Southern California Genealogist Awarded Memorial Grant

Melanie Frick, an advocate for youth genealogy from Monrovia, California, is the 2016 recipient of The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Genealogy Grant and Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree Scholarship. The award was presented Sunday, 5 June 2016 at the SCGS Jamboree Scholarship Breakfast, sponsored by Legacy Tree Genealogists, professional genealogists and research services.

Melanie received a $500 cash award from the Freeman Memorial Grant program and full registration to the Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree in Burbank, California from SCGS. This is the sixth year that the Freeman Student Genealogy Grant Program and SCGS have partnered to offer a student genealogy award. The Scholarship Breakfast featured speaker was Paul Woodbury, 2014 recipient of the Genealogy Grant who is now Outreach Manager for Legacy Tree Genealogists.

Melanie Frick, an Iowa native with deep Midwestern roots, is a 20-something young genealogist who has already spent over fifteen years researching her family history. At the age of twelve, Melanie inherited an early 20^th century diary written by her great-great-aunt, a South Dakota prairie schoolteacher. She was fascinated by the stories of “barn dances, schoolhouse shenanigans, family gatherings, and the spread of Influenza in her rural community.” Melanie continues to unravel the stories of her ancestors in her popular blog, Homestead Genealogy.

Melanie pursued her interest in history and research by earning a Bachelor of Arts in History from Iowa State University, and a Master of Science in Library and Information Science with a Certificate in Special Collections from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Currently Melanie serves on the board and is content coordinator of the NextGen Genealogy Network, an organization dedicated to connecting ad empowering young genealogists around the world. She also editor of the APG eNews and volunteers as proofreader of the NGS Magazine.

“We are delighted to recognize young genealogists with the grant program and encourage their future in family history,” noted Denise Levenick, Grant Chair. “This year, in the absence of qualified student applicants, the Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Genealogy Grant is presented in recognition of a young genealogist who is outstanding not only in her own genealogical endeavors, but also as an advocate for other young genealogists.”

The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Genealogy Grant Program was established in 2011 to help young family historians pursue their genealogy research and educational goals. In recognition of Suzanne Freeman’s enthusiasm for the nationally recognized Jamboree, the award is directed toward a student attending the SCGS Jamboree. Suzanne Winsor Freeman was the mother of genealogy blogger Denise Levenick, www.theFamilyCurator.com. For information about donating to the grant fund, please see SWF Grant.

The Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree has partnered with the grant program each year to offer complimentary conference registration to the award recipient. The annual Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree is an innovative leader in genealogy conferences offering webinars, live-streamed sessions, student registration rates, beginner education, and the DNA Day.

LegacyTree Genealogists, sponsor of the Scholarship Breakfast, is a leader in genealogical and DNA research services with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah and trained researchers around the globe.