Family history research in the North West of England, North East Wales and beyond

I make regular trips to the Record Offices and Local Study Libraries of Lancashire, Cheshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Wirral and North East Wales. I am happy to make visits to other locations at the request of clients. “No commission too large or too small”

Although not an exhaustive list, examples of the kind of documents I search are:-

• Parish registers
• Non Conformist registers
• Census returns
• Trade directories
• Electoral registers
• Index to wills and probate
• Poor law and workhouse registers
• Court records
• Quarter Sessions records
• Prison registers
• Birth, marriage and death indexes
• Maps
• Overseas births, marriage and death indexes
• Cemetery registers
• Newspapers
• Military records
• Passenger lists
• Business records

Genealogy v Family History

There is often a lively debate about this. The two terms are often used interchangeably. To me Genealogy is the ‘step by step’ study and search for ancestors (the research that will establish facts), while Family History is then putting these discovered ‘facts’ about your ancestors into a narrative context – telling your family’s story. Where they were born, married, lived, and died. Who they worked for, what occupations they had, did they come into contact with the Law, or did they emigrate? All this and much more is Family History. Searching for ones ancestors can be an intensely personal and sometimes lonely journey. My aim is to help as much as I can while you are on that journey. On request I will visit Churches to undertake searches where the registers have not been deposited in a Record Office. Although you should be aware the Church may insist on a search fee, which is in addition to my hourly rate and travelling fees. I also offer a photography service to accompany family history research, see the Location photography page for more details Contact me to discuss how I can help