About Us

For the past thirty years, Johni Cerny, F.U.G.A., has assembled a gifted staff of professional genealogists. Her efforts have resulted in a brilliant group of people who use cutting edge technology to document family trees. Together they have over 100 years experience and have traced the ancestry of thousands of American families. They specialize in American, African American, Native American, English, Irish, Scottish, German, French, Italian, Scandinavian, Belgium, Slovakian, Hispanic,  Swiss, and Austrian genealogy.

our history

Johni Cerny founded Lineages, Inc. in 1983, left the firm in 2005 and returned as the company’s President and CEO in 2011.  Between 2005 and 2011, she was the lead genealogist for several television series that have aired on PBS, including African American Lives 1 & 2, Faces of America and four seasons of Finding Your Roots. Those productions were under the direction of her dear friend and Executive Producer, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., KunhardtMcGee Productions, Ark Media and Inkwell Films.  She and Lineages’ staff specializes in tracing American, African American, English, Scottish, German, Austrian, Slovakian, Hungarian, Swiss and Italian ancestors.  Johni grew-up in her native Kansas City, Missouri and Los Angeles.  She graduated from Brigham Young University with majors in Genealogy and Social Work. Unable to make a living as a genealogist before “Roots” exploded on paper and television, she served on active duty in the United States Army from 1972 to 1979 and inactive duty from 1979-1983. Reaching the rank of Captain, she spent her last tour in Germany as the first female commander of a forward support unit.  Returning to Utah to live her dream, she launched Lineages, Inc.  Johni lives and works in Draper, Utah.

our invitation

We invite you to explore our website to learn about us, genealogy, and our local and international services. You can also browse our store, post a query and ask questions.

Please contact us for more personalized information at info@lineages.com or by phone at 801-571-6122 M-F, 8-5:00 MT.