I’m Dr Danielle Gibbs a.k.a. GenieDans, a professional genealogist based in the UK who specialises in reconnecting people with their English and/or Jamaican ancestors.
I am UK born, of mixed Caribbean descent (Afro-Jamaican and Indo-Trinidadian). My husband is of mixed European descent (English and Finnish). Our home is a mix of cultures and heritage and we enjoy embracing each of them.
My academic journey was rooted in the sciences. I obtained a BSc in Zoology from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, followed by a MSc in Medical Parasitology from The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine before being awarded my Doctorate for my PhD studies in Veterinary Parasitology at the University of Edinburgh.
You might be wondering how any of that has equipped me for researching family histories. In the course of my studies, particularly my PhD, I had to learn and develop critical research skills, data handling, presentation, organisational skills, public speaking, as well as professionalism. I travelled to give talks, published papers and organised research projects. Obtaining your doctorate doesn’t just give you the prefix of Dr, it also equips you with transferable research and professional skills.
I left scientific research to focus on raising a family. It was as my children got a bit older that the call to genealogy came. I wanted to help them engage with their varied heritage through their ancestors, bringing history alive for them. I spent a long time searching through Jamaican, English and even Finnish records. I’m still working on becoming fluent in Finnish though. Unfortunately no Trinidadian records are accessible from the UK.
I soon found myself researching the family history of extended family, friends and acquaintances. Through that I discovered that researching other people’s family trees filled me with as much joy as I felt researching my own. I felt honoured to help people rediscover their ancestors and start telling stories that had been lost to time. It also gave the researcher in me a space to flourish.
This blog is a place for me to share information relating to English and Jamaican genealogy. That may take the form of articles on interesting bits of Jamaican and English history, stories of ancestors from my family trees, ‘how to’ articles for conducting your own research and guides to using different genealogical resources.
I hope that you find something in the blog that is either useful to you or educational, wherever you are in your journey to rediscover your ancestors.
Genie Dans
Note: This was previously published by me on 19 December 2023 and copied to this blog on 14 January 2024.
