A native Californian, Aaron grew up in Southern California but now makes his home in Northern California, living with his wife and daughters in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Aaron attended school at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California, earning a degree in the Administration of Justice. He also attended California Polytechnic University Pomona, where he received a BA degree in Behavioral Science. Committing himself to a life of education, Aaron is a student at San Jose State University. He is involved in graduate studies toward a degree in Library and Information Science.
Aaron chose law enforcement as a profession. He served California’s people for nearly 30 years in various capacities ranging from uniform patrol duties to training and supervisory roles. He spent most of these years filling investigative assignments. Aaron is a Certified Fraud Examiner (ret.) and a founding member and first president of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators. He is also a graduate of the Robert Presley Homicide Investigation Course.
After retiring from police work, Aaron immediately switched gears and began to pursue genealogical studies full-time. “Genealogy has always interested me. I wanted to know more about my roots, where my name came from, and who my ancestors were. Detective work and genealogy have a lot in common; it was a natural transition.”
Aaron’s ancestry includes a strong Acadian representation. Both of his paternal grandmother’s parents were direct descendants of the first Acadians in New France. The Tassin surname is not Acadian but has a French genesis.
To fully understand the discipline of genealogical studies, Aaron committed himself to understand its best practices. He has attended in-depth instruction at two of the most recognized genealogical institutes, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and the Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research. Aaron completed weeklong education in Advanced Genealogical Methods at both institutes. Other institutes he has completed focused on professional genealogical practices and African American genealogical research.
Concurrently, Aaron attended the Boston University Center for Professional Education’s 15-week Genealogical Research Certificate program – class OL28. He is presently a participant in ProGEN Study Group 46.
Aaron is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, the New England Historical and Genealogical Society, the Utah Genealogical Association, the Genealogical Research Society of New Orleans, and the Southwest Louisiana Genealogical Society.
Besides volunteering at his local FamilySearch Family History Center, Aaron is also active in several research projects. One of these is a One-Name Study of his surname. The study investigates the Tassin surname history, historical distribution – primarily in France and Southern Louisiana – and the ancestry of key Tassin progenerators. Aaron hopes to publish this work soon.