I have been an avid lover of history since childhood which is an absolute for genealogists. The questions; "who am I, who were my ancestors and where did they come from?" could not be answered by my family. The years passed and I was not able to embarked on my ancestral journey until I retired due to a lack of free time, but my long awaited journey proved to be more than I could ever have imagined....
Armed with the little knowledge my parents did provide, I chose to begin my journey by studying genealogy; for without the necessary knowledge how could I be sure I was on the right path? I was extremely surprised at how much there was to learn, and the more I learned the more fascinated I became and of course the learning never stops.
Studying genealogy opened up a whole new world and I soon realised a lack of knowledge would have taken me miles away from my roots. For the next three years I was absorbed in learning everything I could before I began researching my family. Seventeen years on in 2024; I am still learning as there is always something new to discover and research, such as the information in the 1921 Census released to the public on 06 January 2022, and so much more.
Knowledge enables dots to be correctly connected, which is not as easy as it sounds. There were times I had to backtrack and times I hit brick walls, but knowledge, persistence, determination, patience and focus resulted in several amazing discoveries.
Every family member found, transported me to their world and their immediate family as I researched the history of their lifetime, where and how they lived, and if found, their profession and what it entailed, such as that of a "flatman" and a "journey man". All this brought my ancestors to life more than I had ever imagined. A love of history is one thing, but discovering how it relates to your ancestors is quite another, and finding family documents from as far back as the 16th century, well this is simply magical.
I can do the research for you, or I can assist if....
* you have no time to do research or maybe you began but have no time to continue
* you are conducting your own research but have hit a "brick wall" and need a little help
* you have spent hours researching and you would like confirmation of your findings before you continue
* you have been told you are related to someone famous or connected to Royalty
* you or someone in your family is gifted and you are wondering if this gift came from an ancestor
* you need help translating a document written in old style handwriting
* you have something else you need help with
....or perhaps
* you would like a unique gift for a special occasion (time sensitive of course)
There are many roads to travel during the research, but knowing which roads are correct takes a great deal of study, time and patience. Researching is intense, time consuming, and requires total dedication and focus.
I work alone hence "Personal Touch Genealogy" and I research the ancestry of no more than two Clients at any one time.
Tracing your family history is not as easy as it seems on those TV programmes, and I will be happy to work for you
or with you on your journey of discovery.
Please Note: I value your privacy as much as I value mine and under no circumstances will I pass your details to any third party
Please contact me at: personal-touch-genealogy@hotmail.com
© Janis Davies 2024
A wonderful world awaits as we travel from the known into the unknown on a voyage of discovery....
Who will you find and what will you unearth on your journey?
In recent years there has been an increased interest in ancestry. But why use a genealogist? Genealogists are passionate about history, and have spent years studying "how" to trace ancestors. You just have to decide how far back you want your genealogist to travel.
What is the difference between ancestry research and genealogy research? The former is the family tree with an emphasis on dates. Genealogy research involves collecting historical records and documentation that delves into who the people were, where they lived, their family, what they did for a living, what was happening at that time in the area they lived... because the social history around them provides so much information about their lives.
Genealogy programmes make it look easy, but behind the scenes is a large team of genealogists, researchers and others who spend many hours researching and piecing their findings together to perfectly portray the roots of every celebrity.
In todays world the majority of us do not have the time to devote to intensive ancestry research, neither do we have a team of specialists at our fingertips. People engaged in their own research often want to know if their discoveries are correct, and need authentication of their findings before continuing. Others commence their research, but find they do not have the time to continue. Some hit "brick walls" and need help to get through them. This is often the case when they have exhausted their research knowledge and do not know how to proceed.
There are many reasons a genealogist is asked to help, and all are dedicated to the task.
