How my professional genealogist journey began...

A few years ago (2013), I cut my genealogy baby teeth digging into the records of my ancestors from The South: South Carolina, Georgia etc. Hands down, The South has consistently thrown every manner of research barrier at me:

• Ancestors with only one name;
• Non-Paternity Events;
• Commonly used family names (where everyone in a large family uses a small pool of popular family names for their children). Imagine 20 or so John Does all born within a few years of each other – and all living in close proximity to each other!
• Ancestors who chopped and changed between 2 or 3 different last names.
•  Ancestors who alternated between using their first name or a middle name in official and vital records;
• Conflicting information in birth, marriage, and death records;
• Changes in an ancestor’s racial designation (e.g. going from
  ‘black/mulatto’, to ‘white’ within their lifetime);
• Mass migrations from the south between 1880 to 1930 to points north
  and west; and
• Informal internal family adoptions.
• Native American records, where identities were stolen for land. 
• Mixed race marriages and Slave owner/property children.
• Family members moving far away to "Pass" as another color.

This is by no means a complete list. We’ve provided it as a guide because more than likely, you’ve experienced one or two of the same issues. We don't just understand the common genealogy roadblocks, We have been against them and successfully triumphed. Let us help you with our ancestry research services.