Tracing family history has always been fascinating and never more so than now, with popular television programmes such as the BBC’s ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ sparking interest in our ancestors. It can be both an exciting and emotional journey, full of discoveries and surprises along the way, but the rewards are infinite.

Using the services of a researcher to find out about your ancestors is the ideal way forward for many people, especially those with limited access to the internet, those with no spare time to devote to research, or for those who find the task rather daunting. Searching through endless records hunting for relatives, or for clues as to where they might be located, can be onerous and requires patience.

My name is Elisabeth Stanbrook and I have over twenty years of experience in researching family histories from the 1800s to the early 20^th century. My interest developed as I delved into the social histories of old abandoned farmsteads on Dartmoor, Devon. An essential element of these buildings was, of course, the people who lived in them. I wanted to know where they came from and where they went upon leaving the premises. This led to a comprehensive knowledge of relevant documents in both local and national archives. Some of my published books are listed below.

Over the years, I have undertaken valuable family research for many people, sometimes managing to solve long-standing family puzzles or to shed light on myths that evolve over the generations. I also managed to solve my own family mystery that several agencies claimed would be impossible.

Living in Devon, I am thoroughly familiar with the local record offices and libraries and am able to consult a range of documents not available online, such as parish registers, electoral registers, Land Tax Assessments, parish directories and tithe maps etc. I also provide a service to locate and photograph gravestones of your ancestors in Devon and East Cornwall.

So why not try one of the options offered and see how you get on? I have a variety of choices listed on the Services page. Or email me with an initial query, and I will undertake a free preliminary search to ensure that I am able to locate members of your family before you decide whether to proceed.

Please allow up to four weeks (less with some orders) for completion. If the matter is urgent, I will do my best to accommodate you. 

Any information submitted to me about yourself is never passed on to a third party, and complete confidentiality is assured at all times. 

Books by Elisabeth Stanbrook:

Dartmoor – Pictures from the Past (1987) Quay Publications (Brixham)

Dartmoor Forest Farms – A Social History from Enclosure to Abandonment (1994) Devon Books

The Warren House Inn – Dartmoor [co-authored with Tom Greeves] (2001) Quay Publications (Brixham)

Dartmoor’s War Prison and Church 1805 – 1817 (2002) [which received the ‘Devon Book of the   Year’ Commended Award] Quay Publications (Brixham)

Bishop Rock Lighthouse (2008) Twelveheads Press.