Hi, my name is Jill Nock. My long genealogy path led me from a fourteen-year-old beginner to where I am today, which is an Accredited Genealogist® (AG®) in the U.S. Upper South region through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen℠).

Why Genealogy?

Growing up, I was lucky enough to spend time with my maternal great-grandmother. Through her, I learned of her family’s move from Southwest City, Missouri, to Grangeville, Idaho. Grandma Ida was just four years old in 1886 when they made the journey, but she vividly remembered riding the emigrant train from Missouri to the end of the rail in Walla Walla, Washington.

Ida’s father, Joseph, bought a team of horses and a wagon, loaded their few possessions, and traveled from Walla Walla to Dayton, where they spent two weeks with family friends who had previously moved West. From Dayton, the journey continued to Grangeville, Idaho — with only Grandma Ida and her mother riding in the wagon on the long, steep uphill stretches. Everyone else walked. Those stories of life on the Camas Prairie sparked a yearning to know more about my ancestors and started me on the path of genealogy.

I began researching my family tree in the mid-1970s and, like Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road, discovered that things don’t always go according to plan. My early genealogy road was filled with beginner’s missteps — no source citations, no research logs — but I made important discoveries along the way.

Learning the DAR Way of Genealogy

In June 2013, I joined the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), and in April 2014 completed the three DAR Genealogical Education Program (GEP) classes. Volunteering my research skills to help with DAR applications deepened my understanding of evidence standards and documentation—and showed me how much more there was to learn.

Researching Genealogy for Others

While volunteering with a local genealogy society, I connected an elderly adopted man with his biological family, who never knew he existed. Since then I have helped several adoptees find their biological families through DNA and traditional genealogy research.

Uncle Mike‘s Legacy

My Uncle Mike once told me, “Never stop learning, Honey.” Taking that to heart—and knowing that you don’t know what you don’t know — I committed to earning the AG® credential through ICAPGen℠. After completing the ICAPGen℠ study groups and passing three levels of examinations, I was awarded the Accredited Genealogist® credential on February 18, 2023. For details on the accreditation process, visit ICAPGen℠.

The U.S. Upper South region covers the states of Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, however, I provide research services in other states, too. I offer traditional genealogy research services as well as identification of unknown parentage through the use of DNA, as well as genealogy research mentoring. See my Research Services page for more details.

Continuing Education

My commitment to professional development includes advanced training at:

Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP)
Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG)
Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR)
ProGen 59 — Professional Genealogy Study Group, 2021–2022