Jeanette Martinez Bio

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A native of Denver, Colorado, Jeanette was living in Los Angeles when she joined GSHA-SC in 1997.

 

She has always believed in volunteering and giving back to organizations that benefit her. This led to serving in several positions with the GSHA Southern California Chapter where she served as Chapter Representative, Secretary and was in charge book sales for many years.

 

She planned and/or assisted with planning multiple Annual Conferences for GSHA and today serves as an advisor to the Conference Planning Committee. She is currently chair of the Rules Committee and was instrumental in enabling GSHA members to participate in e-voting for elections and bylaws changes.

 

In 1999 Jeanette’s husband retired and they began “life on the road”, living and traveling in an RV for the next 17 years. This lifestyle allowed many opportunities for her to do local research in places her ancestors resided, especially in New Mexico.

 

At two years of age, Jeanette was adopted by the step-father who raised her, but she was told almost nothing about her biological father, Ernest Martinez. It took another 15 years, but she was successful in finding her Martinez family and is now proud to say she has 12 Martinez half-siblings!

 

After a hiatus of more than ten years, Jeanette is looking forward to getting back to her genealogy research by refreshing her skills, learning more about DNA matching and the latest technology available for researchers today. She is currently going back through her previous research to fill in collateral lines, fill in missing sources and flesh out her paper trail.

 

She recommends serving on a committee or a chapter board to get the most out of your membership and is willing to offer advice or just talk about her experience if you have questions or concerns about volunteering.