STORYSEEKERS

Research

Whether you’ve done some family research or nothing at all, we can help you begin or carry on your journey of discovery. Starting with yourself and working back in time, step by step, we will open the door to your family history. While no one can guarantee all the answers will be found, we will supply you with detailed research reports, with documentation and copies of all relevant records, explaining what we have found and provide plans for further work to answer your questions. Our focus is mainly in United States records along with British, Irish and Scottish. If your research takes you to other countries, we can refer you to experienced researchers for those countries through the Association of Professional Genealogists of which we are a member.

Accurate and through research takes time. We require a 10-hour minimum deposit to begin work. The initial research period includes review and analysis of your supplied information, organizing that information into a genealogy software program and development of a research plan. Future work will be billed on a monthly basis for an authorized number of hours.

Problem solving

Need help with a specific problem? If you’ve been doing your own genealogical research and have hit a brick wall, perhaps we can help. Arrange a one or two hour consultation to give you some direction, or we can take on the problem and work toward solving it for you. We will need to see the records you have researched or had someone else research so we don’t duplicate your previous efforts.

Publishing

While genealogical research can be never-ending, at some point you will want to share what you’ve found with other family members. We are strong believers in the power and longevity of the printed word. Digital products are fine for the short term but the reality is that programs change, hard drives crash, flash drives fail, cloud companies go under or get hacked. Multiple copies of printed books, stored in various people’s homes or libraries stand a much greater chance of still being around 100 years from now. They can be passed down from one generation to the next. So, we only do books.

Every family book is different. Maybe you will want to go back many generations or maybe only a few. Perhaps you will want all your family lines in one book or separate books for each family. We will discuss your project and weigh the pros and cons of various styles.

We have many years of graphic arts experience to make your book look professional. We work with a high-quality printing firm to ensure your books have secure binding and archival paper so they will last for many years to come.

Organizing your family memorabilia

Everyone seems to have them — boxes of family “stuff,” shoe boxes of unorganized photos (unlabeled), a christening gown or old military uniform, a child’s drawing. You mean to take some time and get it all organized, but life gets busy and so far, it hasn’t happened. Let us help. We have experience in museum collections management with knowledge of archival preservation and organization. Here also is a situation where digitizing is important. Your family items are one of a kind and if lost in a fire, flood or accident, they are gone forever. We can scan your original items in case of an accidental loss and then place the originals in organized archival boxes and binders to keep them as safe and available as possible. A little hint: never scan your photographs and then throw away the originals. Scanned items are fun to share and can stand in if something happens to your originals. They never should take the place of the originals.

about us

Peggy and Vincent Rossi are the founders of StorySeekers.

Peggy began her personal genealogy journey back in 1994. That became a professional journey in 1996 when she was living in the San Francisco Bay Area. When she and Vincent moved to San Diego, she continued her research business.

Vincent was employed in the Bay Area in finance for technology companies but with a side gig in journalism and history, his first love. His job was moved to San Diego, and he relocated there in 2002. In 2005, he left the high tech world to pursue journalism and historical research and also to assist Peggy with her research business.

In 2006, StorySeekers was created as a research and publishing business, focusing on family history research and also general historical research and publishing. Peggy had previously worked in graphic arts and used those skills to add book creation to the business. She also serves as volunteer collections manager at the Rancho Bernardo Historical Society, a position she has held since 2005, gaining knowledge about archival preservation and organization. Vincent has made use of his editorial and research skills to build the business.

Since 2006, StorySeekers has assisted numerous clients with research work, often followed by the publication of family history books. Vincent has also published four local history books as well as establishing a history blog titled San Diego History Seeker. You can visit his blog site at sandiegohistoryseeker.com to learn more about San Diego’s history or sign up for his blog.