Professional genealogist
serving Derby.
Fully done-for-you family history investigation.
Gary Skerritt investigates family histories across Derby, Derbyshire, and the East Midlands. Specialist knowledge of local records, home visits available throughout the county, and 20 years of investigative experience.
Derby families have deep roots.
Finding them takes proper research.
Derby and Derbyshire have a rich and layered history. Lead miners from the White Peak, framework knitters from the Derwent Valley, railway families from the great Midland Railway works, and farmers whose families worked the same land for centuries. Those lives were documented, and the records survive.
The challenge is knowing where they are held, which collections are still held only on paper, and how to build a coherent picture across record types that rarely appear together in any one database. That is the work of professional investigation, not online searching.
Gary Skerritt has been investigating family histories across the East Midlands for over 20 years. Every case is worked personally. There are no assistants, no automated searches, and no generic reports. What you receive is original investigative work, built around your family.
Book a free 30-minute callWhere Derby and Derbyshire
family history is found.
Derbyshire's records are distributed across several archives and collections. Some have been digitised; many have not. Knowing where each record type is held, and how to interpret what the documents actually reveal, is the foundation of effective investigation.
Derbyshire Record Office
The county archive at Matlock holds parish registers, estate records, tithe maps, quarter sessions files, and the papers of Derbyshire's major landowners. Many collections are uncatalogued and require direct visits to access. This is where the most distinctive Derbyshire research is done.
Parish registers and chapel records
Anglican parish registers for Derbyshire survive from the mid-sixteenth century and are held partly at Derbyshire Record Office and partly in the relevant church archives. Nonconformist records are particularly important in Derbyshire given the strong Methodist and Quaker traditions across the county.
Census and civil registration
GRO birth, marriage, and death records from 1837, and census returns from 1841 to 1921, form the backbone of most Derbyshire investigations. Cross-referenced against parish registers and the county's industrial records, they allow family lines to be traced with considerable precision across multiple generations.
Lead mining and industrial records
Derbyshire's lead mining industry generated extensive records: Barmote Court books, mine accounts, and the records of the Duchy of Lancaster and other mining authorities. For families from the White Peak, these documents often bridge gaps in the parish registers and reveal occupational histories stretching back several centuries.
Midland Railway records
Derby was the headquarters of the Midland Railway, and the railway brought thousands of workers and their families to the town from across Britain and beyond. Railway staff records, pension files, and company archives held at The National Archives and the National Railway Museum can be critical to investigations involving Derby families from the Victorian period onwards.
DNA investigation
Where documentary records run out, DNA evidence can fill the gaps. Gary uses DNA test results from AncestryDNA, 23andMe, and MyHeritage to identify biological relationships, confirm or challenge documentary findings, and resolve cases where the paper trail has gone cold. DNA investigation is particularly valuable for Derbyshire families researching unknown parentage or adoption.
Derby, Derbyshire, and beyond
Meet Your Past serves clients across the whole of Derby and Derbyshire. Home visits are available throughout the county. Research into UK and Irish records is conducted from wherever the archives are held, regardless of where you or your ancestors lived.
Home visits are available across Derby and Derbyshire. If you have a collection of family documents, photographs, or memorabilia at home, a visit at the start of the investigation is often the most productive way to begin.
What the investigation covers
Every service is a fully done-for-you investigation. You do not search databases, interpret documents, or navigate archives. Gary does all of that work and delivers a written report of what was found.
Family History Research
A full multi-generational investigation into your family's history. Census records, parish registers, civil registration documents, probate records, and local archive material brought together into a coherent written narrative with document copies.
DNA Investigation
DNA test results interpreted and used as investigative tools. Identifying biological relatives, confirming family relationships, resolving discrepancies in the documentary record, and building genetic family trees to extend the paper trail where it has run out.
Unknown Parent Investigation
Investigations for adopted people, those with donor conception in their background, or anyone who needs to identify a biological parent or close relative. Conducted with care and discretion. DNA is central to most cases of this kind.
Irish Ancestry Research
Investigation into Irish family origins using surviving records including Griffith's Valuation, the Tithe Applotment Books, Catholic parish registers, and DNA. Informed by Gary's personal Irish heritage and direct knowledge of Irish archives.
