"The past is never dead. It's not even past..." 

— William Faulkner

Since founding Research Roots in 2011, I’ve provided a wide range of genealogical fact-finding services for individuals, companies, and organisations around the world. I hold a degree in History from Cambridge University and began my career in publishing, film, and television before turning my passion for family history into a profession.

My interest in genealogy was first sparked by researching my father’s Jewish family history in Poland. Today, I specialise in Jewish genealogy - a field where the rules of traditional genealogy often don’t apply. The detective work involved in tracing migrant ancestors who frequently changed their names is both challenging and immensely rewarding. Many of the stories I uncover are set against significant historical moments or movements, and have a wide geographical scope. It's a privilege to be able to bring to light narratives that hold deep personal meaning and resonance for my clients.

I bring a resourceful and international approach to my work, with experience across a broad range of records, sources, archives, libraries, museums, and networks of translators and local experts. My core specialisms include UK, USA, and Poland, with significant experience in the former Austrian and Russian Empires (Czech Republic, Austria, Galicia, and parts of modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia), as well as France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Egypt, Canada, and South America. I also research Sephardi families from time to time and am always happy to discuss projects in other regions. Increasingly, I incorporate DNA and genetic genealogy to augment traditional documentary research, especially when the paper trail runs cold.

In addition to client work, which has included specialist research for Ancestry ProGenealogists, I’m actively involved in the Jewish genealogical community. I volunteer for Jewish Records Indexing – Poland coordinating research in more than 60 towns in southern and central Poland, and serve as a mentor for the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain (JGSGB). Currently, I’m leading a project to digitise the Jewish community records of Brighton & Hove, close to where I live.

My television work includes research for the UK version of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ (BBC) and ‘The Secrets In My Family’ (Wall to Wall Television), sponsored by Ancestry.com.

To find out more about my services, please visit my website.

Email: info@researchroots.co.uk

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East Sussex