User:Hanna5974

Welcome
I began my genealogy experiences with a beginners' class and BYU travel study to England and Scotland with Professor Ben Bloxham when I was 20 years old. I was immediately hopelessly hooked! I have a B.S and M.Ed in elementary education and taught Gifted and Talented children for 18 years. When I finished my first degree at BYU, I went home to California to look for work, and learned that, to get a teaching license there, I needed a degree in something besides education (go figure). It was when I returned to BYU for that additional degree that I began working as a secretary for Family History Services, the university's arm for professional research. Eventually, I completed an internship in U.S. research, and a second internship in German and Swiss research. I married and had four children, working very part-time as a professional genealogist until my last child was in the fourth grade, and then began an odd mixture of half-time teaching and half-time professional research. I used to joke that it was the perfect mix for me--teaching was more social than research, but the dead were better behaved than kids! In addition to U.S. and German research, I have done English, Scottish, Canadian, Slovakian, Greek (for a friend), and I am working on conquering Danish research (for my own research). My husband and I both retired a couple of years ago, probably just to be able to spend more time with our six darling, hilarious grandchildren. Since then,I have done a little paid research when begged to but, find that I really love teaching other people how much more than being paid. I think teaching and genealogy both have played a major role in my life, and I have fun combining them. Kathi Hanna