Do you need a professional historian to set up your family tree, investigate your historical mysteries, and retrieve materials in New England archives you can’t visit? I’m the Historian for Hire, and I’m here to help!
I am history PhD and a genealogical consultant with several years’ experience, many happy clients, and an itch to get to the bottom of family mysteries. I’m a meticulous research, a tenacious digger, and scrupulous citer of sources. Further, as a professional historian, I offer plenty of context for the details I dig up! I can help you sort out your family past, research on behalf of other historians and writers, as well as conduct searches for law firms and corporate cases.
I would highly recommend Jen as someone who will not only impeccably research but celebrate each nugget of family history that she uncovers. She is thorough and precise and looks to validate each fact with actual documentation. I thoroughly enjoyed her periodic emails reporting to me her discovery of salient pieces of my family history!–Donna M.
Family trees and family mysteries
Each client’s adventure includes a complimentary consultation to plot their goals and hear what they already know about their family. While I’ve done much genealogy research in New England, I’ve also worked on cross-country family tales and trans-oceanic migrations, so I can work with whatever you’ve got! My rate is $50 per hour for individual work; please inquire for rates if you are seeking consultation for your business or firm. Historian for Hire fees do not include ancestry.com or other subscriptions, the purchase of which is your responsibility if you would like digital records; any certified or other official records from state or town offices; or state tax, which Connecticut collects. All clients receive periodic email check-ins and a summary report. Further details are specified in a contract. I can make no promises of what I might find, but I will do my best to plot your tree and answer your questions.
We sat at my kitchen table and I felt like I was with Henry Louis Gates, who was giving me info about my family history. Especially exciting was the thrill of finding personal and specific information with the documentation.–Barbara G.
Research for historians, lawyers, and writers
I’m happy to visit archives and libraries you can’t get to and send you relevant materials digitally. I’m a regular in the Connecticut State Library as well as the Connecticut Historical Society, and I’ve got experience with several other repositories here and in neighboring states. I am also available to consult on project direction and possible resources.
I needed someone skillful to dig deep into old records, so I thought I’d give Jen a try. It didn’t take me long to realize that I had found in her a digger more savvy and dogged than I had dreamed was out there. Jen’s talent for research is superb, as is her passion for tracking down every nugget of information on the subject at hand. What’s more, she is a delight to work with. Jen has my unconditional recommendation for anyone who wants to explore the past.–John Bainbridge, author, Gun Barons: The Weapons that Changed America and the Men Who Invented Them (forthcoming)
I am an experienced heir searcher for cases both in and out of New England and have extensive work with genealogy and legal firms.
Meet the Historian for Hire and get started…..
If you’re interested in my services, fill out the form below with a sketch of what you’d like to learn and the duration for which you’d like to hire me. I’m available year-round but have a greater number of hours in summertime.
Member, Association of Professional Genealogists and the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council. Recent past president, the Association for the Study of Connecticut History. Featured in West Hartford Life June 2018.