Jan Duke - Press Biography

Jan is a real live person as are all of the About.com Guides.
After traveling extensively throughout the world for many years, Jan returned to her ancestral state of Tennessee and has since been a resident in the Nashville Area for over two decades.

In 1995, she married her best friend and partner Phillip. Shortly after their marriage, they moved to a rural community just on the outskirts of Nashville where they built their home and soon after began a family.



Jan and Phillip have two rambunctious, fun-loving boys who are the absolute center of their world. Jan includes her family in most every part of her life, even her work. It is a normal occurrence to see her children and/or husband working right along side of her.

Jan is a lifetime member of the local Historical Society, as well as the First Families of Tennessee, a project of the East Tennessee Historical society that documents, honors and identifies the states first residents prior to Tennessee's statehood in 1796. Jan is also membership eligible for the Daughters of the American Revolution, United Daughters of the Confederacy, and Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

Jan's husband, Phillip, a Nashville native, is also a lifetime member of the local Historical Society, as well as a member of First Families of Tennessee through his own 18th century lineage that descends down from Timothy Demonbreun, also known as the "First Citizen" of Nashville. This makes both of their children eligible to be among the select few members of First Families of Tennessee to be able to trace their Tennessee lineage, on both sides of their family tree, a fact that Jan is very proud of.

In her spare time Jan volunteers for several local groups and organizations in the Nashville and Middle Tennessee area. Some of the organizations have included: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, Meals on Wheels, Parent Teacher Organization, Nashville City Cemetery Association, and the Boy Scouts of America.

Since January of 2003, Jan has been running the Nashville.About.com Website, a family orientated site that strives to keep Nashville and it's visitors informed on it's current events, happenings, lifestyles, history, and just about anything to do with the city of Nashville and it's surrounding Middle Tennessee Neighbors.

Jan is also a prolific blogger who has been blogging in and about the Nashville and Middle Tennessee since before the term blogging was fashionable. Currently, she runs a total four websites & blogs, two of which she owns.

Over the years, the Jan has been nominated and selected for numerous awards including being named as the "Best Website about Nashville", "Best of Middle Tennessee", the "Best Local" and "Regional Topic Blogger" in the Middle Tennessee Area.

Jan is a published author and photographer, yet writing About Nashville and Middle Tennessee is not just a job to Jan, it's a passion that she thoroughly enjoys and gladly shares with everyone she comes in contact with.

Jan's Articles and Photographs have appeared in various local, national, and international media outlets. Her work has appeared and/or been featured in various local, national, and international media outlets that have included, but not limited to: Time LIFE, Pearson Education, Gannett, At Home Magazine, McGraw Hill, Holiday World, La Campana del Sur, Ireland's Own, University in Regensburg, IFCO, Nashville Public Television (PBS), Talk of the Town (CBS), and the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum.

As a lifelong learner, Jan's education background includes: the University of Maryland, Thomas Nelson Community College, and Volunteer State.

From Jan-"I believe that history in any form should be learned, embraced, taught, cherished, and carried down to future generations so it will never be lost or forgotten, no one wants to be forgotten. Simply put, history gives me a sense of being."