My quest began back in the 1980’s when I decided to search for my biological parents.  I was new to genealogy at a time when there was no quick and easy internet search.  I started by gathering information, searching for more documentation and following thin lines of hope.  It took about 5 years before I stumbled on a possible birth mother. I had my first victory when we met face to face.  With that discovery came half siblings.
Fast forward to today.  I have found both biological parents, hundreds of ‘cousins’ and even made a trip to Scotland to visit my maternal grandfather’s home.
In-between looking for my own cousins I started helping others who were looking for biological parents or were new to genealogy . I found it was just as exhilarated finding their ancestors as It was finding mine.

And so, the Genealogy Dames was born.

What I do

Sheila Thayer has over 15 years’ experience working as a research strategist for a large higher education institute. She holds a Library Technician degree from Highline Community College, studied Information Management at the University of Washington and previously co-owned a small business in Washington State.  She has been doing genealogy research over 25 years and looks forward to solving the puzzles.

Memberships

APG (Association of Professional Genealogists)
Illinois State Genealogical Society
Washington State Genealogical Society
Eastern Washington Genealogical Society
Utah Genealogical Association
Southern California Genealogical Society
The Genealogical Forum of Oregon