Currently accepting clients for...

• Speaking / Presenting
• Writing /Publishing

Jill Morelli, CG, CGL, is a writer, lecturer and genealogical researcher. In 2017, she founded the Certification Discussion Group (theCDGseries.wordpress.com), an online series discussing the certification journey of herself and others in order to demystify the process of portfolio building for the Board for Certification of Genealogists.  She specializes in U.S. (strong on the Midwest) and Scandinavian research and is constantly honing her methodological skills. She conducts workshops on "Write As You Research" and self-publishing, and lectures nationally. She regularly writes articles for National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Swedish American Genealogist, Minnesota GS Quarterly and many others. Most recently she has written a book Journeys of the Forgotten: The Orphans of Hamilton County, Iowa and is working on her next. In 2025,she was honored by APG with the Laura Prescott Award for exemplary service to the genealogical community. Jill is past president of the Seattle Genealogical Society, program director for the Puget Sound-APG chapter, and a member of many local and national genealogical societies. 

Testimonials
"I highly recommend [Jill] as a speaker for your event. Jill is organized and meticulous in her research and preparation. She is a thoughtful and engaging presenter and pauses along the way to emphasis and reinforce key points. Jill would approach teaching a one-day seminar or a one-hour lecture with the same thoroughness and dedication she does with everything. I have no doubt the event would be one of full of new information, developing better research skills and an emphasis on producing reproducible, quality genealogy. Jill would be a wonderful speaker for any genealogy event!" - Cary Bright, Seattle

Publications/Media
Journey of the Forgotten: The Orphans of Hamilton County, Iowa, available at Amazon & Lulu.com. 46 unnamed orphans from NYC came to Iowa the fall of 1890. These are their stories.
Scandinavian Legacy: The Jacobsen and Andersson Families. available at Lulu.com. Chris Jacobsen (Denmark) and the Bengt Peter Anderson family of Hishult (Sweden) settled in Hancock County, Iowa. The book covers a series of case studies for genealogists and family members
Ostfriesen Legacy: The Bode, Wientjes, Rykena and Berg Families of Iowa and Illinois. Immigrants from Ostfriesland typically connect with the previous settlers in Illinois before proceeding on to Iowa. One family went straight to Iowa but wrote and 37 page letter to his brother talking about his immigration experience. That's just one story.
The Family: Stories from the Descendents (working title)

 

Lectures
lecture list at (genealogycertification.wordpress.com). New presentations are being developed and added all the time. check with me for any specific requests or to schedule me as a speaker.

Repositories
King County Archives, NARA-Seattle, Seattle & King County Public Libraries, King County Courts, Seattle Genealogical Society Library, University of Washington (Suzzalo), Washington State Archives, and Puget Sound Regional Branch (Archives)

Research Time Periods

• 20th Century
• 19th Century
• 18th Century

Honorifics/Credentials
CG®, CGL

Affiliations
National Genealogical Society; Ostfriesen Genealogical Society of America; Assn. of Professional Genealogists; Seattle Genealogical Society (former President), Colorado Swedish Genealogical Society

Degrees
MA (Public Policy & Administration), B.Arch. (Architecture)