Find a Researcher for Hire - Archival Researchers Association

A.R.A Member & Professional Researcher Listing

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Search our member listing by name, company or city where the archive you are seeking research assistance is located. You can also search for keywords such as: military records, personnel records, litigation, pension records and so forth.

Jeremy Bigwood is a polyglot historical researcher with a background in science who spent much of his life as a multi-media journalist. He has published several investigative pieces as well as four peer-reviewed scientific papers. He worked as a professional photographer for decades. His first archival work at the US National Archives was in 2001—photographing late 1700s Indian treaties written on rolled deerskin hides for the yet-unopened American Indian Museum. He can quickly find, digitize, and transfer records of any media to a client. He also works with the FOIA and MDR. Google for details

Orrin has been a professional researcher since 2016, and has managed wide-scale projects since 2021. He provides a full-tiered service as well as budget jobs to work with students or authors without grants. He does work at both NARA branches in the Washington D.C area, the Library of Congress and the GWU special collections. He has over a dozen years of professional journalistic experience which he brings to the table in terms of investigative skills.

Since 2003, when I first accessed the National Archives collections, I have worked as an archival researcher in non-fiction, educational, and documentary content. My work encompasses exhibits at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, the National Museum for African American History and Culture as well as documentaries for National Geographic Channel, History Channel, Vox, Netflix, and documentary production companies in New England and Washington, DC. Starting in 2021 I began teaching archival research classes for Washington, DC based Docs In Progress.

Kevin Morrow is a historical researcher, author, translator and former archivist at the National Archives. He has worked in archives and libraries across North America, Europe, and the Middle East and is a generalist, but has particular specialized experience finding textual military records (Civil War through the Vietnam War), diplomatic and intelligence records (OSS, State Department, Army and Navy intelligence), Native American records, captured German records, and other records in German, French, and Arabic. He also has decades of experience searching for photos, maps, architectural drawings and ship plans, and aerial photos.

Rich is an expert in the research of 20th-century immigrant ancestors, especially underutilized record sources and federal records He also provides consultations in where to find a specific immigrant across various record sets. He specializes in Italian and Irish research and has Italian fluency, but is able to search for immigrants of most ethnicities.

Margaret Johnson is a researcher and illustrations editor for books, exhibitions, and documentaries. Twenty-five years
experience researching the vast collections of the Library of Congress, National Archives,
Smithsonian Institution and other national and international collections. 2006 News and
Documentary Emmy Award Nominee: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Craft: Research.

Atlas Films is the company name for Emmy Award-winning archival researcher/archival producer Rich Remsberg. With more than 100 production credits, Remsberg is one of the country’s top researchers for documentary films, TV programs, and museum exhibits. From initial resource surveys and project development to ordering masters and clearing rights, we offer top-level research in historical and contemporary footage, still photos, vintage maps, newspapers, rare books, and audio. We work with an intricate network of institutions and private collectors. Our efficient and thorough navigation of public domain and rights-managed collections allows you to put more of your budget on the screen.

Archival image research and consulting for documentaries, museum exhibitions, theatrical productions, publications, etc., specializing in accessing public domain archival footage and still images from Washington, DC area sources. Research credits include feature documentaries, television documentaries for PBS American Experience and American Masters series, HBO, NHK, and others. Subject specialties include Civil Rights, Popular Culture, Women’s History, and African American History.

Geosyntec is a full service consulting and engineering firm that works with private and public sector clients to address new ventures and complex problems involving our environment, natural resources, and civil infrastructure. Many of our practitioners specialize in archival records research to serve our clients in Contaminated Site Assessment and Cleanup, Transactional Due Diligence, Environmental Planning and Management, and Litigation Support. Since our founding in 1983, we have completed thousands of projects worldwide and our clients rely on our experience as a cutting-edge provider of innovative and practical solutions.

Archive Research & Consulting Group has decades of experience in identifying and locating naval and maritime records for asbestos litigation. We pride ourselves on our knowledge of asbestos, our depth of experience and our ability to identify documents that will help in your case. ARCG strives to provide information in a timely and focused manner. Our goal is to provide the very best documentation at a reasonable cost and in the time frame needed. We are focused on superior client service and research results.

