Welcome to the Search For Ancestors research service.

Professional family history research at reasonable prices.

GETTING STARTED

There are lots of things to consider, and which are useful for a researcher to know, when starting a family tree. One is to decide what you would like from your tree. For example, are you only interested in searching one surname in your tree or are you interested in every branch (bearing in mind that regardless of surname they are all your direct ancestors).

The second thing to consider is preparation. Whilst it can be possible to create a family tree from scant information, it is far easier and (particularly in the case of common surnames) much more likely to be right when you have more facts to begin with. If you don’t have much documentation a good source of information can be relatives, especially older family members. Whilst some of the information they give you may not be entirely right, it often has elements of truth in it that can be a starting point for research.

WHY DO PEOPLE WANT TO TRACE THEIR ANCESTORS?

For the majority of people, tracing their family tree is about finding out more about themselves and where they have come from. It can help you to find out how your family came to live in the area that they do, and what social or personal situations lead them to make the decisions that they did. Family history is a fascinating journey back into your own past.

HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

I can provide you with anything from a full tree to help with finding that one “missing ancestor”. I particularly enjoy helping to flesh out the bare bones of a family tree, using a variety of resources, to help put the lives of your ancestors into a social and historical context which will help bring them to life as people.  I would take great pleasure in helping you with your family history research whether you require me to start a tree from scratch or help you to augment a tree that you already have, and everything in between. I am based in Nottinghamshire but am able to research for the whole of England and often beyond.