Services

Two kinds of work: finding the answer, and writing it down well. What your project becomes depends on what you are trying to find out — which is why it starts with a question rather than a package.

Research

Finding the Answer

Original records, examined directly, until the question is answered or until the evidence shows it cannot be. Every conclusion is reported at the level the evidence supports, with conflicts resolved in writing rather than omitted.

Brick walls, unknown parentage, and same-name confusion
Immigration and naturalization, from parish of origin to receiving community
DNA analysis — autosomal clustering, triangulation, Y-DNA and mitochondrial testing, endogamous lines
Court, land, probate, and church records
Archive research in Ireland, Scotland, Québec, and the Philippines
Review of research already done, and what it does and does not prove

Writing

Telling It Well

Documented research written as something a family will actually read. Held to the same standard of proof as the research itself — nothing enters a narrative that could not be defended in a proof argument.

Documentary biographies, single pieces or multi-episode series
Commemorative poems, reflective essays, and legacy letters
Family narratives built from your existing research
Written proof arguments and formal research reports
Historical context that explains why ancestors did what they did

How the Process Works

I do not sell packages, because I cannot price a question before I understand it. A County Monaghan problem where the registers survive is a different job from one where they burned, and neither of us knows which you have until I look.

You submit the form

Tell me your specific question, what heritage is involved, and what records you already have in hand.

I assess and respond

Within five business days you receive a written preliminary assessment — honest scope, likely approach, and whether this is a project I am positioned to take on.

We agree on scope

If there is a fit, you receive a written proposal with defined deliverables and fees. At that stage I will ask for copies of the records that bear on your question. No surprises.

On fees

Fees are set in the written proposal, after the assessment, and never before. Research projects generally begin at $500, with most falling between $500 and $2,000 depending on scope. Narrative and commemorative pieces built from research you supply generally begin at $150. Those figures are there so you can tell early whether we are in the same range.

If your question can be answered in an afternoon, I will tell you so rather than build a project around it. If it cannot be answered at all with surviving records, I will tell you that too, before you have spent anything.

Start with the question

Tell me what you are trying to find out. The preliminary assessment costs you nothing and commits you to nothing.

Begin a Research Inquiry

Regional Expertise

Every project is grounded in deep regional specialization. Explore the published research — case studies, documentary series, and DNA work — behind each practice area.