Every family has a story worth telling, but tracking it down takes time, expertise, and access to records that may be hard to find or stuck behind pay walls. That's where Family Roots Revealed comes in. I'm Dana Darby, a genealogist with more than 40 years of experience performing all types of research from on-site visits to online documents. Our research services can help you trace your ancestry, break through brick walls in your family tree, and preserve your family's history in a form that you and future generations can treasure.

Welcome to Family Roots Revealed

We provide the following services:

  • Trace a specific family line back as far as records allow

  • Confirm or investigate family stories and legends

  • Transcribe old handwritten letters, diaries, and other documents so you can uncover interesting or important family history, enable future generations to read them without knowing how to read cursive, and have them in digital format for future technology updates

  • Research a specific ancestor's life in depth, including military service, immigration, land ownership, and more

  • Create beautiful, professional documents, booklets, or hardcover books revealing your family’s roots

  • Break through a genealogical "brick wall" you've been stuck on

  • Visit the National Archives to obtain copies of records

  • Visit cemeteries located within a reasonable distance (Northern Virginia area) to take photos of headstones

We start every project by understanding what you're hoping to learn, so the work stays focused on what matters most to you. Visit our Services page for more detailed descriptions of our services.

Your Results, Delivered Your Way

Every project concludes with a detailed, professional electronic report of results. Depending on your chosen service, your final deliverables may also include:

  • Genealogy Research Reports — Electronic and/or professionally printed booklets or leather-bound heirloom volumes featuring your family history.

  • Document Transcriptions — Your original letters or records safely returned in archival-quality sleeves, accompanied by clean, typed transcriptions.

  • On-Site Photography — Clear, high-resolution digital photographs of original records from the National Archives or cemetery headstones.