Helping Others – the research service

One of the most rewarding parts of running the Gray One-Name Study is
helping people trace their own Gray and Grey family lines. If you have
hit a brick wall, can’t find a record, or simply don’t know where to
start — please get in touch. I am happy to help.

As a registered Guild of One-Name Studies researcher with
over fifteen years of experience researching the Gray and Grey name, I
have built up a substantial body of records and knowledge that may
already hold the answers you are looking for.

How the service works

Tell me what you know about your Gray or Grey line — a name, an
approximate date, a location — and I will see what I can find. Research
is conducted using my own database and a wide range of online sources
including census records, parish registers, and the GRO birth, marriage
and death indices.

Where I find relevant records, I publish the results in my
SecondSite database and send you the link directly. This means you have
a permanent, browsable record of what has been found, rather than just
an email.

What to expect

• The service is free. I do not charge for my time
  or research.
• I work from documentary evidence. I record dates
  and places of birth, marriage and death — raw data that can be verified.
  Family stories, rumours and personal matters are kept separate from the
  study database.
• I do not spend money on your behalf without clear
  prior agreement. If a certificate or paid record would be useful, I will
  tell you what to obtain and where to get it — rather than buying it
  myself.
• Research enriches the study. Every family line I
  research adds to the broader Gray One-Name Study — so your enquiry
  benefits future researchers too.

Privacy and data protection

This study is conducted in accordance with GDPR legislation. This
means:

• I do not record personal data about anyone who is, or may be,
  living.
• Research into recent generations will therefore focus on
  documentary records rather than personal information — and may stop
  at the point where living individuals would be identified.
• Family stories, personal accounts and anecdotal information are
  only included in the study where they are already in the public domain
  and all individuals mentioned are confirmed to have died.
• Any information you share with me in the course of requesting
  research help will be used solely for the purpose of that research
  and will not be shared with third parties.

If you have any questions about how your data is handled, please
do not hesitate to ask.

Not sure if I can help?

Get in touch anyway. Even if your Gray or Grey line falls outside
the areas I have researched most thoroughly, I can usually point you
in the right direction or suggest the most useful sources to try.