I’m Janelle Asselin, a genealogist from Nebraska and Iowa with roots in Michigan and Canada who now lives in Wisconsin. As a teenager, I adored pouring over family photos and home movies and created handwritten family trees after hearing stories about my great grandparents. Nearly 20 years ago, at a time of great change in my personal and professional life, I was reminded of this interest by the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? Before long, I was spending hours and hours on genealogy sites, scouring for the records that would answer the long list of questions I had about my ancestors. I see genealogy as a way to combine my curiosity about myself and my family with my love of history. After all, genealogy is history made personal.
I’ve worked as a writer, editor, journalist, and marketer, so I have a mix of skills that make my genealogy work more than just clicking leaves on a family tree. Whether you want a detailed, easy-to-understand report about your family, an educational presentation for a specific audience, or historical context that can unlock the next level of your research, Prairie Roots Genealogy can help. Contact me now to get started.
Welcome to
Prairie Roots Genealogy
Professional Background
I grew up in the Midwest, filled with a wild imagination and a love of reading. In 2005, I began actively pursuing my dream of editing for a living. My passion for the written word and improving lives through media is evident in the work I do every day, working on developing corporate intellectual property into compelling, relatable stories. While those jobs have paid the bills and fulfilled me in many ways, genealogy began to feel more like a calling than a hobby.
I am the Marketing committee chair for the Irish Genealogical Society International, on the Board of Directors for the American Canadian Genealogical Society, and volunteers in additional capacities for both organizations. I earned the certificate from the National Genealogical Society’s Advanced Skills in Genealogy course and am a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. I also have attended a variety of webinars, institutes, and courses, including virtually attending GRIP Genealogy Institute in 2025 and taking the course “Effective Listening and Self-Care for Genealogists” through the University of Strathclyde.
A lifelong scholar, I hold a BA in English Language and Literature from Southern New Hampshire University and an MS in Publishing from Pace University. I received Pace’s 2012 Publishing Award for excellence in the study of publishing for my graduate thesis, titled “How Can the Comic Book Industry Increase Sales Among Woman? An Analysis of Factors Affecting Female Consumers.” I live in Madison, Wisconsin with my lovely enginerdy spouse, four adorable cats, and way too many books (and board games and video games).
Information on my editorial and writing work is at JanelleAsselin.com.
Family History
My parents were both born in Michigan to parents who were also born in Michigan. It gets more interesting—and spreads out—from there!
My paternal grandmother, Eileen, descended from an Irish Canadian father and a Scottish, Irish, and French Canadian mother. My paternal grandfather, Leonard, was 100% French Canadian, as his father was from a long line of Asselins living in Quebec before he moved to Michigan, and his mother was a first generation American born to a French Canadian couple. My dad is one of seven children, giving me a very large extended family.
My maternal grandmother, Rose, was German, Lithuanian, and French Canadian. Her mother (my great grandmother) was part of a French Canadian family that settled in the Detroit area in the 1700s. My mother’s father, Robert, was English and German, and his mother (my great grandmother) is the family member that connects me to key moments in American history such as the Civil War and the American Revolution. My mom is one of six children, and although her family isn’t quite as large as my dad’s, there’s plenty to keep me busy as I research.
I grew up visiting my paternal grandparents in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan every summer and developed a deep love for my Michigander roots, despite never having lived there myself. It’s for this reason that my initial pull to genealogy led me to explore my French Canadian heritage. But like many Irish Americans, I grew up hearing tales of Irish emigrant forebears who came to North America looking for a better life. My connections to my French Canadian and Irish ancestry were what I was first interested in researching, but everyday I am branching out to research new aspects of my family history.