Welcome to our website

Family History & Genealogy is something I have always had an interest in and when we found out we were going to be Parents in 2002, I decided to start researching our Family Tree. I have found it fascinating, and at times frustrating, but ultimately rewarding. Now, I can help you research yours.
If you have ever wondered about your own family and its place in history, I can help you delve into your ancestry. Whether you want to look for specific ancestors, or want to trace your roots back in general, drop me a line. We can help you build your family tree, going back through the generations. We can help unlock those skeletons in the closet that you have always wondered about or solve any family mysteries that have been hiding in the past.
Or have you moved into an old house, do you have questions about its past - who lived there, what did they do? I can look into its history and find the story behind your home.

Skeletons in the closet

Most families have a skeleton or two in the closet - do you? We can help you shed light on those whispered stories that circulate around the family. When I first started looking into my own tree, I came across a newspaper article regarding the Aunt & Uncle of my Aunt. (pictured)
Mr & Mrs Thomas Kirby were found buried at Briar Garth in Norton on 22nd September 1928. Mr Kirby and been beaten over the head and Mrs Kirby had been strangled. They had met this horrific and grisly end at the hands of grandson Charles William Conlin.
Their house overlooked a narrow walk known as Lover's Lane off Norton Avenue and a neighbour Annie Stirr, an elderly resident of Norton, had gone in search of soil for her plants, when she noticed a wrist and coat sleeve protruding from the ground. Police were called, and their focus quickly turned to the Kirby's Grandson, after a man living near Norton Avenue had seen Conlin walking over fields, towards where the grave was later found, carrying a spade.
At his trial, which took place on 15th November, Conlin claimed to have no memory of the crime, but it did not persuade the jury. An appeal in December failed and on Friday 4th January 1929 Conlin was hanged at Durham by Thomas Pierrepoint, for the murder of his Grandparents.