About Us
The Center for Family History and Genealogy
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Project Employees:
Jill Crandell, Director
Jill N. Crandell is an assistant teaching professor in the Department of History and the director of the Center for Family History and Genealogy at Brigham Young University. She received her B.A. in family history and M.A. in history from BYU, and she is an Accredited Genealogist® professional in Midwestern U.S. research. Her areas of specialty are U.S. and LDS family history.
Forrest Emmett, Project Supervisor
Forrest is a junior from Washington State majoring in Family History-Genealogy at Brigham Young University. He is using his time at the university to focus on Scandinavian and Native American research and the use of particular records such as historical maps and newspapers. Currently working on the Nauvoo Community Project, his end goal is to become a professional researcher and innovator in the genealogy industry.
Annie Smith, Project Supervisor
Annie is majoring in Family History-Genealogy with a double minor in Anthropology and Scandinavian Studies. Family History has been a lifelong love and she plans on specializing in Scandinavian research, specifically the country of Norway. She hopes to one day work in the History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and help people bring their ancestors to life.
Elizabeth Harper, Assistant Supervisor
Originally from Logan, Utah, Elizabeth found joy in doing her family history work at a young age. After serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Romania/Moldova, Elizabeth decided to pursue her passion for family history as a career. She is currently majoring in Family History-Genealogy with a double minor in Digital Humanities and Family Life at Brigham Young University. She hopes to become a professional genealogist and help others come to love genealogy as much as she does.
Heather Olsen, Assistant Supervisor
Heather became interested in family history as she worked to build her husband's family tree. In 2016, she started as a History major at UVU. In the summer of 2017, she transferred to BYU to major in Family History-Genealogy. Mainly working on her mother-in-law’s family tree, Heather found a love for Norwegian records. She is focusing her research in the Scandinavian countries and is learning Danish.
Cheryl Ann Taylor, Assistant Supervisor
Cheryl is from Bossier City, Louisiana. She is majoring in Family Consumer Science Education at Brigham Young University. She loves being able to study the family in so many ways. She is so excited to be working on the Nauvoo Community Project and use the skills she has developed in family history to help others in building this resource.
Aubrey Bourret, Assistant Supervisor
Aubrey is from Lapeer, Michigan. She is a junior majoring in English, and she plans to double minor in Editing and Family History-Genealogy. She fell in love with indexing in high school and soon taught herself the basics of genealogical research. Aubrey plans to work as an editor, but she hopes to use the researching skills she has learned at BYU to foster a love of genealogy in her future family.
Devrie Rozsa
Devrie was born in Anaheim, California, spent her early childhood in Gilbert, Arizona, and has since lived in Draper, Utah. She served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Argentina Bahia Blanca and is now double majoring in Spanish and Elementary Education. She has had a growing passion for family history and genealogy ever since she first learned how to index in middle school.
Chris Devenport
Chris is a Family History-Genealogy major from Payson, Utah. His interest in family history stemmed from researching his Swedish ancestors; despite this, though, he is planning to specialize in British research. His first experiences with family history came from playing the card game Out on a Limb and earning the BSA Genealogy merit badge.
Emily Brignone
Emily is from Upstate New York. She is currently studying History. She got into family history researching immigration to Nauvoo for a professor and her interest in it has grown. She now hopes to be a professional genealogist and a professor in the future.
Hannah Ogden
Hannah is a student at Brigham Young University majoring in Classical Civilization and minoring in Family History-Genealogy. She is from Highland, Utah, and loves delving into family history with her siblings and grandparents. Hannah is excited to be helping with the Nauvoo project and gaining many valuable research skills. She plans on emphasizing in the Southern United States and Scandinavian nations.
Hillary Hughes
Hillary Hughes is a senior at Brigham Young University majoring in Family History and minoring in International Development. She grew up in historic New England where her love for history started. Hillary also served a mission in Taiwan for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In the winter of 2018, Hillary completed an internship at the National Archives in Washington D.C. After graduation from BYU, she plans to receive a masters in Museum Education. Her area of focus is Northeast United States and Colonial America.
Kristlynn Roth
Kristlynn Roth is majoring in Family History-Genealogy and minoring in Japanese. She is from Lehi, Utah. She lived in Japan for a year and a half and loves to learn about other cultures and peoples. Her research has included Germany, Scandinavia, and America. She hopes to be able to conduct Japanese American research in the future. Kristlynn plans to be a professional genealogist.
