CLIENT Testimonials

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Corliss E. - Texas

Ellen and Elizabeth were able to solve a family mystery. We’d been searching for a death certificate for my husband’s grandmother, and we were completely stuck. We were unaware that she had remarried. They located and obtained both the marriage certificate and the death certificate quickly and efficiently, saving us time and frustration.

Ray A. - New York

Can I give more than 5 stars?!! Ellen was just amazing. I had been frustrated in my search for family records.  I saw their website name on the NARA website and decided to reach out. Ellen found my files plus some within a week. Very reasonable prices, fast service and great results…can't really do any better than that! 

Donna M. - England

My mum turns 80 this year and she has been searching for her father on and off for the past 20 years, with no success. I contacted Ellen to support us with the search but as my mum only had a name, and if I am honest, I wasn’t at all hopeful that he would be found.  However, within 8 days Ellen had not only found my mum‘s father, but also 5 of her unknown siblings! This has to be the greatest 80th birthday present my mum could have ever of wished for!! I would 100% recommend Ellen. She is absolutely amazing at what she does and we will be forever grateful for her finding my mums father after all these years.   Thank you Ellen, from the bottom of our heart. 

Ann L. - Colorado

My husband and I have been working with Ancestry Sisters for a while as we each had family lines that we needed help with. Ancestry Sisters are very experienced in genealogical research and DNA. Ellen made sure to write up a detailed summary of all that was searched - and why or why not the family line was the correct one to follow. We trusted them completely. We would highly recommend using this company to further your family history story.

Elizabeth T. - Virginia

 Several years ago, I embarked on a project to build my family tree.  After doing all I could on my own, I found Ellen of Ancestry Sisters, and engaged her to assist.  Her level of expertise, and the diligence with which she accessed records and uncovered information, was incredible.  I could never have discovered anywhere near the amount of reliable information that she found, providing me with a verified genealogical record dating back to 1650.  After completion of my tree, I then asked Ellen about the best way to compile the information into a book, creating keepsake gifts for my family.  She had great ideas and guided me to the best option.  At my request, she took charge of the project, editing the book extensively and helping to create a final product even better than I had hoped.     I highly recommend Ellen.  She is extremely professional and unfailingly easy to work with.  I am so glad that I found her and was able to reap the benefit of her services.  She is phenomenal!

Jean M. - Illinois

 Over the course of a couple of years, a new found DNA cousin and I had struggled to solve a double mystery. I didn’t know who my great grandfather was and she didn’t know her grandfather’s biological family since he was adopted. We knew we were related to each other through  DNA but not how. We each had a mystery and felt they were connected. The mysteries were both over 100 years old.  We hit an impasse. As amateurs, our objective was to have someone with experience evaluate what we had so far, to let us know if we were on the right track and possibly confirm our efforts. If we were off, we hoped we could be provided with some guidance going forward. We had been unsuccessful with two other genealogists due to either lack of response or inability to attain our objectives. This was our third try and truly the charm.

We reached out to Ancestry Sisters after reading about them on line.  The response and follow up after the initial contact was quick, personal and caring. The objectives were clearly laid out.  The report came much sooner than we had expected.  It was thorough in coordinating histories and DNA.  The conclusion also included the necessary cautions. It offered suggestions and links that could be helpful to us for additional confirmation and certainty.  Occasionally I had had to write technical reports and from that perspective this was impressive.  It was fact based and supported, logical, well reasoned and easy to understand. The report and its findings would have been worth it to us  at double the cost. All of our objectives were met and then some.

I just shared the results with my cousin and the two of us were overwhelmed, ecstatic and awestruck. We couldn’t be happier. The conclusion confirmed our efforts with more certainty. We  now know who our families are and how we are related.  We have one more relationship mystery to solve and will definitely be contacting Ancestry Sisters again.  Truly great people doing great work and helping so many. 

Amy C. - California

I cannot thank you enough for this amazing discovery and news! As sad as the story is, it fills in an incredible void in our family history. You have been so kind to look through those dusty documents which you opened for the first time.  The photos are fabulous and seeing the authentic color of the paper, the hand writing and the historic creases is a treasure. 

