Historical Research Services
Some answers require more than a quick search.
They require persistence, discernment, historical context, and someone willing to follow the evidence wherever it leads.
I provide detail-driven research for legal, land, energy, estate, and private clients who need clarity through records, relationships, ownership history, and careful investigation.
My work often sits at the intersection of people, property, and ownership—reconstructing family relationships, following interests through generations, tracing property and mineral ownership, locating records, and turning complicated information into organized findings that can actually be used.
Heirship & Kinship Research
When an owner, beneficiary, or family member has died—or when the relationships between generations are unclear—the first challenge is often determining who belongs in the picture.
Research may include:
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Identification of potential heirs and descendants
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Family and descendant reconstruction
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Kinship research
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Probate and estate research support
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Relationship mapping
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Unknown or difficult-to-document family relationships
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Deceased owner research
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Location of supporting vital, probate, census, obituary, and public records
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Identification of research gaps or conflicting information
The goal is not simply to build a family tree. It is to reconstruct the relationships relevant to the question at hand and document how the evidence connects them.
Property, Title & Ownership Research
Property records can tell us who signed a deed, but they do not always explain the full history of an ownership interest.
I research the people, documents, and events behind property ownership to help reconstruct how land and related interests moved over time.
Research may include:
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Historical ownership and chain-of-title research
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Deed and public-record review
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Ownership chronology development
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Probate and inheritance connections
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Historical landowner research
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Property-interest research
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Right-of-way and land-related historical research
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Identification of missing or conflicting ownership information
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Timeline reconstruction
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Supporting research for difficult or incomplete title questions
The goal is to organize scattered records into a clearer picture of who held an interest, how it changed, and where unanswered questions remain.
Records & Custom Research
Some research questions do not fit neatly into a category.
I also accept select projects requiring persistent investigation across historical and public records.
These may include:
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Courthouse and archival research
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Public-record research
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Historical document searches
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Probate record research
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Timeline reconstruction
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People and relationship research
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Record correlation
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Complex research projects requiring persistence, analysis, and attention to detail
If the answer is likely buried across multiple records, jurisdictions, names, or generations, the project may be a good fit.
What I Offer
My work focuses on uncovering information, organizing evidence, and helping clients understand people, places, property, and the stories that connect them.
Mineral Ownership & Heir Research
Mineral ownership frequently combines title history, family relationships, probate, inheritance, and decades of fragmented records.
I provide research support for matters involving deceased or difficult-to-locate mineral owners and inherited mineral interests.
Research may include:
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Deceased mineral owner research
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Descendant and potential successor identification
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Family reconstruction across multiple generations
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Historical mineral ownership research
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Deed, probate, and public-record research
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Mineral interest and fractional-interest tracking
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Ownership timelines
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Cross-referencing family relationships with recorded ownership
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Locating living descendants or other relevant parties
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Identifying unresolved breaks in the research trail
This work is especially useful when determining what happened to an interest after the record owner died requires both genealogical research and an understanding of how ownership moves through records over time.
Genealogy & Family History
Not every research question begins with a legal, title, or ownership issue.
For individuals and families, I provide thoughtful research into ancestry, family relationships, property histories, and the stories carried through generations.
Research may include:
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Family tree development
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Lineage and descendant research
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Unknown parentage research
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Difficult ancestral questions
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Historical family context
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Multi-generational family reconstruction
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House and property history
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Historical occupants and landowners
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Family connections to a particular home, parcel, or community
Some projects begin with a name. Others begin with a family story, an old house, an unanswered question, or a person who seems to disappear from the records.
Each is approached with the same care for evidence, context, and accuracy.
What You Receive
Research is most useful when the findings are understandable and usable.
