Bring your past to life
Begin your journey back in time – book a FREE consultation today.
Would you love to know about your ancestors?
Are there gaps in your family knowledge that you’ve always wondered about?
Are you looking for a unique keepsake for a special person, or to hand down to future generations?
Genealogy is addictive; it starts as a hobby, takes up more and more of your time, until you realise that you’d rather do research than almost anything else. I first became interested in 1982 (pre-computer and pre-internet!) when my grandparents had their Golden Wedding party, and a number of relatives I’d never heard of came along. I started drawing a very basic family tree to try to make sense of how these people were related to me, and I never really stopped. After 20 years or so, I did a little research for a couple of friends, and had a revelation – other people’s ancestors were far more interesting than my own! (Apart from a gruesome murder in London in 1860, my ancestors are fairly ordinary).
I can teach you how to start your research yourself, or do it all for you. I can produce a 3 or 4 generation family tree (or more, depending on your budget), which includes full details of births, marriages and deaths, military service, and occupations for your direct ancestors and their children. I often find newspaper articles, which can range from a conviction for poaching or drunkenness, to the report of a marriage or funeral.
A lifetime of discovery
You never know what you’re going to find until you start looking. Many people ‘have a go’ at their family tree using a free account with one of the major genealogy websites. It’s relatively easy, and you don’t have to pay (make sure you cancel that trial membership before it ends!). Sometimes you get stuck on one particular branch of the family, or one elusive person, and that’s when it’s worth asking for assistance from a professional genealogist like me.
You may be looking for a special present for an older relative (what do you give someone for their 80th or 90th birthday? They probably have everything they want or need, but a ‘book’ all about their family tree is unique).
Just contact me to have a chat about how I can help.
Your personal researcher
I have helped clients who’ve had a go at their own research and got stuck on one particular ancestor – you may only have access to one genealogy website; I might find them on one of the many I subscribe to, or can point you in the right direction.
I can also help you to interpret your DNA test (ask me first before you choose which one to buy!), and help you to find how you are related to your matches. I have also helped clients who were adopted and are looking to find their birth parents.
I also work with solicitors on probate genealogy or ‘heir hunting’ where someone has died without making a will and there are no obvious heirs to their estate.
Presentations
In the past 15 years I have given talks at various groups, including Local History groups, Women’s Institute branches and local business networking events. My usual presentation, ‘How to Start Building Your Family Tree’, demonstrates how to find out about your ancestors using popular genealogy websites. A member of the group (e.g. the Chairperson / committee member – someone most of the attendees will know) provides me with some basic information about their family, and I use that to build a sample tree.
Sometimes I turn up some surprising facts – the great-great grandfather who headed the design team for the Titanic, the great-great uncle who went mad and murdered his wife and children, or the 4x great-aunt who was a notorious Victorian brothel-keeper!
If you book talks for your local group (within an hour’s drive of Stowmarket, preferably), then do get in touch.
An Amazing Result
My husband’s family tree has always been a mystery, but Keely traced his ancestry back through many generations revealing intriguing – and often astonishing – pasts in both his mother’s and father’s lineage that we had no idea about, both in the UK and overseas. Keely’s finds were beautifully presented, easy to understand and supported by a wealth of details and documentary evidence. Highly recommended.
– Chris and Sammy Teather
