(Currently under construction – not all of the links will work – please email me at info@tracingancestors-uk.com to ask about any services you are interested in)

British Genealogy Services

Ros Bott BA (Hons)

Thanks for visiting Tracing Ancestors in the UK.  I am a professional genealogist with over 18 years of experience in British genealogy, providing comprehensive services for all your genealogical problems and needs.

Find out more about me on my ABOUT ME page.

Genealogy has become a popular pass-time for many people all over the world, and with more and more records becoming available on the internet, it is much easier for the individual to do much of their own research without the need of a professional genealogist.

HOWEVER, no matter how much time and effort you use, there will always be times when you need some professional help, whether it is breaking through a brick wall, accessing documents that are not published on the internet, or help in adding detailed information to your tree, such as background history, written reports or photographs of your ancestors’ places of residence.

I offer many back-up services that will enhance your own searches and make sure that your own family tree is accurate and has all the extra detail that will make your ancestry come to life.

Click on the following links to pages that are of interest to you:

• Genealogical Searches – local and national research services – a range of packages to suit your needs
• Genealogy Advice – A bit stuck, but don’t need a full research service?  A small fee for my advice.
• Background History Research – Learn more about your ancestors with local and national history information.
• Living Relatives Search – Find cousins for that family re-union – or for probate purposes.
• Photography – Photos of where your ancestors lived
• Ancestral Biographies – A written biography of a single ancestor or family group.
• Written Family Histories – Get the history of your family written as a narrative.

Advantages of Hiring a Professional Genealogist

Although the internet has made it much easier for amateurs to start tracing ancestors, there are still many good reasons for hiring a professional genealogist:

• A professional genealogy researcher often has access to records that may not be available to other members of the public
• Research, particularly before 1837, often necessitates visiting local archives, and a professional genealogist can do this for you if you are not able to travel to that location.
• A professional genealogist knows which resources are the best to search at each step
• A professsional researcher will have a pool of known and trusted British genealogists who can be called upon to search local archives, saving the client the time and hassle of finding a different researcher in each county.
• A good professional will have a knowledge of British history that often assists in research, and contributes to the quality and richness of the information found.
• A professional genealogist is experienced in reading old handwriting which the amateur may often find difficult.
• Using a professional genealogy researcher will help you to not fall into the many pitfalls that amateurs often do (e.g. relying on secondary sources, not understanding name spelling variations etc)
• You will save time, and possibly money, by not acquiring unnecessary documents
• Often the client and the professional work together to solve difficult problems and this can greatly increase your chances of breaking through brick walls.

Tracing ancestors is never quite as easy as it looks on some of the TV programmes – and I will be happy to work with you to try and get through those inevitable brick walls.