Michael A. Grootendorst

Background and Education

Genealogical research has been a lifelong interest of mine. My grandparents immigrated from the Netherlands in the 1950s and I always enjoyed listening to them talk about their families back in the old country. As a teenager in the 1990s, I wanted to know more. So I began writing to the various Dutch archives asking for copies of vital records. Through this process, I became familiar with Dutch records and, by the time I finished high school, had created a fairly complete pedigree chart.

I also have a strong interest in American history, particularly that of the nineteenth century. Marrying someone with deep roots in the United States gave me a good excuse to familiarize myself with American genealogy. Much of my wife’s ancestry had clearly been worked on by other researchers but there did remain a fair amount to do. One example is the case of her great-grandmother. She was born in Chicago in 1906 and given away at birth. No record of her birth was ever found and it soon became apparent that traditional methods could not solve the question of her origins. Then we tried DNA. When her daughter's (my wife’s grandmother's) DNA was added to the AncestryDNA database, I was able to look at her matches and determine the identity of both birth parents. After that, we were able to exchange photographs and information with some of her close living relatives. I found this process so fascinating that it made me want to do the same type of research for others.

I earned a bachelor's degree in history through Thomas Edison State University and a certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University. I am a member of the National Genealogical Society and continue to expand my genealogy education through reading, seminars and, of course, practice.

Michael A. Grootendorst

Background and Education

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