About Ancestry Abroad

Hi! I’m Rosie and I’m the founder of Ancestry Abroad. With over a decade’s experience of genealogy research in multiple different countries, I’m well aware how challenging it can be to navigate records in a language and system that you don’t know first-hand. That’s why I set up Ancestry Abroad – to use my knowledge of various archival systems to help others learn about their ancestors.

I am a fully qualified archivist currently living in the UK. I spent 6 years working in Dutch archives. This, combined with my British experience, gave me an in-depth understanding of the records available to family historians in both the UK and the Netherlands. While I specialise in British and Dutch genealogy, I have also helped clients find their ancestors in Ireland, Italy, America, Canada, and various other countries. I am fluent in English, French, Italian and Dutch.

With me, your research will be in safe hands. I’ve had multiple past clients refer to my persistence with difficult cases, with one client even likening me to Hercule Poirot! My extensive experience means that I know how to make the process easy for you, while also making sure that you get a full explanation of exactly what work I have done. My reports are always detailed, and I pride myself on my ability to share your ancestors’ stories in fun and interesting ways.

About Me

I first got into genealogy back in 2010. I needed a summer job and a local professional genealogist needed an assistant to type up her research. One day I decided to do some of the research on my own, looking into a family of grocers in Liverpool. I fell head over heels with genealogy, and have never looked back!

While completing a traineeship programme in an archive in York, part of my role was to work in the Reading Room answering researchers’ enquiries. My colleagues noticed my love of and talent for genealogical research, so I was quickly left with all the genealogy queries. In this role, I encountered one of my favourite cases: a family who believed themselves to be the Scottish McAntonys, but who actually turned out to be descended from an Italian ice cream seller called Marco Antonio!

As my archiving career progressed, I found that I was doing less and less genealogy and I missed it. I also realised that I was in the unusual position of understanding how records worked in multiple European countries, especially the UK and the Netherlands. Being able to speak multiple languages meant that I had access to a wider array of sources than most. That’s when I set up Ancestry Abroad - to use my knowledge of various archival systems to help others learn about their ancestors, and to be able to pursue the research that I love doing.

Experience

• 15 years experience carrying out genealogical research
• 5 years working as an archivist in a variety of Dutch and British archives
• 2 years working in an archive search room, answering genealogical enquiries
• Member of the Association of Professional Genealogists
• Masters' degree in Archive and Information Studies from the University of Amsterdam
• A variety of paleography courses, including courses in both English and Latin paleography
• Fluent in English, French, Italian and Dutch