Janet Werner, J.D.
ProGen Member Overview
I have been a professional genealogist since 2016, and I have been researching my own and others’ family histories for over 25 years. I am an expert in DNA analysis, as well as Irish, Scots-Irish, German & English immigration, African American research, 19th century Ireland, and research in Colonial New England, Colonial Virginia and the Carolinas. I lecture regularly on a variety of topics, especially DNA. I serve on the Board of my local genealogy society, and I lead its Genetic Genealogy (DNA) Special Interest Group (SIG). I also have research experience in most states east of the Mississippi, plus several others. I specialize in finding a family’s “black sheep” and finding the stories hidden in the records, as well as breaking down brick walls, both through DNA analysis and traditional research. I also specialize in finding the biological parents of adoptees, both in current generations and also in the past.
Education
J.D. from the University of Virginia
ProGen 60
Graduate of the following Institutes:
GRIP: Advanced DNA Evidence
SLIG: Meeting Standards Using DNA Evidence
GRIP: The Spirit of the Inland Seas: Research in the Great Lakes
GRIP: Essential Tools and Strategies for African American Research
Experience
I have been a professional genealogist since 2016, and I have been researching my own and others’ family histories for over 25 years. I have experience researching Irish, Scots-Irish, German & English immigration, African American research, as well as research in Colonial New England, Colonial Virginia and the Carolinas, and 19th century Ireland. I have research experience in most states east of the Mississippi. I lecture regularly and lead my local genealogy society's Genetic Genealogy (DNA) Special Interest Group (SIG). I also have experience in researching enslaved people and finding their descendants. I am also an expert in DNA analysis, and I am now using DNA in cutting-edge ways to solve research problems that were unsolvable only a few years ago! For example, I have used DNA analysis to find the ancestral villages of Irish ancestors who fled Ireland in 1848 during the Great Famine. I have used DNA to prove and disprove many lineages, going back to the colonial era. I have also used DNA analysis, coupled with traditional genealogical research, to find the birth parents of many adoptees, and to determine the birth parents of adoptees in past generations.
Publications & BLOGs
I specialize in writing "coffee-table" style family history books. I have written four to date.