I discovered by virtue of doing Ancestry and 23&Me, that I had a different ancestry than I had known growing up.  The process of finding the missing members of my family of origin and then, learning more about the family that I already knew, but didn’t really know, was a project of a lifetime.  Tanya was so helpful in giving guidance and even in finding precious clues, such as a picture of my great-grandmother’s tombstone, just 2 hours down the road in my same state.  I found a lot of peace from engaging this process, and Tanya helped me, and eventually my sister in enumerable ways.  She is a delight to work with and an excellent and diligent researcher.  Do yourself a favor and let her help you on your ancestry journey.

Before we engaged Ms Foreman, we had no idea that we would ever discover who our ancestors were or our family history. Sadly, so much of African American history is unknown or has been lost forever.  We were only aware of famous people researching their genealogy and identifying their ancestors. Just imagine my surprise, delight, and true wonder at learning about my ancestors. When Ms. Forman researches on your behalf it is as though she is researching for her own family (she has such passion). One of the most amazing facts was the discovery the I have the same name as my great-great grandmother, Susan.

Family Matters Genealogy is a professional service which meticulously investigates family history by going to original sources. They leave no stone uncovered and have a wealth of knowledge and information about African American history in the U.S.  Family Matters Genealogy is the resource to go to if you are researching your family history.

I was very pleased with the ease of working with Tanya and the review call at the conclusion of her search.

 I have had so many questions about my maternal family tree. My grandmother shared very little information, we knew she had a brother and a sister. I also knew my grandmother was born in North Carolina. I grew up regretting not having relatives in the south.  When my friends would go south for the summer, I remained in NJ.  During the research,  I learned Grandma was correct – she did leave NC at an early age but her family moved to Philadelphia not NJ, and she had twin brothers.  I had limited information to provide Family Matters Genealogy, however they were able to provide information dating back three generations. I learned my Great great grandparents were land owners.  My maternal grandfather has always been a whole mystery, however some of the questions have now been answered. My mother was eight months old when her dad passed, so the only memories she had of her father came from her sisters.  I am now able to share factual information about her dad with her. This would not have been possible without the help of Family Matters Genealogy.  I would absolutely recommend this service to everyone.  I now have family history to share with my children that goes back multiple generations

My journey with genealogy really got started because of Tanya. She started posting regular tips on how to preserve your family history.  She offered to help anyone who was interested in getting their family tree started and I took advantage of that offer.  While I was always curious, I didn’t really take that leap until Tanya made that offer. I am extremely grateful that she did. I was so excited every time she shared something new.

I had some information from a cousin who began research of her own, but it was not complete. Tanya was able to provide information for relatives that I knew very little about. As an African American with a profile of 17% origin in Great Britain, I figured there was Caucasian heritage from my maternal grandparents, based on theirs and my mother’s complexion. Tanya found relatives back to slave holders in the 1800’s in Barbados. Also, through her research, the names of aunts and uncles appeared that I met as a child. I wondered about the derivation of these names, so it was fascinating to see them as relatives of my grandmother.

Words cannot express how much I appreciated all the work Tanya has done in opening up my family history tree. Tanya connected all the dots for me and made all the “leaves” make sense! I couldn’t wait until my next visit with my cousin to share the information, so I called her on the spot! Tanya was presenting me with my Family History Binder and I had to interrupt her to get my cousin on the phone so she could share with both of us. My cousin is the true family historian and I knew she would love to be a part of this discussion. I am so blessed to have Tanya as my genealogist.

Thank you so very much Tanya for an outstanding Family Matters Genealogy Master Class [Saturday, March 18, 2023]. I gained valuable knowledge from the tips, tools and historical resources shared to trace my family ancestry back to 1850. Your guidance has helped me to bring my ancestors alive in the 21st Century. Learning about their lives has brought a sense of connectedness to the past and has sparked marathon storytelling conversations with my family. I can’t thank you enough for assisting me with unleashing my maternal and paternal ancestors.

I had a good awareness of my paternal family history but I needed assistance learning more about my maternal history. I had the typical problems that most people have. The matriarchs/patriarchs have passed away without leaving thorough documentation of the family history. Most of the information that I learned was through partial stories and pictures with no concrete documentation. The unexpected benefit that I experienced from using Family Matters Genealogy is an increased desire to speak with my remaining family about our history. This communication has helped to strengthen relationships and foster the same desire in other family members. Excellent! The enthusiasm shown, depth of research and the final presentation/product were excellent! I would recommend Family Matters Genealogy to anyone wanting to learn more about their family history. Family Matters Genealogy is a great resource. I highly recommend them – you will not regret it.

The search for my paternal ancestral history came about out of medical curiosity. I thought that looking into the past would help me to better understand what was happening here in the present. When Tanya agreed to help me find info on my father’s siblings and my grandparents, I was relieved to know that I could possibly find answers regarding their health that would help me to understand my own. I have to say that I was not prepared for the in-depth research that Tanya provided me. It is taking me time to truly understand the gravity of all of the information she provided to me. There was so much information so many ancestors that I would never have known anything about without her help.

I was gifted an Ancestry DNA test and received the results a few weeks later. I had no experience in organizing a genealogical search, as it seems quite overwhelming. Tanya helped me organize every match and together we identified each branch possibility on the tree. She used DNA Painter to explain the centimorgan complexities and to further map out relatives. Aside from Tanya’s vast knowledge, it was her determination to move ahead past any obstacles. She was very supportive when emotions got the best of me. We found my Bio parents, within 4 months- a full sister, and half siblings and close relatives. I never in my life would imagine attempting a search without Tanya. Her guidance and knowledge of genealogy and the steps to build a family tree were the keys to our success.  Her professionalism, determination, and perseverance, are the key to anyone’s ancestry search.

I had been following Tanya for a while on Facebook and did not hesitate to sign up for the class once it was announced. I am so glad I did. Her wealth of knowledge and desire to help were undeniable. 
She did not just talk about the theory of genealogy but gave us concrete steps to take and tools to use in our research. I was amazed at how much I learned in just a few hours, and I immediately put those lessons to use in my own research. The class was fun and engaging, which made the time fly.

I needed to know the names of my paternal grandparents and their links to other families that are connected to us. My great grandfather, Daniel McPherson who was a slave and my grandfather was married twice who had no children with the first wife. Tanya discovered that we are connected to the McDonald Family which shows that we are interrelated with folks of which I had no idea that we were so closely related.

I have known Tanya Foreman for over 20 years and had no doubt her work would be excellent. What I was not expecting was the stellar results I received. I volunteered when she asked if anyone would be interested in finding out more information about their ancestry. My father’s side of the family had been somewhat of a mystery to me for years and this was my opportunity to find out anything at all. I did not have high expectations that information was available but Tanya was able to uncover such in-depth information about not only my father’s side of the family but some of my mother’s as well. I shared her research with my aunt, brother, and several cousins. I am eternally grateful to Tanya who has helped me unlock this mystery for my family. It feels wonderful to have such a connection now to my family history.