Ros Bott BA (Hons)
Thanks for visiting Tracing Ancestors in the UK. I am a professional genealogist with over 30 years of experience in British genealogy, providing comprehensive services for all your genealogical problems and needs.
Alternatively, if you’d rather learn how to do it yourself, see my step-by-step Beginner’s course at Udemy HERE!
Read below or email me at info@tracingancestors-uk.com for more details.
I also write novels with a family history theme. For more details of my books, visit my author site at rosamundebott.com.
MY SERVICES
- Genealogical Searches – from local archive searches to searches across the UK using online sources or other local researchers.
- British Genealogy Advice – A bit stuck, but don’t need a full research service? I charge a small flat fee for my advice.
- Background History Research – Learn more about your ancestors with local and national history information.
- Will Transcriptions – If you can’t read that 16th, 17th or 18th century handwriting, let me do it for you.
- 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.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Tracing your ancestors has become a popular pastime 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 in tracing your family tree, 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 any of the links above for more detailed information about each service, or email me at info@tracingancestors-uk.com.
Advantages of Hiring a Professional Genealogist
Although the internet has made it much easier for you to do the work when you are tracing your family tree, there are still many good reasons for hiring a professional genealogist:
- A professional genealogist is very experienced in understanding genealogical sources and how to use them.
- Research, particularly for documents created before 1837, sometimes 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 professional researcher will have a better idea of what documents are available online, and what documents would need a visit to a local archive.
- A good professional will have a knowledge of British genealogy and 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 your 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.
trying to trace whereabouts of b in law whose wife has died in 1985. Not seen since . Could be dead, but cannot find a death . Have birth and marriage cert. two children wanting closure
Hi Gillian. I have sent you an email.
I have traced my Southward family back to a John Southward of Millom in 1722. I find his children but no wife or marriage or where did he come from. Would you be able to help.
Regards
Gerald
Hi Gerald
I am sending you an email.
Cheers
Ros
Looking for the death of Lionel Alma Martinson born Newcastle Upon Tyne 1854, last recorded on the 1891 living in Bermondsey as a Piano Tuner, all obvious routes checked but no trace at all.
Hi David. I have sent you an email.
Ros
My grandmother was Elizabeth McClory born on brontre farms being that she came to Canada with my grandfather her married name Martin and having 10 children I was only 19 when she died and she was already 85 by then. What history we have is from my aunts that are still alive my mother did go she was the youngest and when she went was given her part of the McClory farm land as she was the last one in the family line to be given the ceremony land connected to brontre farms from what I’m told. Any information I’d really love please before I go over .
Hi Donna
I have sent you an email.
Ros
HOW MUCH
If you go to my genealogical services page you will see all the packages available. My hourly rate is £22.
Ros
My ancestors came from Scotland in the early 1700’s last name Hill… found William Hill and five children but no wife… any help is appreciated
Hi Carolyn
Obviously any professional genealogist needs to charge a fee – and I would be happy to help. However, at these dates you might be better using a local Scottish genealogist. The one I recommend is Jo Graham at Our Scots here: http://www.scottishgenealogist.co.uk/edinburgh-genealogist.html. As I say, I could take you on as a client, but I would probably only need to sub-hire Jo anyway, so it would be cheaper for you to go directly to her. Tell her I sent you 🙂
Ros
My Grandma has always told me that her family is related to Florence Nightingale, she doesn’t know how exactly, but she was told by her parents, and I have looked a little bit for my self to see if I can trace her family, but I don’t know much, and it’s difficult to find information through the Internet, I have her maiden name and her parents names and important dates, but I saw your article about Florence nightingales family tree and thought that you might be able to help, or at least point me in the right direction! Thank you
Hi Alice. It’s really a case of following your family tree back to Florence’s generation – and possibly further – and then if there are no obvious links, trying sibling marriages etc. I will send you an email.
Ros
Hi there!
I am trying to trace my grandfather. Born 24 Feburary 1930, Exeter. His parents were, mother Gladys Violet Orchard, formerly Nike. Father, James Orchard.
