James writes family histories for our Newbury Street Press imprint. He works closely with patrons to prepare meticulously researched volumes that match their family interests. James joined the staff of American Ancestors in 2015, working initially in Member Services, orienting visitors to our library campus in Boston, before spending several years as a genealogist preparing detailed reports for our Research and Library Services department. He is a frequent contributor to the Vita Brevis blog, the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, and American Ancestors magazine. His most recent work has focused on seventeenth-century New England immigrant origins, advancements in the field of genealogy, and strategies for connecting nineteenth and twentieth century immigrants to their birthplaces in Central and Eastern Europe.

James works with our Education department to present lectures on American immigration history and research within the former territories of the Russian, German and Austrian Empires.  

Prior to his joining the team at American Ancestors, James worked in the conservation department of the John J. Burns library at Boston College, where he earned his BA, and the research library at Plimoth Patuxet Museums in Plymouth, Massachusetts.