Depending on the project and scope, your final work product may include:
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Written research findings
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Source-linked supporting documentation
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Family or kinship charts
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Heir and descendant tables
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Ownership or title chronologies
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Mineral-interest tracking
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Relationship mapping
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Contact or location findings
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Copies or citations to relevant records
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Research notes explaining conflicting evidence
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Clearly identified research gaps and unresolved questions
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Recommendations for additional research when warranted
Every project is different, so the final deliverable is designed around the question being answered rather than forcing the research into a one-size-fits-all report.
How I Work
1. Define the Question
Every project begins by identifying what actually needs to be established.
Are we trying to identify descendants? Reconstruct ownership? Determine what happened after an owner died? Locate a missing record? Understand a family relationship?
A clear research question creates a better research strategy.
2. Review What Is Already Known
Existing deeds, probate documents, family information, title work, previous research, correspondence, and other available records are reviewed before unnecessary work is repeated.
3. Follow the Evidence
Research proceeds through the records most relevant to the question.
That path may change as new names, jurisdictions, relationships, or ownership interests emerge. Good research rarely follows a perfectly straight line.
4. Reconcile the Findings
Records are not considered in isolation.
Relationships, dates, places, ownership transfers, probate events, and conflicting information are examined together to determine what the evidence supports—and what it does not.
5. Deliver the Work Product
Findings are organized into a usable research product with supporting documentation, identified limitations, unresolved questions, and appropriate next steps.
My approach is grounded in:
Accuracy. Discretion. Integrity. Persistence. Respectful Communication.
Who I Work With
Attorneys & Estate Professionals
Attorneys, fiduciaries, estate professionals, and others needing documented research involving heirship, kinship, descendants, probate records, family reconstruction, or difficult-to-identify parties.
Land, Title & Property Professionals
Landmen, title professionals, real estate professionals, right-of-way teams, and others requiring ownership reconstruction, historical property research, difficult-owner research, or supporting public-record investigation.
Oil, Gas & Mineral Clients
Oil and gas companies, mineral buyers, operators, land professionals, and project teams requiring mineral ownership research, deceased-owner research, descendant identification, historical interest tracking, or supporting heirship investigation.
Infrastructure & Energy Professionals
Government agencies, utilities, engineering firms, consultants, and project teams requiring research related to land, ownership, right-of-way, property history, or historical records.
Individuals & Families
Individuals seeking answers involving genealogy, unknown parentage, family history, inherited property, house history, or other complex personal research questions.
Professional Approach
Complex research requires more than access to records.
It requires knowing how to evaluate evidence, recognize inconsistencies, understand historical context, document conclusions, and recognize when the available evidence does not yet support an answer.
My professional background combines genealogical research with experience in land, ownership, title, right-of-way, oil and gas, and public-record research.
Professional affiliations include:
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Association of Professional Genealogists
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National Genealogical Society
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International Right-of-Way Association
I am committed to continuing education, ethical research practices, careful documentation, and conclusions grounded in the available evidence.
Research Scope & Professional Boundaries
Moran Strategic Services provides independent research, analysis, and documentation to support genealogical, heirship, property, mineral, estate, and ownership matters.
Research findings do not constitute legal advice and do not make a legal determination of heirship, title, ownership, or entitlement. Those determinations remain with the appropriate attorneys, courts, agencies, or other authorized professionals.
Why This Work Matters
Records hold more than names and dates.
They can establish relationships, explain how property changed hands, reconnect generations, clarify ownership, and answer questions that have remained unresolved for decades.
Sometimes research solves a practical problem.
Sometimes it answers a lifelong question.
Often, it does both.
Request Research
If you have a research question, I invite you to tell me what you are trying to solve.
When contacting me, it is helpful to include:
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What you are trying to learn or establish
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Known names, dates, and locations
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Relevant property or legal descriptions, when applicable
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Documents or previous research already available
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What work has already been completed
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Any known research obstacles
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Deadlines, if applicable
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The type of final work product you need
I will review the information provided, identify whether the project appears to be a good fit, and discuss an appropriate research scope before work begins.