Old Friends Genealogy marks five years in business

MOULTONBOROUGH — “Time flies when you are having fun” is an old, familiar adage. However, when genealogists like Kate and Mike Lancor are “chasing” their clients’ ancestors, time “flies backwards.” For five-plus years the Lancors have had the opportunity to trace back in time the ancestral lines for nearly 200 clients who decided it was time to find out more about their family history. Each person has an ancestral journey that beckons to be discovered.

"Who were my immigrant ancestors, when did they arrive in this country, where did they live before coming to America, and why did they leave their homeland and families behind to go to an unknown land?" These are just some of the myriad of questions Old Friends Genealogy tries to answer for their clients. Often, clients want genealogists to break through “brick walls” that occur when their ancestral search seems to come to an abrupt dead end. These are a genealogist’s most challenging cases.

Genealogists have to develop the intuitive ability of knowing what to look for, where to look and how to juggle multiple subscription and free websites while working under a limited time frame in order to solve a client’s ancestral goals. For the Lancors, that challenge is fun, invigorating, exciting and at times stressful. “Brick wall” cases are especially challenging since it typically takes persistence, tenacity and often a twist of luck to solve a client’s family mystery. 

Immigrant ancestors often “took the road less traveled,” and as a result the same approach must be taken when trying to break through “brick walls.” The Lancors’ years of experience allow them to follow hints and explore records that are not normally found on the well-known genealogy websites, but hidden away in records less frequently explored.

Old Friends Genealogy has “chased” immigrant ancestors back to countries like Canada, South America, Australia, England, Wales, Scotland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Germany, France and Ireland. Kate’s ancestors are German, Welsh and Irish, and Mike’s are Irish and French Canadian. “Chasing” clients’ ancestors from Ireland, the U.K., Quebec and Germany are areas of personal expertise and interest for Kate and Mike.

To contact Kate and Mike, email oldfriendsgenealogy@gmail.com or call 603-204-8409. Visit oldfriendsgenealogy.com to learn more.