Genealogy - Family History

Thirty-five years of genealogical research and the compiling of attested pedigrees are at your disposal, whether for ancestors in Kent, London, or any other part of the British Isles. 

This naturally includes the rather more tricky task of coming down to living relatives as well as tracing back into earlier centuries. 

Work can be undertaken at all Kent and London record offices, and further afield by arrangement. Commissions are based on an hourly or daily rate, plus out-of-pocket expenses, but no travelling costs will be charged. 

​By no means all material is yet on the web, and even if there is an index, there is no substitute to examining original sources.

Did you Know?

-  Genealogy has been booming for the last 30 years. Everybody has ancestors!

-  National census returns down to 1911 may be searched for individual households.

-  Computer indexes have revolutionised previously inaccessible types of genealogical records.

Questions - Genealogy

How do I start? ​
Read a short book on the subject, and then talk to elderly relatives as matter of priority, noting down their memories and stories. Remember that many things become slightly garbled on every repetition, and everything needs verifying. ​
Then what? ​
Start with your own birth, then the lives of your parents and grandparents, making sure to find births, marriages and deaths for each individual. Always work from the known to the unknown, rather than picking a famous person out of history and trying to make a connection. That person may have adopted a surname or had no children. ​
Paper or computer?
The choice is yours, but you will certainly gather a lot of paper records and photocopies as you proceed. Half the fun is drawing up a family tree on a large chart and adding to it as you find out more. A card index is good for maintaining notes on individual family members. ​
Do you have another question?  Contact: Dr David Wright