Director, Jan Fralic-BrownHow did you become interested in genealogy?
I’d say my interest in genealogy, like many other people, began with my family. I always loved eavesdropping on the stories that sparked whenever family members got together. However, it wasn’t until I was studying archival work in my thirties that I started pestering family members for stories and collecting documented information.
What is your most exciting or interesting genealogical discovery?
My most interesting genealogical discovery was also what really got me truly addicted! All I knew about one of my great-great grandfathers was that he was an orphan “from up Sydney River way.” One night at the Nova Scotia archives, while tracking his evidence trail, I decided to check Halifax vital statistics for his 1872 marriage, after not finding it in the Cape Breton records, and I found it! His parents were listed as William Brown and Ruth Morley of Sydney River. So, I went back to the 1871 census for Cape Breton County, and just before the archives closed, I found the family – and William Brown, along with the rest of the children besides my great-grandfather, was listed as being of African origin! What a surprise. This led me to do a ton of research on the Brown family, Black Loyalists, and a whole new understanding of early Black history in North America.
What brought you to GANS?
All the time I spent at the Archives meant meeting people who shared my passion, including members of GANS. At one point I volunteered for a transcription project, and not long after that Dr. Allan Marble approached me about joining the Executive as Recording Secretary, and I’ve been involved ever since.
What is your position/responsibility at GANS?
Currently I’m serving as President, but I’ve been Secretary a couple of times, the NSG Editor twice, as well as Vice-President, Past-President, and just a Director. I have also been volunteering in the library for many years.
What is your professional background?
It won’t be a surprise that I worked as a Library Technician for over 30 years, mainly at NSCAD University, first as an Interlibrary Loans/Serials Technician and later as the Circulation Supervisor, with Reference service as part of my responsibilities as well. I did work as a cataloguer in the Nova Scotia Archives for a brief period back in the 1990s after graduating from the Technician Library program at NSCC. I also have a BA in Psychology from Kings University.
What are your interests outside of genealogy?
Outside of genealogy I read, walk at least 10 km per day, strength train, have season tickets to the Mooseheads, and am interested in all things related to local history, active transportation, climate change mitigation, and how they can intersect.