Cindy S. - Illinois

 I feel so lucky to have found and been able to work with Ancestry Sisters.  I was on a quest to become an Italian citizen.  I was so overwhelmed with all the documents that were required as well as the rules and nuances of the Italian Consulate in Chicago.  Ancestry Sisters were the perfect solution to offering me the guidance and assistance I needed to prepare for my Consulate meeting.  They assisted in verifying my blood line back to Italy, finding and assembling the documents required to prove my lineage and prepared me for the Consulate meeting.   The outcome ... I am now an Italian citizen!  I was so pleased with the outcome that I have engaged Ancestry Sisters to help my adult daughter become a citizen as well.  I am positive that my daughter's journey to citizenship will be as successful as mine with the help of Ancestry Sisters.  I have no doubt they will make my daughter's journey to citizenship as seamless and enjoyable as possible. 

Ann T. - Florida

 I have a number of Ancestors from Chicago but live too far away to go there to research now.  I have hired Ancestry Sisters 3-4 times for various projects and found them to be EXCELLENT in their help!  They are efficient, as fast as can be with some of the Covid restricted hours of repositories, and have been very helpful.  They were patient and knowledgeable enough to be persistent in speaking to a clerk on Chicago property records from  the 1870s and did a fantastic job pulling and copying case files for shenanigans of my ancestors in the 1870s that made the papers under the criminal courts!  - Oh, my- stealing cigars and a bar fight, fascinating!  (Well, these ancestors were sailors after all, lol) .

Most recently, I was researching a Chicago fireman ancestor and wanted the amazingly detailed (& PACKED with general Chicago information source)-- The Chicago Fire Marshal's Report.  I asked them to look for some of the years that are NOT digitized and available online by the HathiTrust online.   Not only did they come through quickly but made pdfs of the FULL year!  I am delighted as these 1880s- 1890s reports are a fascinating look at the times in Chicago!  

I am most grateful and impressed with their research help! 5 stars! 

Dolly G. - Illinois

 I can’t thank the Ancestry Sisters enough for their help obtaining the records I needed to complete my application to renew my Native American Tribal Membership.  Being a registered member of a Federally recognized Native American tribe, we are required from time to time to renew our membership. This latest update came with an unusual request. They asked that I provide certified copies of my parents’ marriage certificate. That seems like a simple request only, in my family’s case a daunting task because that means multiple records. Ancestry Sisters were able to confirm my searches were either on the right track or helped me identify the right source to apply to.

Among so many other documents that are important to our family’s story that the Sisters found, one was a complete surprise. Ancestry Sisters uncovered a marriage record no one in my family even knew about.  The last one should have been as simple but it came back as 'no records'. That made no sense. After some  email exchanges with Ancestry Sisters I remembered a trip to a courthouse in the next state over. We have no family in that state so nothing about that trip made sense to me at the time. Ancestry Sisters put two and two together and found the marriage certificate there. Turns out the groom was born in that state and had family there.

I’m proud to say that all the document requests were eventually successful and I was finally granted my updated Tribal Membership card.  Thank you Ancestry Sisters for you wisdom, your skill, and your time. You helped me to keep my family’s place in our Native American Tribe. 

Mary K. - Tennessee

Elizabeth has been a tireless researcher and an excellent partner in resolving some unanswered questions in my family's history.  When the family has a common Irish name it's essential to identify the threads which connect one document to another and create an accurate historical record.  Her thorough searching and careful evaluation has added a deeper dimension to my understanding of those who have gone before me, and there were items I have looked for for forty years which she was able to locate in just a few days.  Engaging Ancestry Sisters was a very good investment indeed.

Richard L. - Illinois

 A couple years ago I started trying to find the names of my French Canadian Great Great Grandparents. While researching, I found that I could not find these relatives because their names were spelled differently on many documents. Their first names were consistent through records yet I could not find them.  Finally in early March of this year I decided I needed professional  help.  I searched the Web and found five companies that seemed a good fit for me. After looking further at the companies and testimonials, I discovered that Ancestrysisters.com was the company that would be my best match for finding my French Canadian family.

One week after I asked Ellen to help me, she emailed me a report that mentioned some different family names. She needed to do further research and three weeks later the second report arrived with the names of my great great grandparents and baptismal records of some of the children. She also produced Julienne’s (my G.G. Grandmother) baptismal and wedding documentation. I was very impressed with the speed and accuracy of the report.  Thank you Ellen and Elisabeth for giving me my French Connection in a very timely manner.

R. Ryan - Tipperary Ireland

Having failed to make progress myself in finding the final pieces of my gran aunt's emigration to and life in the USA, I employed the services of Ancestry Sisters.  It was important to me that Ancestry Sisters were both members of the Association of Professional Genealogists and based in Chicago. Elizabeth was swift and regular in responding. The missing pieces of the family puzzle were found within a couple of days. I am very impressed with the speed, efficiency, professionalism, and personal attention to the task at hand. Should anyone need help finding family I would wholeheartedly recommend the services of Ancestry Sisters. Go raibh míle míle maith agat Elizabeth. 

