family. I enjoyed researching this family. I had no idea all this history was there and no one else in the living family did either. I was fun to write the book as I often had to do more research as I wrote to answer a question (why did they move to Wisconsin?how did they get there?) It is available on Amazon. I can write your family story as a book as well. If you're interested, message me or reply here.

06/10/2023

I'm sorry I have not posted here for quite awhile. Meanwhile I have been writing books on my family as I want my children, grandchildren and relatives to have the fruits of my research but in a way that they will actually read and enjoy. The first book is about my mother's mother's family, the Stefani family. It is called From the Alps to the Cascades, The Stefani and Tinetti Families in Italy and America. The book is at the publisher now but not really started into production yet. I will let everyone from those families know when it is available. Currently I am writing a book about my mother's father's family. It is tentatively called, An American Book of Kells, Stephen Avery Kells, his Ancestors and Descendants. This covers the Kells, Duncan, Avery and Rockefeller families but is primarily focused on the Kells family. I plan three or four more: Peterson, Hudson, Cookson and Lane (I might combine the last two in one book) So that's what I am doing! Here is a photo of my great grandfather, Frank Stefani, his wife and three oldest children. Taken in Issquah, Washington about 1895.

10/01/2019

My grandfather’s sister, Margaret Hamilton Kells , and her husband, Jake Key on their wedding day about 1900. My mother, Margaret Edith Kelly’s, was named after her and I gave my daughter the middle name of Margaret. Margaret Hamilton Kells was named for her grandmother, Margaret Hamilton, born 1818 so the name spans 6 generations and 163 years.

07/21/2019

In researching my great grandfather Stefani's Italian family I noticed that in the Church records for one of his ancestors the priest had written "Magnifici" in front of his name. What was this? The priest thought he was magnificient? I asked an experienced genealogist and she told that "Magnifici" was used to indicate a master craftsman or artisan. That's cool to know! Son now I just have to find out what his craft was!

01/08/2018

I just wrote a blog post for the start of the new #52 Ancestors challenge, it's about how I got started in genealogy. Read it if you'r interested!

When people ask me how long I've been doing genealogy I tell them since I was 13. That is 56 years now (I don't usually tell them that...

11/24/2017

On Thanksgiving thinking of my ancestor, Stephen Bachiler, a Pilgrim Minister who came the year after the Pilgrim's in 1621 on the Fortune. He founded a Church in Hampton, New Hampshire which still is in use. His chaair is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art! (Still no Mayflower connection, though, darn!)

10/06/2017

Here's a fun contest where you could win some neat Genealogy stuff!

Each Friday in October, we’ll be giving away a prize package (a different prize package each week!). Then on October 31, we’ll be drawing for a grand prize package. Week 1 (Drawing Friday, October 6): ”31 Days to Better Genealogy” (book by Amy Johnson Crow) A book by Melissa Dickerson Be sure to sha...

09/01/2017

Researching an Sicilian family for a client and found the Dispensation for his Great Grandfather so that he could marry the widow of his brother. I've never seen one before!

07/22/2017

I found this photo of his grandmother with her oldest son on a US passport application from 1921 for my client. Nice, huh?

07/22/2017

I found this photo of his grandmother and her oldest son on a US passport application from 1921, for a client with Sicilian roots.

05/24/2017

Old family photos are so wonderful to find. They help make our ancestors more real to us. Here are a couple old photos I recently got from a cousin of my mother's. I scanned them with an app on my phone which made it very easy to copy them!

05/13/2017

My Great Grandmother and my Grandmother 1895. Happy Mother's Day!