Alright Our Kid?
I’m Dr Dean Kirby – an award-winning Mancunian journalist, author, historian and professional genealogist with a PhD in urban history. I’m proud to be from Manchester – the world’s first industrial city. I’
After archaeologists unearthed my ancestor’s home in a Manchester slum called Angel Meadow, I wrote a best-selling book about the district and went on to research a doctorate in the city’s nineteenth century living conditions. I now carry out paid research for families around the world with Mancunian heritage.
I’m looking forward to helping you find the Manchester ancestors who made you the person you are today. Contact me using the form below for one free hour of consultation and research with no obligation to proceed.
Research
Researching your family history can be rewarding, but time consuming. Why not have your story professionally researched and written by an experienced genealogist, journalist, urban historian and author?
Hire me for family tree research, archive look ups, help in overcoming a brick wall or locating your Victorian ancestor’s home.
Find your Manchester Ancestors
If you’re a novice family historian or an old hand with years of experience, I can help you take your genealogy journey to the next stage. After more than 30 years studying my own tree in Manchester, and on trips the west of Ireland and the Somme battlefields in northern France, I will use my skills as an award-winning investigative journalist, professional genealogist, doctor of urban history and author of books on Manchester’s working class districts to support your research. I am associate of the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) and follow its code of practice and ethics for researchers.
I have extensive research experience in Manchester Central Library, the John Ryland’s Library, Chetham’s Library, the Greater Manchester Police Museum and the Working Class Movement Library in Salford, as well as at Lancashire County Records Office and the National Archives at Kew in London. My specialisms include tracing Irish-Mancunian ancestors, locating Victorian homes and retracing the wartime journeys of First World War soldiers.
Contact me to find out more about the bespoke services I offer and my research prices.
Break through Your brick wall
If you are trying to get around a specific family history brick wall, contact me using the form below to book a free, no obligation Zoom call and we’ll discuss your problem and how I can help you break through it.
I can carry out paid research for you at archives in Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and West Yorkshire.
I also offer online genealogy courses for family historians on a range of topics as well as talks for family history groups and societies. Contact me for details.
Manchester Family History 