Lisa B. - California 

I am writing to express my sincere thanks and to give the highest recommendation of Ellen and Elizabeth of the Ancestry Sisters.  I am the co-owner of a family history research company that undertakes in-depth, years-long projects on behalf of private clients. In 2014, after a series of frustrating dead ends in an adoption investigation that had spanned six months, we turned to the Ancestry Sisters. And before the retainer had been paid, the Sisters reported back to us with an incredible lead that led very quickly to the identification of our client’s biological mother. Needless to say, we were thrilled, as was our client. We continued to work with them for 5 years on what became an incredibly complex project. As we worked to follow one lead after another, the Sisters became incredibly valued partners and we could not be more pleased with their work. 

The Ancestry Sisters’ professionalism, passion, and knowledge in the field of genealogy and DNA research is unsurpassed. Their tenacity in finding the smallest, most relevant detail to help propel our project forward was matched only by the genuine care and thoughtfulness they exhibited throughout our work together. And because we promise our clients that no stone will go unturned, working with the Ancestry Sisters was truly a joy: there was no lead they weren’t willing to follow, no one they weren’t willing to talk to, and no idea they weren’t willing to try - regardless of how far-fetched it may have seemed! It is also critical to us that we have complete trust in the partners we hire to support our projects and we quickly learned that we could place our trust in the Sisters implicitly. 

We have worked with a number of genealogists throughout the years and, as is typical in this field, communication of findings and negotiations of fees can be difficult to navigate. In comparison, the Ancestry Sisters’ fees are more than reasonable and their turnaround time and clarity as it relates to communicating their findings is second-to-none. We have gone on to recommend the Ancestry Sisters to anyone looking for knowledgeable, trustworthy, and tenacious professional genealogists and will continue to do so without hesitation.

Patrick S. - Ann Arbor, MI

Several years ago, my wife and I began a quest to understand where we came from and how we got here.  We started with some information from our parents based on oral records.  As time passed, it became clear that I needed professional help to make real progress, especially with a trip to Ireland looming in a few months off. I went with the Ancestry Sisters because of their knowledge of Chicago and Irish records as well as their knowledge of French Canadian records.

Elizabeth is my Ancestry Sister.  She was able to find information about 5 branches of my Irish family.  With her help, we find the Townlands where three of the lines came from.  She also made it possible for us to find the farm my relatives had in County Sligo, where we also met my family’s neighbors. In addition, when Elizabeth and Ellen went to Quebec, they made a pilgrimage to my Great Grandparents home town and took photos of the cemetery. She also helped us find information about a long lost branch of my wife’s family

As I move into branches of our family that she doesn’t specialize in, she helped guide me through the process of finding a genealogist that can help us.  Elizabeth is thorough, thoughtful, timely and reasonably priced.  What started out as a professional relationship, became a partnership and now feels like a friendship. Thank you, Elizabeth, for being a partner and friend in our family quest.

Gerald & Jane P. - Aurora, Illinois  

This source of genealogy research is the best I have found in 10 years. They work fast and efficient and are very reasonable about what they charge. I have spent thousands with other researchers in the last ten years and Ancestry Sisters have done much more for far less. They are a five-star genealogy researcher.

Jason - Indiana
I came to Ancestry Sisters for help after I had found my birth mother via Ancestry DNA and was getting nowhere with searching for my birth father on my own. (My birth mother refused to tell me who my birth father was.) Unlike my birth mother DNA matches, I was basically only working with the distant relative connections on from my DNA test, which was very confusing and I was unable to piece it together by myself. Ancestry Sisters worked their magic and in about a day they were able to build out my family tree that gave me the name of my birth father (later verified by my birth mother), even though it was a very complex tree to build based on multiple marriages of previous generations. I don’t know exactly how they do it but I highly recommend Ancestry Sisters if you are lost, stuck or just plain needing help.

Barb - Kansas
Ancestry Sisters helped me find my birth mom through DNA testing and created my family tree on the Ancestry website. After contacting my half-siblings, I have now met my birthmother's family. Ellen at Ancestry Sisters is thoughtful, encouraging, and helped me through my doubts and concerns or I may never have had the courage to connect to my newly found relatives. I can never thank her enough! Sincerely, Barb

William - Brooklyn, NY
I’ve recently returned from traveling to Wisconsin and Michigan where I met with a half sister on my father's side and four half siblings from my mother's side. It is thru your efforts that I was able to communicate with them, and thru your suggestion that I had DNA testing done at FTDNA which led to finding a living sister and an uncle. These discoveries have enriched my life and I hope those of my half siblings. Thank you.

