About the work

A closer look.

Find out what something actually is. Send me one old object, house, or place you have a question about: china or furniture you inherited and can't place, a house that changed hands, a street, or a name on a headstone. I go to the primary sources, deeds, archives, newspapers, registries, museum catalogues, and write one short piece (about 1,200 characters), every claim traced to a source you can open. Verified facts only. One revision included. Start: send one line and a photo or an address. Free first paragraph; pay ($25) only if it holds you. If no verifiable story survives, I tell you before you pay. Words so you can find me: old object identification, what is this antique, house history research, provenance of an inherited item, family heirloom story, history of my house, local and family history research, place history essay.