Donna specializes in genealogy searches assisting those looking to embark upon the journey of learning about the lives of one’s ancestors. Family history research includes responsible, professional and useful knowledge in learning about family heritage through the use of world wide vital records (birth/marriage/death) as well as local, state and federal records. Menu of services include historical newspaper articles, cemetery searches and a wide range of other resources to produce the most accurate pedigree and family story information. Donna is a member of multiple organizations including genealogy and historical societies. Her customers have consistently rated her as an “expert” in research strategies, evaluating evidence and organizing documents into a family history keepsake. Every family has a story ~ do you know yours?

Mary Cook performs research for individuals, universities, companies and organizations on every type of topic. No job is too small. Finding a family photo is as important as large multi-volume project. Specialties: General research, all topics, text, photographs, microfilm, manuscripts. Middle East, natural resources, environment, Arabic and French. Knowledgeable about Armenian and Assyrian history.

Nationwide searches at NARA Regional Branches, Archives I and Archives II as well as Presidential Libraries. Specialties: Military Research, Historical Research, Genealogy & Forensic Genealogy, NARA archival record retrieval (copies and analysis),

Bob Konings has been a battlefield tour guide in the Ardennes since 2008 when his wife and he bought a B&B in Grandmenil, Belgium. Bob lives in the heart of some of the fiercest battles of WWII and he specializes in many specific battles such as the Ottre Massacre and the Malmedy Massacre. For the past seven years, he has also worked on a plane crash project in which he successfully researched and identified the plane and crew of a B24 called King Size that crashed on Christmas Day 1944 in LaFosse, Belgium.

Joey van Meesen has a Master’s Degree in Military History and is a researcher of the US Army during WWII. He specializes in various types of archives material to research individuals and reconstructs the battlefields. His passion is producing film documentaries and also focuses on Then and Now photos and stories. SNAFU DOCS is a professional documentary team that researches military history.

Rosemary Rotondi is a network news, archival film and photo and text researcher for documentarians, commercial agencies, filmmakers, writers with over 30 years of experience. Specialities: newsreel footage, stock footage, historical societies, college and university archives, network news footage, photo and text records worldwide.

Jonathan Webb Deiss holds a number of positions in the archival research & genealogical community. He is an independent researcher, genealogist, military historian and archival consultant. He sits on the Board of Directors of Reclaim the Records, is the research director of Webb Deiss Research, LLC, runs the Citizen Archivist Project intern mission, is a founding member of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums (ATALM), and acts as a consultant and instructor for numerous organizations. He has a unique relationship with the National Archives; in December 2010, Jonathan was honored with the title Citizen Archivist, by the Archivist of the U. S, in recognition of ‘…exceptional service promoting public awareness of NARA records and historical research’.

Jana Churchwell-Scott is a professional genealogist whose work focuses specifically in military service and records research. She has dedicated her career and time to the memory of these men, women, and their families. Specializing in both combat and non-combat missing, she has worked tirelessly to research, document, locate, and reach out to the families of our lost soldiers, organized families in private support groups for military missing, completed family investigations for U.S. military casualty offices, aviation archaeology interest groups, and for multiple MIA non-profit organizations.

Donald W. Moore d/b/a Antecedents LLC is a professional genealogist specializing in court records of the following southeastern Virginia counties and cities:

Lower Norfolk County 1637–1691
Norfolk County 1691–1963
Princess Anne County1691–1963
Norfolk City 1736–Portsmouth City 1752–
Chesapeake City 1963–
Virginia Beach City 1963–

Other services include classroom/Zoom instruction, tutoring, and writing/editing.

With a background in archival documentary production (Guggenheim Productions Inc., PBS, Discovery), I enjoy finding small archives and digging up the images that tell the story. I can also help with creating a project database and licensing material for your project. Specialties: Public and private archives across the US, including the Motion Picture Research Room at the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, MD and the Library of Congress in DC.

Specialty: Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Individual Death Personnel Files (IDPF), Morning Reports, Unit Reports. Veteran Voices strives to honor our World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam veterans by telling their stories. We help family members understand their veteran’s experience by providing facts through documentation and reconstructing their military service.

Michael Bracey is a US Army veteran of the Vietnam War and a former prosecutor from New York. He is a graduate of American University and Antioch School of Law, both of Washington DC. Michael has worked on veterans issues with the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, and the Board of Veterans Appeals.
He is currently the President and CEO of Michael Bracey Archival Research, and specializes in military records, and assisting veterans with their disability claims. Michael is board member of the Archival Researchers Association.