Mary Louise K. - Chicago, Illinois

My father was adopted at birth in 1932, it has taken me several years to try and track down any information regarding his birth parents. When the Illinois adoption laws changed, my father requested his original birth certificate in 2012. He was disappointed to find that only his mother's name was listed. His father was listed as `unknown`. Ellen, was able to identify the probable candidate of his birth father, within 48 hours. We worked together to piece together my father's parents life and discovered my father had an older brother. In June 2016 my sister and I traveled to Michigan to meet my father's brother's three surviving daughters. It was a joyous occasion. Ellen was our genealogical quarterback for four months. With her guidance we were able to track down all leads. Ellen was complete in all aspects of the search and was firm with us that we take the genealogical tests to confirm our relationship as first cousins because, `adoptions are very difficult to confirm`. We complied and were confirmed as first cousins. My goal was to give my 84 year old father some peace and closure on his life. The journey to identify his birth parents has provided that vehicle. My sister and I are very, very grateful to Ellen for all her hard work and dedication. She was truly amazing. Thank You Ellen!

Peggy M. - Georgia
Ellen has been amazing with my quest. As an adoptee trying to prove my true lineage is a most difficult journey. Thank you, Ellen, for being so dedicated to my quest. You have already uncovered some amazing facts, including my maternal grandfather's puzzle. What a journey indeed.

Professor Laura H. - Chicago, Illinois
I found Ancestry Sisters after searching through accreditation websites, since their accreditation was important to me. However, once you use that filter and find someone who has the appropriate area of expertise, how do you know whom to use? Ellen was sensitive to our family’s private matters, and investigated the information with a determination as if it involved people very close to her. She was creative and innovative in her process and as excited as I was when we uncovered another kernel of data about our past. On top of everything else, she is wonderfully responsive which, when one is breathlessly awaiting each tidbit of news, can be the tipping point in my decision about which genealogist to choose. I want someone who cares about this search almost as much as I do, and Ellen makes you feel as if she shares your excitement with each click of an email. Working with Ellen of the Ancestry Sisters was not simply a process of doing my family’s genealogy on behalf of some family members, but instead opened new windows of history for me and my family that we did not know would be so easy to unlock. It has been a fun and exciting adventure together.

Jackie P. - New York
Lucky for me that I found the name of an independent research team through the National Archives listings. The Ancestry Sisters were sited as professional genealogists with experience preparing Mayflower Society applications. Ellen, my support, gave me the needed encouragement to begin the search. For many years it had been a family verbal tradition that we were direct descendants of a Pilgrim father who came over on the Mayflower. After sharing my information with Ellen, a search was conducted and it was determined that the tradition was poorly researched and could not be proven. However, after realizing that our family had deep New England roots, she encouraged me to continue the search suggesting another possible route, which proved to be correct. Fortunately, I was given a great leeway for decision making in regards to the time and cost involved. I know that she found the search interesting and did not bill me for all of her effort. Furthermore, information was exchanged in a timely fashion. Also, I had confidence that a great deal of wisdom was behind the direction taken and that the research was supported by reliable sources that Ellen had in her possession through many valuable contacts. The process turned out to be fun! The NY State Society has forwarded my application to the national Mayflower Society and I am hoping for their inclusion shortly. The successful outcome will be my Christmas present to my family. Thank you Sisters for your helpful encouragement. Jacqueline P, Great Grand Daughter X11 of James Chilton.

Dr. Terence K. - Florida
I would like to thank you again for your fine effort in researching my ancestors both in Ireland and the Midwest area. I felt you were very professional in your search both here in the USA and with your contacts in Ireland. Please feel free to use me as a reference for future clients.

Walter D. - California

My maternal grandmother was a wonderful Christian woman born October 1, 1900, in Fulton, Illinois. She played her churches organ every Sunday for more than thirty five years. She told me a sad story she thought was true: her mother, Ethel Lynn, died during her birth. This caused her great pain and worse, she believed that her father apparently could not care for five children with one a newborn. I retained Ancestry Sisters to investigate the facts because this sounded odd to me. It was discovered that her mother, Ethel, became ill with consumption a full five months after my grandmother was born. Her mother's death was unrelated to her birth. A professionally authored and persuasive letter prepared by Ancestry Sisters persuaded the York County Court to release the adoption record (which is routinely a sealed document). The factual revelations Ancestry Sisters discovered gave me the true story behind my grandmother's past, one quite different from the one she died believing. I just wish I had acted before that wonderful Christian woman passed away.

