About me

My name is Martin James a Professional Genealogist and I have been researching family history for over 30 years. I have had a fascination for history so I embarked on the journey of discovering where my ancestors came from.

I have been able to do this, with a family tree that spans the period from late 1500’s to the present day. From the UK to USA, India, Australia and New Zealand and a number of points in between. The research has brought me into contact with long lost relatives and those I never knew existed. Along the way a few Skeletons in the cupboard have been found, something you have to be prepared for when embarking on tracing your family history.

I started Family Heritage Search in 2011 which I run from my home in Shropshire, which I use as a base for accessing the wider Midlands area.

I specialise in Family History research in the counties of Shropshire & Staffordshire and the wider West Midlands. I have access to a number of Archives and Record Offices in these areas which I frequently use for research.

Over the last 12 years I have undertaken research for a large number of clients who have come from places such as Cheshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, West Midlands, Wales, Australia, California and India.

I am a member of the Society of Genealogists and the Federation of Small Businesses. I have a keen interest in local and social history and spend some of my time volunteering at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust in its Archaeological department. I also volunteer as an Explainer for English Heritage on the Ironbridge and at Buildwas Abbey in Shropshire.

Contact Me

So why not contact me and let me help you discover whether your family tale of being related to nobility is true. Perhaps you come from a more humbler background like my ancestors, many of whom were agricultural labourers, brewery workers, miners or labourers in factories, with the odd transportation to Australia, illegitimate birth or emigrant thrown in.

Once you embark on this journey of discovery into the past of your ancestors you will not want to stop.