- Hello, and Welcome! This website and blog will mostly be of interest to myself, family and friends. As a result, they already know me, but for the sake of fellow genealogists, strangers and the future, here is a little about who I am.
- I recently (April 2021) retired from the Orange County Library System (OCLS) after 29 years of public service. My most recent position was Branch Manager of the West Oaks Branch and Genealogy Center in Ocoee, Florida. I originally worked in the Genealogy Department in 1992, became head of the department in December 1995, and became manager at West Oaks in December 2009. In my career at OCLS, I served as librarian, branch manager, department head, storyteller, and book talker, estimating I had about 19 different jobs there. I caught the genealogy bug in 1992 when I first worked in the Genealogy Department, and have been researching my family ever since. My roots are primarily in the Midwest, particularly Iowa and Minnesota, with ancestors of German, Swedish, and English origin, tracing back to Mayflower passengers Stephen Hopkins (also of Jamestown) and his daughter Constance. I served on the board of the Central Florida Genealogical Society for 14 years, including 5 years as president.
- The primary focus here will be on family history. The website will be a place to update family trees, and to provide links to photo albums and documents. The blog will highlight stories about ancestors, their documents, and the places they lived, probably with some contemporary commentary sprinkled in.
- I hope you enjoy sharing and exploring my discoveries.
Introducing Gregg B. Gronlund
Gregg B. Gronlund 