Testimonials

“When my wife René and I hired Gary, our goal was fairly simple: learn a little more about my father’s Jewish family and, if possible, identify my grandfather Joseph Siegel’s father.

What happened over the following months far exceeded anything we imagined.

Gary combined historical records, immigration documents, death certificates, Eastern European revision lists, DNA analysis, family naming patterns, and old family photographs to reconstruct our family’s history with extraordinary care and rigor. His work traced our direct paternal line through multiple generations in Rubezhevichi (present-day Belarus) and connected our family to the larger Segalovitch family.

But the most remarkable part wasn’t just the research.

Gary reconnected living branches of our family that had been separated for more than a century. Through his detective work, we’ve now met second cousins we never knew existed, exchanged family stories and photographs, and are planning a family Zoom reunion. One of the most moving moments was discovering that descendants in both the United States and Israel had independently preserved what appears to be the same photograph of our common ancestors.

Throughout the project, Gary was meticulous about distinguishing between what was documented, what was strongly supported by evidence, and what remained exploratory. As someone with an engineering background, I deeply appreciated his disciplined, evidence-based approach. Every conclusion was supported by multiple independent sources whenever possible.

Gary is more than a genealogist—he’s a gifted historical researcher, DNA detective, and storyteller. He doesn’t simply build family trees; he reconnects families and restores histories that many thought were lost forever.

René and I are profoundly grateful for his work and recommend him without hesitation to anyone seeking a thoughtful, rigorous, and deeply meaningful genealogy experience.”

— Eric Siegel

“When I first contacted Gary, I only knew the names of my grandparents. He traced my paternal line all the way back to the early 1700s in Bohemia and uncovered records for generations of ancestors I’d never heard of. Through his combination of DNA analysis and traditional research, Gary also discovered a previously unknown first cousin on the East Coast — a meaningful insight even though we never connected directly. But the most powerful part was what came next: Gary found several living cousins right here in the Bay Area, and helped arrange an in-person meeting. Sitting together with relatives I never knew existed was an experience I’ll never forget. At my age, with very few family connections left, that reconnection meant the world to me.”

— Bob Lovell

“Gary helped me document my ex-husband’s family history so I could preserve it for my son and grandson. He uncovered deep paternal ancestry stretching back ten generations to Germany, clarified incorrect assumptions about earlier generations, and used DNA analysis to identify the real paternal line. Even though we hoped to confirm Cherokee heritage, he followed every lead thoroughly and explained everything clearly. I was amazed at how much he uncovered and deeply appreciative of his care, accuracy, and persistence.”

— Diane Reynolds

“Gary guided me through a genealogy project that completely reshaped my understanding of my paternal heritage. Instead of the long-assumed Jewish line, he discovered Scottish, Irish, and English ancestry from a completely different family — all backed by DNA evidence and traditional research. His clear explanations motivated my siblings to take their own tests, which helped all of us understand the full story of our roots. Gary handled a sensitive and surprising discovery with care, accuracy, and empathy.”

— L.F.

“I had hit a complete brick wall on my paternal line and wasn’t sure there was anything left to find. Gary not only broke through that barrier — he uncovered my family’s ancestral shtetl and traced three more generations of my Jewish ancestors, far beyond the great-great-grandparents named on my great-grandfather’s death certificate. He also identified descendants from those newly discovered branches, bringing depth and richness to a part of my family history I thought was lost forever. Gary’s research was meticulous, thoughtful, and deeply meaningful to me.”

— Hillary Bressler

“Working with Gary was incredible — he did all the heavy lifting and transformed my messy family tree into a fully verified one. He removed hundreds of incorrect connections, traced my Italian ancestry back multiple generations using original records, and uncovered that my great-grandfather’s supposed Mayflower connection was incorrect. Instead, he confirmed through DNA that the line was Irish. Every time he found something new, I couldn’t wait for the update. His work was thorough, accurate, and truly exciting.”

— Stephanie Goodyear

“I hired Gary to help uncover the identity of my mysterious paternal great-grandfather, and he went above and beyond. Using a combination of small clues, DNA matches, and published records from my family’s old shtetl, he identified the correct ancestral surname and uncovered cousins we never knew existed. His process was transparent, evidence-based, and truly impressive.”

— Tami Senoff

“I had hit a dead end on my paternal grandfather’s side, and Gary broke the whole thing open. His persistence and thoroughness helped me connect with new cousins and discover documents I never knew existed. It was a remarkable experience.”

— Wayne Sirota