Hi Nicole
When you say you are trying to trace your grandfather – are you trying to find out what happened to him after his birth, or are you trying to trace his ancestors? I found his birth registration on Ancestry – Douglas J ORCHARD? – but as you already know his parents’ names it may not be worth ordering the certificate. If you could let me know exactly what you want to find out I may be able to help you more. Please email me at info@tracingancestors-uk.com
Best wishes
Ros
I was adopted in London in June 1955, birth mother was listed as Betty Miriam Arnold. I don’t know her place of birth, but birth year was possibly 1927 or 1928. I have looked on various sites and there are several women named Betty Arnold (one in Warwickshire) born at that time. I don’t know how to find out which one was her. If you are able to work with this amount of info your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Hi Shaylen
I just had a look on Ancestry, and I can see there are not only many Betty M Arnolds, but also Elizabeth M Arnolds (including one in Camberwell), which could equally be her. I think the best line of research here would be to get a copy of your own birth certificate (if you haven’t already), as it would be essential to know exactly where in London you were born. From there we might be able to find Betty on the electoral registers.
Also – have you tried looking at the 1939 register on FindMyPast?
If you would like my professional help with this please email me on info@tracingancestors-uk.com.
Best wishes
Ros
My mothers maiden name was Nightingale and she always maintained we were related to her . Also my mothers paternal grandmothers maiden name was Hogarth so we took my mothers assurance that we were also related to the great artist . Hence my maternal grandfather was Walter Hogarth Nighingale. Is there anyway one can find out if there is any truth in these claims
Hi Lucilla – I have sent you an email.
Do you run courses at all on genealogy? I noticed an earlier blog which mentioned courses at S-o-A college.
Hi Ruth. I have done in the past – but they don’t always get enough numbers so it’s been a while since I did. I am currently updating an ebook I wrote some time ago, which is a Beginner’s Guide to Genealogy, and this should be out some time this year. If you follow my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Tracing-UK-Ancestors-263439430342617/) then I will be posting when it’s available. This is a step-by-step guide, and follows very much the same format that my courses did.
Cheers
Ros
Good evening Ros,
I have been tracing the paternal line of the Cox family plus a little of my great grandmothers history which is more flamboyant. Both family trees are more or less complete. However I am not sure it is accurate and to quote your good self I need “all the extra detail to make it come to life”. I would very much like to set up a meeting so I can give you what has been gathered and you can take it through to completion. I live near Claverdon, Warwick not a difficult drive from your dialling code area. I very much look forward to hearing from you in due course. Kind regards Alison
ps I confirm I find your pricing structure quite acceptable
Hi Alison
I have sent you an email.
Best wishes
Ros
My family name is Prunty from Co monaghan Ireland . I’m wondering if we are connected to Patrick Bronte father to the famous Emily, Charlotte and Anne Bronte . Patrick’s father was Hugh Prunty from Co Down. Prunty is a very rare name. I can go back as far as 1800 with the Pruntys. Is it possible to find out if we are related???
Hi Eileen
Irish genealogy can be very difficult due to so many records having been destroyed. Still – it’s not necessarily impossible, but you are limited if you are just using online records. I would suggest finding an Irish genealogist who has access to local archives in Monaghan. You could try finding someone at websites like http://accreditedgenealogists.ie/
Good luck!
Ros
I have reason to believe that my Grandfather who I never meet was Irish. I have a copy of my Mothers birth certificate. From this is it possible to trace my Grandfather
Hi. If your grandfather’s name is on your mother’s birth certificate, and also your grandmother’s name, then in theory it should be possible to then trace the parents’ marriage, and from there find out the origins of your grandfather. However, nothing is ever guaranteed in this business! It is certainly worth looking into though. Send me an email at info@tracingancestors-uk.com if you would like some professional help.
Ros
I’m trying to find out my link to Samuel Palmer, painter, born 1805. I have been told I am a descendent but can’t work out the lineage.
Hi Celia
If you wish me to give you professional help please contact me on info@tracingancestors-uk.com. However, I have to warn you that I am not taking on any new clients until at least January due to a backlog of work. But if you just need some pointers, contact me and I’ll see if I can help.
Ros
Hi Ros. I am after some help with my family male DNA line. Have done testing with Family tree dna and ancestors. Interested in a quote for some assistance. I live in Australia.
Hi Rosbot.My great-grandfather was George Eugene Brunell, who lived in Sydney, and died on 26th Jan 1941.There are many Brunell/Brunel families living in Australia, particularly N S W ………..do you have any clues???. much appreciated!!.
Hi Jeanette
I’m afraid I don’t have any further information for you. My expertise does not really extend to Australia. You really need to undertake some specific research into your family, using original sources and work back to find when your family came to Australia. Once you have found that, then you might need the services of a UK genealogist.