Smith & Carson is a nationally recognized and highly experienced investigative research firm that partners with the world’s leading organizations to provide complex investigations. Our clients include Am Law 100 firms, Fortune 500 companies, financial organizations, and government agencies. Our multifaceted team has the experience and technology infrastructure to handle increasingly complex investigations in support of civil litigation defense and other complex matters. We also specialize in due diligence, juror research, investigative analytics, executive vetting, and bespoke multi-level investigations.

Specialties: Subject Matter Expert, Fact-Checking, Military and Federal Records, Legacy Writing, Historical Analysis, and Transliteration. Daniel L. Smith is a Christian Writer, Historical Researcher, and Author based out of Eureka, California.

I have over 25 years of experience in researching materials for clients for documentary films, exhibitions, books, Ph.D. dissertations, articles, etc. focusing on topics related to WWII, the Holocaust, and the Cold War on a contract basis. I conduct research at the National Archives, Library of Congress, Smithsonian, and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum as well as other archives and libraries in the US and abroad. I used to work in the Division of Exhibitions at the USHMM as a staff historian and am bilingual in German and English.I have over 25 years of experience in researching materials for clients for documentary films, exhibitions, books, Ph.D. dissertations, articles, etc. focusing on topics related to WWII, the Holocaust, and the Cold War on a contract basis. I conduct research at the National Archives, Library of Congress, Smithsonian, and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum as well as other archives and libraries in the US and abroad. I used to work in the Division of Exhibitions at the USHMM as a staff historian and am bilingual in German and English.

Specialties: moving images, stills and audio. Born in Austin, Texas and educated at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, Steve Greene worked for the Nixon Presidential Library at the National Archives for 34 years. After many years of working with journalists and documentary film professionals, Steve started his own business as a professional archival media researcher in October 2018. His website and blog is available at historicty.co

Legacy Tree Genealogists is the world’s highest client-rated genealogy research firm. Founded in 2004, the company provides full-service genealogical research for clients worldwide, helping them discover their roots and personal history through records, narratives, and DNA. Based near the world’s largest family history library in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, Legacy Tree has developed a network of professional researchers and archives around the globe. Request a free quote at https://www.legacytree.com.

Josh is the founder and lead researcher at AncestorStalker.com. He has provided genealogical, locate and forensic DNA research services on a global scale for two decades. He has previously worked for Ancestry.com, has researched for the television hit Finding Your Roots and investigated civil rights era atrocities for the CRRJ. Specialties: Family trees, global onsite record research, military records, federal records, locates and DNA analysis

Thirty years full-time on-site media research (with emphasis on motion pictures) in the huge, often rights-free collections in the Washington DC area with research credits on over 600 documentaries, features, exhibits, publications. Author of Scholar’s Guide to Washington DC Media Collections. Emmy nominations for archival research: 2006 RAPE OF EUROPA 2017 MINE WARS.

Specialty: Civil War research. Brad has been a reenactor for 33 years, worked on 32 movies and TV Shows, including: Glory, Gettysburg, Andersonville, and an actor in the TV show Perfect Tribute. He has appeared on several episodes of the TV show “Who do you think you are”. Brad was a researcher on the TV documentary “The untold story of the Civil War”. He also worked as an advisor for the National Geographic show “Diggers”. Brad has written or co-written 19 books on the American Civil war. Brad is currently collaborating on a book series for the Charles H. Coolidge Medal of Honor Heritage center. He has received the gold star award from the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil war for identifying 73 unknown graves of Union Soldiers buried at Marietta National Cemetery.

WW2 Research Inc. provides service histories of veterans and casualties of World War 2 for individuals, families, communities, private and public organizations seeking to honor those who served. The service histories are comprised of copies of original records and analysis based on Bill Beigel’s specialized knowledge of World War 2. The vast majority of clients are immediate family members or direct descendants of those who served or died in World War 2. Bill Beigel is an American military records researcher, speaker, and author specializing in service histories of American veterans and casualties of World War II. Since 1999, Mr. Beigel has researched thousands of WWII veterans and casualties for individuals, families, private and public organizations worldwide. Mr. Beigel’s work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, USA Today, CBS News, Fox News, Newsday, War History Online, and dozens of others.