Maura C. - Washington
Because of the advanced age of my mother and her desire to find out more about her father's family, I decided to hire professionals to help me with the dead ends that I had run into in my own family research. The Ancestry Sisters were great! They were professional, thorough, very organized and gave detailed summaries of their work. They were able to find out so much more about my family than I could have on my own. They were great at problem solving and very easy to work with. I am very grateful for their help. We are finally able to solve the mystery origins of my mother's family, and we were able to do so fairly quickly. I highly recommend the Ancestry Sisters.

Jennifer J. - Ohio
Ever since I was young, I've been interested in learning about my ancestors -- who they were, where they lived, how they lived. I'd run into a brick wall, though, with one branch of my family tree. My great-grandmother, Nellie, was adopted. Before she passed away in the mid-1960s, she had tried to locate her birth family, but was unsuccessful. I contacted Ancestry Sisters as a last ditch effort ... and it worked! They linked me to the admissions/discharge records for an orphanage that was located in southern Indiana. Nellie and her adopted father were listed there, as was Nellie's birth grandmother. The orphanage record led to locating a Health Dept. record that confirmed Nellie's 7/4/1886 birthdate and birth location -- we had never known either for certain. The record also listed Nellie's mother's name. I've been able to learn more about my great-grandmother's early life than she even knew herself. I am certain I'd not be able to say that, if not for the help received from the Ancestry Sisters. Thank you!

Marsha T. - Chicago, Illinois
I searched the Association of Professional Genealogists' website to find a professional genealogist. I was looking for someone with knowledge in Chicago and Ireland.  I found the perfect match -- The Ancestry Sisters. I had gathered quite a bit of information on my own, but their ability to find in-depth Chicago information was astounding. Parishes in Chicago are extremely important, as they are in Ireland. They have an excellent understanding of the nuances involved in reviewing Irish information. They were able to gather a great deal of new information and also enhanced the information I already had. This made my family history more complete. But more than that, they helped make my family history richer.

Anita H. - Wisconsin
My great aunt started working on our line back in 1930...we had lots of notes but needed someone to connect the dots and organize our collective data. After Ancestry Sisters pulled it together, we were able to trace one line of our decedents back to the Mayflower. We had a need for a quick turnaround too since my aunt who wanted to have family information documented is 92. It is great working with them, they feel more like family than researchers because they love what they do and and care about their customers. They are as excited as I am when their research uncovers new information.

Katie R. - California
Wanted to thank you guys for the stellar job you did for me. I really got the bang for my buck and I have a couple projects that I'm now considering getting your help with. You both were polite, did exceptional work--you were so helpful and you assisted me in breaking through the brick wall I had going on.

Gail H. - British Columbia, Canada
Can you imagine how hard it would be to find your grandmother, an unwed mother at the age of 17 in 1924 Boston? My father was given up for adoption and I had been searching for his birth family for a few years. I had found a few details, however couldn't put everything together, didn't know if I had the right information and didn't know where to look for the rest of the information. I found the Ancestry Sisters and they have completed the search for me. Within a couple of weeks of contacting Ancestry Sisters, I now know where my great grandparents came from in Ireland, that my grandmother married and had three more children and I have eleven cousins! Ancestry Sisters provided all this information so quickly with documents to back up their finds. I will definitely use the services of Ancestry Sisters again.

Kerry A. - California
I had been searching for my Irish ancestors but had hit a wall when it came to finding many of them. I called upon Ancestry Sisters for help, and they quickly found my great grandfather...and he had 9 siblings!. They sent me detailed information and copies of supporting documents. Their work was professional, thorough, and fast. I especially appreciated the frequent communication as they worked. Some services are quick to accept your money, but you may wait months wondering if they are working on your case. I will definitely be using Ancestry Sisters again.

Kay M. - Illinois
After unsuccessfully searching for my Irish relatives I came in contact with AncestrySisters. What had taken over a year to get small bits and pieces of my ancestors, took these sisters less than a week to find a wealth of information for me. They found missing siblings of my great-grandmother, census records, birth and death records, just to name a few. These girls are worth their weight in gold!