About the Founder
Jim Denton
Founder of 500 Faces
Jim’s life-long interest in genealogy and family history began with him watching his grandfather and mother at work on editing and transcribing the journal of his great-great-grandfather as it was spread out on the dining room table. He took his first genealogy class at age 12, and was thrilled that on the classes’ first field trip to the Western Reserve Historical Society he was able to verify that this same ancestor lived in New York City in the 1830’s. Soon afterward, he asked to see all of his mother’s family history materials and began to help her organize and document the findings.
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With the advent of computers and then the internet, he has been able to add thousands of names to his extended family genealogy. Today he utilizes a combination of computer-based genealogy programs and websites to research and then document his findings.
As the inventive minds of the technology world continue to expand their offerings into the sphere of genealogy, Jim has focused on a few of these enhancements to expand his knowledge. In the past year, he has attended over 60 classes and lectures, among them a year-long workshop on genetic genealogy.
Several life events over the past 5 years have crystallized Jim’s belief that previous generations’ habits for maintaining and passing down family heirlooms is in jeopardy in today’s society. However, modern technologies that are widely available can provide a partial solution. It is his belief that 500 Faces can address this.
