Nancy Grayson Adelson has researched more than 10,800 members of her Sephardic, Eastern and Western European families, stretching back to the early 1700s. She has written a book about her father:  A New York City Boy.

She presented at IAJGS conferences in 2006, 2009-2011, and 2013-2014. She lectures on genealogy regionally and on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.

Nancy is founding member, Immediate Past President, 1st Vice-President, Program Chair, and JOWBR Chair for JGS Washington State; GerSIG Director, 2013 IAJGS Conference Program Co-Chair, Past IAJGS-International Jewish Genealogy Month Chair.

Nancy received IAJGS Salutes, two Washington State Genealogical Society Awards and JGSWS Outstanding Community Service Award.

“Jewish Genealogy Research Essentials Part 1” (Sun-138), 9-10:15 A.M.

Gain a step-by-step overview to the vast array of resources that will help you begin and/or continue your genealogical journey. In Part 1, obtain tips for choosing family tree software, organizing and gathering information for your family tree, creating simple research logs, acquiring helpful techniques for interviewing, learning basic Ashkenazi and Sephardic naming traditions, discovering Jewish names search sites, locating valuable information in old newspapers, and using National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) collections, including the US census, naturalization papers, city directories, US passenger manifests and indexes and their vast online collections. You will walk out of this session with the tools to start or continue your genealogical research!

Topics: Ashkenazic research, Beginning genealogists, Jewish surname adoption and naming patterns, Organization and preservation, Sephardic research, Technology in support of genealogical research, Washington State

“Jewish Genealogy Research Essentials Part 2” (Sun-139), 10:30-11:45 A.M.

Continue to discover the process of uncovering your ancestral roots. Receive highlights and tips for researching on the internet using free and for fee sites including JewishGen’s Family Finder (JGFF), JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR), Country Data bases, and Family Tree of the Jewish People (FTJP); MyHeritage®, Ancestry and their Jewish Collection, sites to find living descendants, etc. Learn to better employ cemetery research, discover vital records (Birth, Marriage, and Death Records) from different sources, and uncover a wide array of resources in libraries including City Directories and their free online data bases including Ancestry Library Edition®, HeritageQuest™, and ProQuest®. Review many easy methods to share your research and tips for finding time to do all this great research.

Topics: Beginning genealogists, Cemetery research, Immigration and migration over the ages, Organization and preservation, Repositories, Technology in support of genealogical research 

“150 Years of Washington State Jewish History” (Mon-136), 4:30-5:45 P.M.

Washington State enjoys a rich Jewish history because of the cultural diversity of our Jewish communities. Learn about the first wave of German-speaking Jewish immigrants from central Europe starting in the 1850’s; discover the second wave of Yiddish-speaking Jews from Eastern Europe between 1880-1924; and explore the third major wave comprised of Sephardic Jews who spoke Ladino, primarily from Turkey and Rhodes beginning in 1902. Few could speak, read or write English when they arrived in Washington but these founding families’ adopted a “pioneer spirit” in this large State. This is a “must see” for anyone interested in Jewish Communities of the Great Northwest and the 2nd largest Sephardic Community in the USA today.

Topics: Beginning genealogists, Immigration and migration over the ages, Jewish history and culture, Specific countries or geographic areas, Sephardic, Ashkenazic, Germanic Washington State History