Welcome to Brother's Wish! We are a professional genealogy service based in Liverpool, England. We specialise in Jewish ancestry, but have almost equal experience in research into non-Jewish families. We were established in January 2003 in Stockton-on-Tees, but relocated to Liverpool in July 2004.

Genealogy (the tracing of one's ancestors and their history) is one of the world's most popular hobbies and the reasons for this are many and varied.

Every person is a genetic product of their parents, and they of their parents, and so on. Our physical features and, sometimes, aspects of our personalities, are inherited from our ancestors. Finding out who they were and how they lived gives us a whole new perspective on our own identity.

Researching our family histories opens our eyes to so many related topics. Most obviously, it introduces us to the social history of the eras in which our ancestors lives, such as the types of houses and living conditions. We see how major events such as wars and revolutions, along with domestic and international politics affected individual families. If we're lucky enough to be able to trace our Jewish ancestors back to their country of origin, we may be faced with documents in a variety of different languages, such as Yiddish, Hebrew, Polish, Russian and German.

Apart from the logical reasons for looking into our family's past, there are others. The whole process is incredibly exciting! There's a lot of detective work, trying to find evidence to confirm or deny family legend or using different documents to solve mini-mysteries. You also have the chance to create something for future generations. Today, children are taught about what life was like 50, 100 or 200 years ago. In 50, 100 or even 200 years' time, children will be taught about what life is like today. An accurate record of who their ancestors were and what sort of lives they led is a wonderful and ongoing gift for our generation to give to those which follow.

Brother's Wish Genealogy Service will undertake any kind of genealogical research. We can trace whole families of ancestors (assuming the records exist), or just those you're interested in. Some clients want just a single question answering, such as the name of a grandfather or great-grandfather. Others want every branch carefully traced, in order to construct an enormous family tree, stretching back through time. We can also trace living relatives if you're interested, and we've had the pleasure of introducing people to cousins they never knew existed!

Whatever type of genealogical research you want doing, we can do it. We will work with you on a personal basis, not for you in a detached and officious way. Genealogy is the type of research that requires constant communication and networking and we, at Brother's Wish, want you to be as much a part of the process as you want to. Combined knowledge solves mysteries!

As a natural result of this attitude, you're kept right up-to-date with the latest developments in the research and you can choose to focus on different branches or mysteries as your imagination demands! We also display the information you give, plus the results of the research, in unique, multi-coloured family trees. Family trees from Brother's Wish are packed with crucial information but are also easy on the eye. As well as providing detailed trees, we can also include simpler, more illustrative trees, which can be used as visual aids to demonstrate relationships between individuals or families. These types of trees are increasingly popular, especially as conversation pieces at family reunions and get-togethers.

There are several reasons for this. Some of our clients have ancestry in Liverpool but live abroad, so they ask us to check local or community records for their ancestors. Other clients work full-time and don't have a chance to indulge their interest in their roots, so they ask us to do it for them. Some clients are experienced amateur genealogists who have hit a brick wall in their research and would like advice on how to proceed. Others are novices and want to know how to start. Some are interested but don't want to do the work themselves and would prefer to be told about their family, as opposed to asking the questions. Others simply want their own research to be displayed in a smart family tree. We are happy to work with anyone in any of these positions.

Saul Marks is our founder and resident genealogist. He first became interested in his own family history at a young age and, by his late teens, was already an experienced researcher. He obtained a BSc (Hons) in Applied Psychology from the University of Durham and an Award in Continuing Education (in genealogy) from the University of Sunderland. As if that weren't enough, he then completed a Diploma in Archives and Records Management at the University of Liverpool. In 2003, he taught a course in Jewish genealogy at the University of Sunderland, and delivered a condensed version of this in Liverpool three years later.

Outside genealogy, Saul has served as a warden at the prestigious Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation and is project manager of the restoration of its oldest surviving cemetery, on Deane Road. Click here to see his website on this fascinating project that involves genealogy, indexing, fundraising and getting filthy! Saul's other interests include cricket, 5-a-side football, pool and singing.

