23 August 2026
DNA testing: what it can and cannot tell you
A DNA test will not hand you a family tree. Used properly, it does something better: it proves whether the tree you have is true. Here is what the tests really deliver.
The blog
Notes from the archive.
Honest, practical writing on tracing your family history: what things cost, where the records are, and how to get past the walls that stop most people.
8 July 2026
How much does a professional genealogist cost in the UK?
An honest guide to what family history research costs in the UK, how hourly billing works, and why I price my research differently.
30 June 2026
The gift they will never expect: a family history traced and told
For the person who has everything, their own ancestors are the one thing nobody else can give. How a traced family tree works as a gift, and when to order one.
17 June 2026
Tracing Irish ancestors after the 1922 records fire: harder, not hopeless
The fire at Dublin's Public Record Office destroyed centuries of Irish records. Here is what was lost, what survived, and how Irish family lines can still be traced.
27 May 2026
Stuck on a genealogy brick wall? Seven methods that actually break them
Every family tree hits a wall eventually. After seventeen years of research, these are the methods I actually use when an ancestor refuses to be found.
6 May 2026
Tracing ancestors who worked in the Lancashire cotton mills
Weaver, spinner, piecer, tenter: if your family comes from Lancashire, the cotton industry is almost certainly woven into your tree. Here's how to find them.