I was born and raised in Seine-et-Marne, France. I grew up in an “old” country full of history. As a child, my parents would take us to visit churches and castles built hundreds of years ago… only to discover in my genealogical research that some of my direct ancestors built or founded them! (I descend from a line of ancestors who forgot to pass on those castles, though…)

I moved to the United States in the early 1990s (Phoenix, AZ), initially “just for 2-3 years”. Thirty+ years later, I am still living in Phoenix, Arizona. I became a proud U.S. citizen in 2004. I love both my countries.

I started my genealogy tree on Geneanet in September 2016. At the time, my goal was to “go up” to my great-grandparents. Then, I decided to “go up” one more generation. And another one. And another one… My interest in genealogy continued to expand when I started Jérémy’s genealogy (my son from my first marriage. His paternal lineage is in South of France and Italy). I was able to join both our families. I was also able to join David’s family and mine. (David is my second husband, born here in the U.S.) So basically, I married two of my cousins! … yuck! We go way back, though, 22 generations until our first common ancestors. Pffew… no papal dispensation was necessary!

Now, I breathe and dream genealogy… I no longer have “a goal”, though. I realized very quickly that my tree will never be finished in my lifetime, even if I lived to be 200 years old (quelle horreur !!) and worked on it 24/7. What really fascinates me is the connection I have noticed so many times between people and events. So because I stopped counting a long time ago the incredible amount of “coincidences” that happen so often in my research, I now let myself “be guided” to whatever discovery I will make that day….

We are all connected…

Bonne journée !

Isabelle – Phoenix, AZ – March 13, 2023