Welcome

I am a professional genealogist specializing in Canadian, Scottish, Irish and English family history. Originally from Scotland, I am the founder of Family Origins Research based in Edinburgh, Scotland.  

 

I have experience in researching the National Records of Scotland (NRS), National Library of Scotland (NLS), Glasgow City Archives, Public Record Office Northern Ireland (PRONI), General Register Office (GRO), Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and Canadian Provincial Archives.  I can also access other archives and records depending on the specific search required.

 

I was born and brought up in Glasgow, Scotland and subsequently lived in London, England, Toronto, Canada and now Edinburgh, Scotland.  My maternal family lived in Maryhill, Glasgow for over 100 years and were originally from Northern Ireland and County Monaghan, Eire.  My paternal family were from the Isle of Bute and Campbeltown in Argyll.

 

My interest in family history began when researching my own family tree which took me on a journey across Scotland and Ireland.  This interest expanded into helping others such as friends and family build their family trees, helping them discover new historical family details while validating family stories which can sometimes be accurate and other times not. I continued to purse my interests in genealogy by completing the Professional Learning Certificate in Genealogical Studies and achieved distinction.
 

Discussing family history with my mother and aunt, I became interested in my own family history.  Beginning with little information and often incorrect family knowledge, my interest and knowledge of the civil registration systems of Scotland, Ireland and England was enriched.  From there, I was able to research further beyond civil registration into parish registers, land records, wills and probate sources and newspaper archives.