For me, research is not just about recording names and dates, but about really getting under the skins of our ancestors: learning more about the past and how it affected them, and tying this in with social, political and local history to gain a wider picture. Through my work in the wellbeing sector, it has become increasingly clear just how much the lives of our ancestors - and what they experienced - continue to impact us today, particularly in our outlook on life, our relationships, and our mental health. A better understanding of our past can often be both healing and grounding.

Alongside traditional genealogical research, I now work using Reframing Roots®, my new approach that combines family history with therapeutic insight to help people explore how inherited patterns, stories and experiences may still be influencing them today. This work is about understanding rather than fixing, offering space for reflection, awareness and perspective through the lens of ancestry.

While I still take on some direct research commissions, I currently have a waiting list until July 2026, as I increasingly focus on Reframing Roots® and related healing work. My passion lies not only in understanding the past and how it shapes us, but in sharing my knowledge and skills to help others understand where they came from and who they are today - a privilege and pleasure I value deeply.

Call or text me to chat about what you’re looking for: 07761 978965

My Experience in Genealogy and History

I have been passionate about history and genealogy since I was a child. I graduated with a BA Honours degree in history from King’s College, London, England in 1988. While life initially drew me into other career areas, in 2006 I started teaching family history to the public and in the same year was I was appointed as Registrar and Lecturer at the renowned Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies in Canterbury, Kent, England. In 2008 I was awarded a Distinction in the Higher Certificate in Genealogy and left IHGS to set up my own genealogy business Heritage Family History (later renamed Celia Heritage Family History). Running my own business, I helped thousands of people break down their genealogical brick walls and connect with their deeper roots by means of my research in English, Welsh and Scottish sources. I reunited many long-lost family members and lectured and taught so many people all across the world, individually and at conferences and family history shows and online; notably also by means of my family history e-course.

In 2018, I was invited to join the international team of Ancestry ProGenealogists, the research arm of Ancestry.com, where I worked for just under 5 years as a Research Manager and Genealogist specialising in English and Welsh research, Ancestral Tourism, and managing sessions that involved unknown parentage and DNA. In this role I worked on hundreds of research projects for clients from across the world (USA, Australasia and Europe) specializing in ancestral research with English and Welsh roots and working on projects for film and media.

I am currently accepting a small number of private research commissions, and I am also available to lecture on family history and consult on ancestral visits to England and Wales. In regard to research, I am well-placed to carry out research in Kent archives, being based on the Kent/Sussex County border and within easy striking distance of both the Kent History and Library Centre at Maidstone and Canterbury Cathedral Archives. I am in touch with many trusted researchers across the UK and overseas, and research projects do not have to be limited to those in Kent but can be undertaken for the UK family history research in general and, in many cases, overseas. I have also trained as a psychological therapist and am well placed to provide emotional support for those who are struggling to come to terms with unexpected DNA results, separation from their birth families, or a feeling of disconnection from their roots caused by emigration. These are typically included as online video or telephone chats as part of any DNA research you commission through me.

In 2024, I launched Reframing Roots®, a unique programme that brings together family history research and psychological insight to help you understand, and where appropriate reframe, your past - supporting better mental health with clarity, depth and compassion. You can find out more about this at https://www.mindpebble.co.uk/reframing-roots/

Over the years I have featured regularly on radio and TV and appeared in the BBC’s Who Do You Think You (Ed Balls episode). I have also written three books: Tracing Your Ancestors Through Death Records (Pen & Sword 2013, 2015), Researching & Locating Your Ancestors (2015) and Cemeteries and Graveyards. A Guide for Local and Family Historians in England and Wales (Pen & Sword 2022).

Email: celia@chfh.co.uk

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Romney Marsh
Kent