Jennifer McDonald IIGS Interview August 15, 2024

I started into Genealogy in 2010 for three reasons. The first was because I visited my great-grandmother. She lived with my grandparents for the last thirteen years of her life. My great-grandmother stood at the dining room table labelling her photographs. She had an oval-shaped sepia photograph of a gentleman with an 1800’s 1800s-style beard, mustache, and an interesting suit. 

“Who is he?” I asked, intrigued.

“My grandfather, a Shakespearean Actor.“

The second reason I got into Genealogy was reuniting with my older half-brother and biological father in 2006. Naturally, by locating my father and his family I wanted to learn more about my paternal family history.

The third reason also happened in 2010. My great-aunt on my maternal grandfather’s side contacted me. She informed me a gentleman was trying to contact us regarding our Norwegian heritage. My grandfather told me about his grandfather (2X ggf to me) who came to the United States from Norway.

The gentleman turned out to be a cousin. He opened the door to so many questions I had about this family line. He took me under his wing and taught me how to use Ancestry’s website to build my family tree and locate records. I even helped plan our first family reunion. Over one hundred people attended, including two cousins from Norway! It was an amazing experience learning we still have a lot of family in Norway. Our family still owns the family farm in Sumstad, Norway near Trondheim.

My wheelhouse is using my skills in genealogy to reunite families. I’ve located well over 500 of my living relatives and reunited over 200 people with their families. I am a huge supporter of descendancy research. I’ve been given a gold mine of photographs from cousins from all over the United States and the world.

I learned about the International Institute of Genealogical Studies through some current students. I loved the fact the institute courses are taken at your own pace and would help prepare me for taking the ProGen program. 

My favorite IIGS courses thus far have been the Methodology courses. A fun Elective course I took was, Writing Your Family History Book. It gave me such great ideas to take my stored memories about my family and put them into writing.

In the future, I hope to attend Stanislaus State in Turlock, California. I plan to get my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history. When I graduate from IIGS, I’ll be a professional genealogist. Then, I’ll enroll in the ProGen program, and plan to start my own business.

In August 2024, I was offered a position as a Museum Assistant with the Cowboy Museum in Oakdale, California. To work in a museum, you need strong analytical skills as well as written and verbal communication skills. This would include other job experience such as customer service. A lot of museums are nonprofits. Having nonprofit volunteer experience can be a major addition to specific job experience.

The History of the Cowboy Museum is rather interesting. The Museum opened in 1996. The museum building was formerly the old Southern Pacific Railroad Depot. President Bush proclaimed July 22^nd the National Day of the American Cowboy. There are two large rooms. Many exhibits in the museum are dedicated to local ranchers, rodeo riders, and more. The museum gives out scholarships and hosts many events including a cowgirl luncheon, Spurs and Roses Dance, and a dinner auction. Some of the exhibits include saddles, our Rodeo Queen 2024, championship belt buckles, various types of competitions both on horseback and bull riding, and the list goes on.

My education with IIGS has greatly assisted me with my career. In the museum, we display framed posters with information about the founding families represented in the area going back to the California Gold Rush. I’ve begun pointing out connections between these families and the local area to share with guests when they visit the museum. 

The most interesting item I found at the museum is a hidden gem. The inside of a wooden wagon wheel repurposed into the base of a lamp. 

Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your story and telling us about working in a museum!

International Institute of Genealogical Studies

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