Part historian, part detective.

I’m a Historical Investigator & Professional Genealogist dedicated to restoring dignity to forgotten lives. While others stop at the online databases, I combine archival digging with boots-on-the-ground fieldwork to uncover the truth your family lost.

I scope each project around the question and the records available. Record Pulls cover a defined record or small group of records, with a cited findings summary and an attempted courtesy transcription for eligible individual records. Forensic Reconstructions compare records to resolve a person, family, property, or place; the work may involve DNA, deeds, maps, historical aerial photographs, or difficult handwriting. Deep Investigations address larger questions, including lost burial grounds, cemetery documentation and recovery research, and long-range community history. I also take standalone transcription work and institutional projects such as WPA-style cemetery inventories and cited reports. These are ways to describe the scope, not fixed packages. Submit The Grave Survey with what you know, even if you are unsure where your project fits.

They sell you the library card. I read the books.

Big genealogy sites are powerful tools, but they are just tools. They rely on algorithms and digitized indexes (which are often wrong).

The Grave Guy™ examines the evidence an algorithm cannot: physical ground, undigitized records, and contradictions across sources. They provide access; I evaluate the evidence and recover the story through research, documentation, and clear reporting tailored to the case.

Services include:

• Genealogical research and family tree building

• Cemetery documentation and transcription projects

• Serialized blog arcs and digital storytelling

• Consulting for nonprofits, heritage groups, government entities, and families

DNA gives you the "Who." I give you the "How" and "Why."

A DNA test can tell you that you are 20% Irish. It can’t tell you why your great-grandfather fled Dublin in the middle of the night, or where he’s buried today. I take the biological map provided by DNA and fill it in with the actual life lived.

Whether you need a single record lookup or a full-scale historical investigation, you’ll always receive:

• A clear, upfront estimate

• No surprises

• No pressure

• No hidden fees

The scope determines the fee. After you submit The Grave Survey, you will automatically receive an email link to schedule a complimentary Case Strategy Briefing. Scheduling is optional. I review your request and send a written proposal by email describing the research, deliverables, fee, and payment terms before any paid work begins.

Research costs cover the professional time spent:

• Reviewing your existing information

• Searching multiple databases, archives, and repositories

• Verifying record accuracy

• Interpreting old handwriting, spellings, and locations

• Organizing findings into clear, meaningful summaries

My goal is to keep the process approachable and affordable while providing results you can trust. You’ll always know the cost before any work begins.

Because real history isn't automated.

Real genealogy is skilled labor. It requires hours of analyzing faded handwriting, driving to remote archives, and cross-referencing legal codes from the 1800s.

You aren't just paying for my time; you are paying for the expertise to know where to look when the trail goes cold.

Roots in Ohio. Reach is National.

While my boots are often on the ground in Ohio’s cemeteries, I manage investigations across the United States. Through a network of trusted archivists and remote access to national repositories, I can follow your family’s trail wherever it leads.

That is my signature service.

Investigating the location of a specific grave — including unmarked or lost burials — is the firm’s signature service. Outcomes depend on what the records and the terrain still preserve

I keep client case files private and limit access to the systems used for the work. I may share general, anonymized research lessons when they cannot reasonably identify a client or family. Names, photos, documents, and identifying case details require your written permission before publication. If you do not want your case used even as an anonymized example, tell me and I will honor that request.

Yes. I work with historical societies, museums, counties, municipalities, and heritage groups on documented local-history projects. That can include cemetery inventories and recovery research, historical aerial-photo and property analysis, transcription, and cited institutional reports. Tell me the site or collection, the question, your existing material, and the deliverable you need through The Grave Survey.