Best wishes
Ros
Hallo Ros
I see from your website that you were going to publish an e-book on getting started on genealogy research. Has this been published and how much is it? Thank you
Hi Sue – Yes, it certainly has. CLICK HERE to go to the Amazon page. You can buy it on Kindle for £7.50. Hope you find it useful!
Hi would love some help tracing my family tree… apparently Florence Nightingale is my 7th cousin..?? Please let me know what info you need
Hi Tara. I am currently not taking on new clients due to a work overload. However, if you would like to go on my waiting list (currently the wait is at least six months), please contact me on info@tracingancestors-uk.com.
Cheers
Ros
Hi
Wonder if you could assist me with this, My mom was born in the UK and only when she was on her last told us bits and pieces of where she was from etc, so I have very little information but I would like to find out as much as I can about her and her family in the Uk
could you help me in any way with this or can you refer me to someone?
Kind regards
Jannie (South Africa)
Anything on surname Gadberry would be appreciated.
Hi Joseph.
I don’t have information about specific surnames. I would need to carry out research on the family line in order to help you. Let me know if you’d like any professional research done on your behalf.
Ros
My grandmother, Doris Dean was born 29 October 1929 in South Africa during the apartheid era. Her dad had to flee SA because he was in breach of the immorality act, he was from the UK my great grandmother never spoke of him the only information we have is his last name. Any info will be appreciated.
Hi Mellanie.
You can only acquire this kind of information by careful research. Please email me at info@tracingancestors-uk.com if you would like me to carry out professional research on your behalf.
Ros
I’m struggling to find my maternal great grandmother Margaret Anges Sutton. I have her birthday as 13th December 1902 but I’m not sure that the year is accurate. She never married my great grandfather even though she is listed under his name in the census records. The earliest I can find her is 1928 in london. I have no idea who her family are. Any help would appreciated.
Hi Danielle
Which census records are you referring to – as the latest census we can view at the moment is the 1911 one, so she would have been too young to be married then. It would be useful to have more details. If you would like professional help with this, please email me at info@tracingancestors-uk.com.
Cheers
Ros
Hi Ros,
I was skeptical of the family legend that we were related to Lord Nelson, until the son of Viscount Bridport, showed up as my mother’s DNA cousin on Ancestry. He is descended from Lord Nelson’s sister.
My ancestor, Elizabeth Nelson, born 1783 in Dromore, County Down, claimed her father was Lord Nelson’s first cousin. She came to America around 1800, with 2 of her brothers. I can’t figure out how my Presbyterian GGGGreat grandmother from Northern Ireland could have been related to the Anglican Nelsons of Norfolk. It’s too difficult to research Northern Irish records from America.
If you think that you could help me, please let me know. I’m happy to pay for a package. I don’t know which one would be best. I don’t mind waiting if you are currently too busy.
Thank you,
Carolyn Patton
Hi Carolyn
This is very interesting. The only uncle of Nelson that I have not been able to find a marriage or children for was Thomas Bland Nelson born in 1719. All the others seem to have married and had children in Norfolk – so this certainly is a mystery.
I certainly think that the Nelson family probably originated in Lancashire – which is a short hop to Ireland – but this is much further back, and your ancestor’s father could not have then been a first cousin.
It would be worth having a look at Thomas Bland Nelson again, and see if he did move to Ireland – or perhaps he had a son who did.
I am sending you an email so we can discuss this further.
Cheers
Ros
Hi Carolyn,
This is a strange inquiry I’m sure, but you have mentioned her in the past. Any idea what might have become of Jo Graham in Scotland. I used her services in 2015 to trace my 3rd great gps and she did a wonderful job. Sent her another note today and with “non-deliverable” notices for a couple of different e-mails. Thanks in advance if you have any input.
Hi Greg – this is Ros. Thanks for posting about Jo. I have not heard from her for some time, and I’ve just tried her website, and it seems to be down, which is a little worrying. I’ve tried emailing too and I’ll let you know if I hear anything.
Ros
I am interested in tracing my father and father’s mother’s mother’s side of the family as far back as 3-4 generations before my fathers father/mother. On my mother’s side I would like to go one generation before my mother’s parents. I have some information to assist. For example I know both my parents were born in Leeds and I have the death certificate of father’s father. I also know my father’s mother’s maiden name was Lillian Naylor and my mother’s maiden name is Hargreaves. Lillian is one of 4-5 siblings.
I have started a family tree but it is far from complete.
What I would like is not just a family tree for the above but also any detail you can provide about the people and their lives. Is this possible? If so do you have any idea of the cost?
Hi David
I have sent you an email.
Ros