Using information from relatives and contacts, online and offline resources (both Jewish and non-Jewish), Saul has been able to trace his own family back to the mid-eighteenth century in Poland and Ukraine. Click here to see his website on his own family history.

As with most businesses, the best way to get an accurate impression of the service is by word of mouth. Here are some words from the mouths of some of our clients:

"Brother's Wish has been a wonderful source of family information for me. Saul has not only provided a wealth of family data for me, but has done it in a timely and gracious manner. Over a period of several months, he located family birth and death certificates and, just as valuable, informed me as to what records do not exist, thereby saving me countless, frustrating hours of fruitless research. In addition, he even located my great-grandfather's unmarked grave and offered to coordinate the dedication of a grave marker. This is "service above and beyond"!  I  am happy to recommend Brother's Wish."

Judy Tasoff

New Jersey

"Saul is a highly motivated and hard-working genealogist whose researches turned up huge quantities of information for me. He was able to take our family back to the early 19th century and I can highly recommend him as a trustworthy and reliable researcher who is amply capable of whatever research you request of him."

Rabbi Zvi Solomons

Liverpool

"I approached the use of a professional genealogist with a little trepidation, not least because I was venturing into the unknown, but also because I was worried that, with only one quarter Jewish blood, I might be seen as intruding into a closed Jewish world.

Saul could not have been more helpful, gracious and supportive and there was never any question of this being a 'Jews-only' enterprise. The ease with which he unearthed all the details and traced two of my grandparental branches back to the early 19th century was astonishing.  He was quick yet thorough, exceptionally helpful – and very reasonable in the charging department! I would recommend the services of Brother’s Wish to anyone looking for help in producing a family tree or just tracing one particular ancestor." (Read Brian's full report here)

Brian Forster

Gwent

"When Saul began researching my family history, he found out more in an hour than another expert found over four months. His enthusiasm for each individual project is boundless and infectious. He knows his way around all the relevant databases on the Internet and made my own family tree come alive!"
 

Lauren Booth

Journalist & broadcaster

London

"When I asked Saul to research my family tree, I did not expect him to be able to go back very far, as my grandparents came from Russia, Poland and Lithuania. He amazed me by going back to the early 1800s and, in the process, discovered that most of my male ancestors and their siblings were rabbis, something which I will have to live up to! If you are looking to trace your ancestors, I highly recommend Saul and his company, Brother's Wish."

Ivor Felton

London

"We would strongly recommend Brother's Wish to anybody researching their Jewish family history. In the case of my wife and me, many interesting relations have 'popped up' and it has enabled us to make contact with other 'lost' blood relatives in several other countries."

Rex Lawrence

Warrington

"I would like to thank you for your help in tracing my family history. Delighted with the efficiency, speed, and courtesy. There is no way that I could have found the details without your help. Thank you again."

Monty Miers

Liverpool

How genealogy is done depends on several factors. Firstly, you must have an objective (or several), and these vary from one person to another. The majority of people want to find out as much as possible in terms of genealogical data, socio-historical context and living relatives. Whether this is the case or whether you have a more specific research question or mystery to solve, simply e-mail us at ancestry@brotherswish.com and we'll do our very best to give you what you want. The more information you can give us, the easier you make it for us, whether it be in the form of research you've done yourself or just a paragraph in an e-mail with the information you know. We'll have a look at it and let you know what can be done.

The time taken doing genealogical research depends on how much information you start with. If you have a good deal of basic information on the table to begin with, particularly in terms of names, dates and documentary evidence, it can be quite easy to find out a good deal of information in a very short time. If you have less information, or the information is less reliable (or, in some cases, that the surnames involved are very common), the research can take longer.

Genealogical success is also dependent on the availability of the records in question. Even if you have a lot of information to begin with, dead ends can still be met if the information you're searching for wasn't recorded or was lost or destroyed. Even the best genealogists can't provide answers when the sources aren't there!

Our fees are £21 per hour, including time spent corresponding with you, after the assignment has been agreed. Click here for our Terms of Service document. All estimates at Brother's Wish are free, so don't be hesitant to ask questions. Feel free to write, phone or e-mail: all the contact details you need are at the top of this page!