Military Ancestor Research
Service records, medal rolls, pension files, and war diaries used to reconstruct a military ancestor's career. Covers both World Wars, earlier conflicts, and the records held at The National Archives and specialist military repositories.
Family History as a Gift
A fully investigated family history presented as a written report and document collection. An unusual and lasting gift for a parent, grandparent, or spouse, delivered in time for a birthday, anniversary, or special occasion.
The Derby Mercury, Wed 12 Oct 1831, Page 1
A genealogist who has
done this work for himself.
Meet Your Past was founded by Gary Skerritt, who is based in Nottingham. Gary has been investigating family histories for over 20 years, beginning with his own family and taking on client work once his methods and the depth of what was achievable had become clear.
His father's side of the family is Irish, and he has traced those lines through the records that survived the 1922 destruction of the Public Record Office. That experience is not academic. He knows exactly which archives hold what, and what to do when the standard sources run out. If your Derbyshire family has Irish roots, that part of the investigation is informed by the same personal research he has conducted for his own family.
His wife's family has roots in Liverpool, which has given him detailed working knowledge of Lancashire records, the port of Liverpool, and the Irish migration routes that brought so many families to the North West before they moved further inland. Those routes often continued into the East Midlands, and the connections between Lancashire and Derbyshire families are more common than many people expect.
The business is new, and Gary is currently building his client base across Derbyshire and the East Midlands. He is not yet in a position to share client testimonials, but the research itself is the same quality he applies to his own family history. The free consultation is the opportunity to form your own view of whether the approach is right for you.
Read more about GaryFrom first call to final report
There are no hourly rates and no uncertainty about cost. Every investigation begins with a free conversation, and all work is quoted and agreed before research starts.
Free consultation
A 30-minute call to discuss what you already have, what you would like to find, and whether professional research is the right step. No preparation needed.
Fixed-price quote
A clear proposal setting out what the research will cover and exactly what it will cost. No hourly billing, no surprises, and no work begins until you are happy to proceed.
Investigation
Gary conducts the research personally, working through archives, online records, and specialist collections relevant to your family. You will be kept informed of significant findings as they emerge.
Written report
A full written narrative of what was found, with copies of all key documents discovered during the investigation. Delivered digitally, with a printed version available on request.
Frequently asked questions
Meet Your Past serves clients across Derby city and the whole of Derbyshire, including Chesterfield, Matlock, Bakewell, Ashbourne, Buxton, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Swadlincote, Belper, and Ripley. Home visits are available throughout the county. Research is conducted remotely across the UK and Ireland.
The core sources for Derbyshire research are Derbyshire Record Office in Matlock, the Derby Local Studies Library, GRO civil registration records, Anglican parish registers, the 1841 to 1921 censuses, nonconformist chapel records, lead mining records, Midland Railway archives, and framework knitters and hosiery industry documents. Much of the most valuable material is not available online.
Yes. Many Derby and Derbyshire families arrived from Ireland during the nineteenth century, particularly through the railway and textile industries. Gary has personal Irish heritage and detailed knowledge of Irish genealogical records including Griffith's Valuation, the Tithe Applotment Books, Catholic parish registers, and DNA-based investigation. Irish research is handled with the same depth as English research.
Yes. Home visits are available across Derby and Derbyshire. Many clients prefer a home visit at the start of the process so that family documents, photographs, and memorabilia can be reviewed together. It often reveals starting points that would never emerge from an online consultation alone.
Fixed-price packages start from £199 for a single-surname investigation. All work is quoted in advance and there are no hourly rates or unexpected costs. You will know exactly what the research covers and what the price is before any work begins.
That is perfectly normal. Many investigations begin with very little. A grandparent's name, a town that was mentioned once, an old photograph. The free call is the right place to discuss what you have and what the research might realistically achieve from that starting point.
Tell me where you are,
and we will go from there.
Most investigations begin with almost nothing. A grandparent's name. A date that does not add up. A story that was never quite explained. That has always been enough to start.
Book a free 30-minute call and we will talk about what might be possible. No preparation needed. No obligation. Just a conversation about your Derbyshire family and what it might take to find their story.