Jacqueline Davis
Jacqueline is a sophomore from Layton, Utah, majoring in Family History-Genealogy and minoring in Anthropology. She has been interested in family history since she was in high school. After she returned from her missionary service for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Indonesia, she decided to specialize in Indonesian research. She hopes to work in archives and preservation to provide more opportunities for people from around the world to discover their family roots.
Rachel Lee
Rachel was born and raised in Arizona. Her love for family history began on her mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Edmonton, Canada. She had to learn to research and find family names efficiently. Rachel is majoring in Family History-Genealogy with a minor in Family Life. Her hope is to help others discover their love for family history and for their ancestors.
Matthew Tyler
Matthew Tyler is an undergraduate student at Brigham Young University. He will be graduating in early 2019 with a BA in Family History-Genealogy. Matthew has traveled extensively throughout China for the past 12 years. In 2017, Matthew completed an internship at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, where he delivered a series of lectures on Chinese genealogy.
Olivia Fordiani
Olivia Fordiani is majoring in Genetics, Genomics, and Biotechnology and minoring in Family History at Brigham Young University. She plans to work in the growing genetic genealogy field of research. Olivia grew up participating in family history research and indexing, but her love for genealogy increased while serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Belgium and the Netherlands. She is from Payson, Utah.
Michaela Rappleyea
Michaela is majoring in Graphic Design with a minor in Family History-Genealogy at Brigham Young University. She is a junior and hopes to become a professional independent designer. She is from Greenville, North Carolina, and has served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Nevada Las Vegas West mission.
KariAnne Jex
Kari visited Nauvoo for the first time when she was three years old and immediately fell in love with the city. She grew up hearing stories about her ancestors who lived there, and she is so excited to be able to help bring the Nauvoo residents’ histories to their families. She is a student at Brigham Young University majoring in Family History-Genealogy with an emphasis on Adriatic studies. She is from Saratoga Springs, Utah.
Kaitlyn Larsen
Kaitlyn is majoring in Entrepreneurial Management with minors in Civic Engagement Leadership, German, and Family Life. She has loved family history work since a very young age. She loves facilitating human connection, whether that is between those that are living or those that are dead, and is excited to be a part of the Nauvoo Community Project.
Kaitlin Torres
Kat is a Statistics major who is minoring in Family History-Genealogy at Brigham Young University. She became interested in family history while in high school. Kat is from San Antonio, Texas, and enjoys spending her free time working on her genealogy, playing with her dog, reading, and playing the piano.
Ariel Mecham
Ariel is from West Jordan, Utah, and is a junior at Brigham Young University majoring in Family History-Genealogy. She has a passion for family history and is focusing on a specialty in French language research in the United States, Canada, and France. She is currently working on the Nauvoo Community Project and plans to become a professional researcher for private clients.
Lani Higgins
Lani is a non-traditional senior student from Utah majoring in Family History-Genealogy and minoring in Anthropology. Her interest in family history stems from her heritage on the Pacific island of Ambon in the Moluccas. Lani takes every opportunity to learn about genealogical research and has spent three months researching in Austria. She hopes to become an Accredited Genealogist researcher specializing in Pacific research.
Ashlyn Taylor
Ashlyn is from the small farm town of Stark, Kansas. She served a Spanish speaking mission in Vancouver, Washington, and is now studying at Brigham Young University. Ashlyn plans to major in Medical Laboratory Science and minor in Family History-Genealogy. Her interest in genealogical research began at a young age and has since grown. She is excited to be working on the Nauvoo Community Project.
Olivia Brooks
Liv is from Saint George, Utah. She is a Family History-Genealogy and Russian double major. She served a mission in Moscow, Russia, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She wants to specialize in Eastern European and Slavic genealogy. Liv loves life and can often be found outside hiking or biking.
Jensen Cordon
Jensen is from Mooresville, North Carolina, where hearing stories about his ancestors sparked an interest in family history. His major is now Family History-Genealogy at Brigham Young University and his minor is Spanish. Having served a religious mission in Mexico City and met his fiance there, he loves Spanish and his emphasis is in Latin American research. He hopes to work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Genealogy and Spanish.
Hailey Belshe
Hailey is majoring in Family History-Genealogy and is interested in German and Swiss genealogy research. She decided to major in Family History during the summer before she came to BYU, when she went on a trip to Nauvoo and was able to learn about her ancestors who lived there. She plans to graduate in 2020 and work towards becoming a Certified Genealogist.