Currently accepting clients for...

• Family History Research
• Speaking / Presenting
• Writing /Publishing

Hello - I'm Dean Kirby and I'm a professional genealogist, family historian, record agent and ancestral tour guide with a PhD in urban history. Descended from Lancashire cotton mill ancestors and based in Manchester, England, I have spent nearly four decades researching my family tree including making research trips to Ireland and First World War battlefields of France and Belgium. I specialize in telling the stories of families whose ancestors worked in the cotton mill towns of Greater Manchester and Lancashire before they emigrated to the New World. A bestselling non-fiction history author, my aim is not only to tell the bare facts of a person's history but to add color to their lives by revealing their working and living conditions. I also research Irish roots and service histories of mill town WW1 British soldiers. My aim is to tell these stories in a thoughtful and sensitive way. I also offer ancestral tours and archives familiarization visits for those traveling to Manchester and Lancashire to carry out their own research.

Geographic Specialities
Manchester and Lancashire, England. 
Ireland.

Testimonials

My son hired Dean Kirby from Manchester, England, for my birthday. In my quest to find out about my father’s service in the British Army in WWII, Dean was able to provide me with a story that I will cherish forever. He was able to compose not only a detailed story right before, during and after the war, but also to provide diagrams and information about where exactly he lived, the battle he was in and his POW experience which had my father in five different locations. I would never have had the resources or the fortitude to produce such a story. It reads like a short story and is quite amazing. I am forever in deep gratitude to Dean Kirby for his ongoing work during this project. He met with me via Zoom several times and left no stone unturned. I highly recommend him without hesitation for anyone who wants to delve into their British family history - Pamela, Massachusetts, USA.

If you are looking for a professional, committed and pragmatic researcher, Dean Kirby is the very best choice. Dean was extremely professional in documenting every step and evidentiary lead in an easy to understand, succinct manner. His expertise as an investigative journalist shined throughout his work. When his impressive research was compiled and shared with relatives, it was well received with praise such as, ‘This is epic’, and ‘Wow, that’s incredible. I can’t wait to share this’ - David, Colorado, USA.

After discovering that my ancestors once lived in Manchester, Dean’s book caught my attention. I was pleased to find out that he also offers family history research, and I couldn’t have been more happy with the results. Dean’s reports are rich with vivid details about my ancestors’ lives, transforming a previously unknown part of my family history into something real and meaningful. They are going to make a wonderful gift for my dad’s 80th birthday. I would highly recommend Dean’s services to anyone seeking expert family research - Joshua, Virginia, USA.

I have been very impressed with the thoroughness and professionalism of Dean’s work concerning an ancestor of mine who served as a coastguard in Ireland. Dean’s suggestions for further research, both within the local area and outside were very helpful. It is evident that he applies high professional standards to all aspects of his genealogical research and I would endorse his work. It has been a pleasure dealing with Dean whose professionalism and helpfulness is much appreciated - Ann, Gold Coast, Australia.

Having extensively researched the lack of a death record for my great-great-grandfather I asked Dean to carry out some final research on my behalf. Mission impossible probably but I was looking for someone with extensive knowledge of historic Manchester and local records not available online. He searched multiple record sets in Manchester Central Library, he provided a report detailing exactly what searches he had undertaken and his findings. Although the answer was not found, the likely event window was narrowed and further records related to my ancestors were uncovered. I found Dean to be very approachable, easy to deal with and the research was conducted in a timely manner. I would recommend his service - Tony, New Zealand.

Dean has undertaken two pieces of genealogical research for me discovering the lives of some of my Manchester ancestors. In the first piece, he located my family in the overcrowded housing of the Victorian city, while in the second he traced my great-grandfather’s experiences in the First World War from his training in England to the trenches of the Somme. I have been delighted with his work on both occasions. Dean has produced thoroughly researched, informative and well-presented reports, that have not only detailed the dates and places of my relatives’ lives but have also given valuable insights into what those places were like and how day-to-day life might have been for them - Adrian, Peterborough, UK.

Additional specialities or search keywords
cotton industry, lancashire, manchester, United Kingdom

Research Time Periods

• 20th Century
• 19th Century
• 18th Century

Affiliations
I am an associate of the UK professional genealogy body, the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) and abide by their codes of conduct and ethics.

Degrees
I have a PhD in urban history from Manchester Metropolitan University.