Professional Family History
If you don’t know history, you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree. – Michael Crichton
A bridge between past and future
20+ years of connecting families has taught me a lot
One day my dad and I were standing in a crowd. Nearby, a white-haired older gentleman was holding a very young girl’s hand. My dad figured the man had probably been born about 1900. He asked me what I thought, and I agreed. “My granddad was born about 1900,” he said. “It’s a shame my grandkids will never hold his hand.”
It struck me then that I am a bridge between the past and the future. I did know my dad’s grandfather. (His photo at left) I knew him well and spent many fun times with him before he passed away. I would be able to share those memories with my dad’s grandkids. And while they would never be able to hold his hand, at least I could connect them and give them a sense of knowing how smart, hard working, patient, and stable my great-grandfather was.
That was over 20 years ago. My dad has since passed away, and my role as a bridge between generations has become even more important to me.
I still take client work, mostly by referral, so I can continue to help others who want to connect their present and future generations to their past because to me there is nothing more valuable than to understand who we are by knowing where we came from.
Latest Family History Posts
There are some things I can’t help you with
I’m very fortunate to be able to handle a wide variety of family history situations. I speak Spanish and can read old handwriting in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. I can read modern Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish. I took German in High School so I can read it, but I’ve done enough German and Polish research to know that when it comes to Eastern Europe, I need to refer you to another specialist in that area because it requires intense specialization.
When it comes to the United States, my Spanish and French help me with pre-federal (colonial) research, and I absolutely love research in southern states. I’ve also spent many hours studying migration routes and tracing families moving westward as the United States grew.
And in the past few years I’ve acquired the skill of genetic genealogy, using DNA to solve complex problems where the paper trail is not enough. So there’s a lot I can do. If you need a professional genealogist, contact me using the form below and I’ll let you know if it’s something I would be able to handle and help you set a budget. (I charge $50-$100/hour depending on the language, plus expenses) If it’s not a case I feel comfortable with, I’ll help you find someone who might be able to help you more efficiently.
Either way, please enjoy the resources I share here. I wish you the best of luck in your journey and hope you find as much satisfaction in the pursuit of knowledge as in the answers themselves.
My Specialties & Areas of Experience
- United States (17th-21st century)
- DNA/Genetic Genealogy
- Immigration & finding the town of origin
- England
- Scotland
- Wales
- Ireland
- Denmark
- Norway
- Sweden
- Spain
- Mexico
- Italy
- Brazil
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I write stuff when I have time to work on it, usually about once a month or so. If you’d like to be notified when there’s new family history content, feel free to add your email address below. (I won’t share your information.)