The Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy is pleased to announce that Julie Johns Defrancesco was selected as the winner for the SLIG Scholarship for First-Time Institute Attendees for 2020.
The competition was strong and many candidates submitted worthy applications. The committee determined that Ms. Defrancesco's application effectively conveyed her desire for a more in-depth learning experience at an intermediate (or above) level.
Julie was born the fifth of five children in La Verne, California to a family with rich Italian, Swiss, French and Irish heritage. Three of her grandparents immigrated to this country between 1906-1929. The fourth grandparents’ line extends to this country’s earliest European settlers.
Her love for genealogical research began at the age of 17 on a trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City in 1978. From that time to this, Julie has taken advantage of every opportunity to learn about family history. Her desire to discover more about her family line has inspired a hunger to learn everything there is to know about genealogical research. She has attended local LDS conferences, interviewed family members, participated in BYU Home Study Courses in Genealogy, and attended countless conferences and online courses. She is an annual participant in RootsTech.
Her desire to learn more about her ancestry inspired Julie to make pilgrimages to Europe and the British Isles in search of more and better information and to become acquainted with the land, culture and the people that figure so prominently in her heritage.
Julie loves sharing her discoveries with her large family of 5 siblings, 22 nieces and nephews, 38 great nieces and nephews, and an ever growing list of newly discovered relatives! “It is so gratifying to see them soak up the information I share at reunions and family gatherings and ask questions about their ancestors.” Twenty-five years ago in an effort to better share her research and unite her extended family, Julie began a quarterly newsletter called “A Common Thread”.
Today, “A Common Thread” has become a well-received family ancestry blog to which she posts weekly. “I’ve learned so much and reconnected with family members, each of whom has added a few more strands to our family tapestry. I have such a love of family…those living, and those past. But, there is more to learn and more to discover.”
Julie has a strong desire to broaden her knowledge and skills, and by so doing extend her family line and help others to do so; rarely does a guest leave her home without discussing their family history, and in some instances receiving a brief tutorial to help them get started in their research!
Julie currently lives in the Gallatin Mountains near Bozeman, Montana with Steve, her husband of thirty-six years, their German Shepherd Lucia, and frequent guests. These guests include not only family and friends, but deer, elk, bear, moose and even mountain lions. The quiet, peaceful solitude of this alpine setting is ideal for long hours of computer research and reflection on generations past.
Congratulations to Julie and we look forward to seeing her in January!
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