Stevens Historical Research Associates (SHRA) is a full-service historical consulting firm. SHRA offers litigation support in areas broadly defined as environmental history, including land, water, and mineral uses. SHRA also has a team of professionals devoted to cultural resource practice and government compliance work. Speciality: SHRA researchers frequently consult federal agency records, including: Geological Survey, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Court records, General Land Office/Bureau of Land Management, and many others.

Premier Investigator in the State of Florida for locating missing persons; Circuit Court qualified expert. Specialties include: Heir Searching, Missing Persons, and Probate Research, Lineage Research, Civil Research, Social Security Number Research, Vital records access specialist including: Birth, marriage, divorce, and death certificates, Estate records,Property records, Social Security applications (SS-5), Driver’s License, Military service records, Immigration and naturalization records

Speciality: OSS and WW2. When the CIA started declassifying OSS records and sending them to NARA, I was recruited to help compile the finding aids since the CIA did not include any along with the documents. I have helped countless historians, authors and family members research these records which are still quite tricky to navigate. I also love researching the Department of State (where I once was employed as a Diplomatic French and Italian interpreter) and related agencies (OWI, USIA, USIS, USAID), Treasury and FBI. Military records: AFHQ, JCS, War Department etc. Last but not least, I can read and write in several languages: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Swedish and some German.I treat my clients the way I want to be treated and do my utmost to please.

Taylor Research Group is a litigation and environmental research company with experienced professional research consultants available to provide historical, investigative and analytical research services and support to environmental, legal and business clients. We specialize in obtaining documents that will assist clients with their most challenging and complex environmental, historical, and legal matters. Our research expertise includes toxic tort and environmental research, military history, product liability, corporate succession, railroad valuation, and asbestos research among others.

At SJR Research, your history is more than a string of dates or a file of dusty records. Our experts harness the stories of your past to create compelling connections to the present day. Since 2005, our team has equipped enterprise-level corporations to genealogy hobbyists with the knowledge they need to turn their past into legacy-level narrative. Whether you’re looking for a few details to fill in your family tree or expert historical consultation for your next award-winning production, we can help.

Mission: To provide fast, comprehensive, accurate and ultimately useful research materials to a wide variety of clients located around the world, with a particular emphasis on aerial imagery and war records. Specialities: Aerial Images, WWII Records and War Diaries of both Allied and Axis nations, Uxo related documents, and others with a focus on College Park records

Speciality: 20th Century U.S. Military records. Assist veterans, family members, genealogists, authors, historians, collectors, attorneys and others who have a desire or need to locate 20th century military service records/data or medical treatment records stored at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St Louis and elsewhere. Identify and review sources inside and outside of NPRC to locate and/or pursue military service related data that is believed to be missing or was destroyed or lost. Consult with and advise citizens, patrons, veteran advocates and families regarding records series stored at this facility and what they have to offer in support of benefits claims and/or historical research.

Redbird Research specializes in the use of military records and genealogical resources to aid the client to get the answers they are looking for in their research projects. Research facilities include NARA locations, government facilities, library collections, museums and historical institutions. My clients are not a paycheck but become friends. I will go that extra step to hunt down whatever you need.

Matt specializes in Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard personnel records, as well as death/burial records and morning reports. First visiting the National Archives in 2015, Matt specializes in researching individual veterans through personnel records, death and burial records, as well as unit records.

Footsteps Researchers specialize in WW2 military records, personnel and burial records (OMPF/IDPF), morning reports, unit rosters, medical and payroll records, patient and hospital lists, After Action Reports, Unit Journals, General Orders, maps, photographs, and WW2 battlefield tours.

Special focus on 19th Century, Civil War, 20th Century Treasury, Justice, Provost Marshal, Federal Reserve records, State Dept. WWII Mission Records, etc., Delivery of FOIA requests from College Park, MD. Archives Facility.

Golden Arrow specializes in the research of individual military veterans. Our research spans Civil War through Vietnam. Let us help you to document your veteran’s unique wartime experiences.

A.R.A Member & Professional Researcher Listing

STL Archives Access

Professional Researcher: Matt LeMasters

Professional Researcher: Karen Needles

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Professional Researcher:
Matt LeMasters

Professional Researcher:
Karen Needles