2. July 2026

From Data Control to Ancestral Records: A slightly unhinged story

They say that genealogy is about uncovering the past, but let’s be honest: there is a lot of staring at census and BDM records until your eyes blur, drinking enough coffee to float a small ship (OK, and occasionally a glass of wine for the stubborn encounters of the archive world), and now and then, uncovering a scandalous secret that makes your own family stories look like a trip to the seaside, and that’s saying something.

I’m Susan, and for a long time, I was the “queen” of the "I’m going to" & “one day” brigade. You know the crazy idea that sits in a notebook, gathering dust next to the half-finished craft projects and the "I’ll definitely learn to play the drums" aspirations. I spent years in the high-stakes, document-heavy world of infrastructure projects, moving mountains of data for 1 Tier construction firms for a massive client. I’m a professional Document Controller; I thrive on logical workflows, structured templates, and explicit rules.

But my heart? My heart was busy mapping my own family tree, DNA origins and obsessing over Roman archaeology, the ancients Greeks, visiting caves and castles in the lands of my ancestors, ancient monuments and being “crafty”.

For years, I told myself, "I’m going to launch a business so I can work for myself, and at my own pace and honing my own strong ethics and standards."

I’d tell the cats, I’d tell my partner Steve (who has the patience of a saint, bless him), and I’d tell anyone who’d listen. Then, one day recently (last Wednesday actually, I hit a threshold. I stopped waiting for the perfect alignment of the stars or for my "to-do" list to magically finish itself.

I looked at the now calming chaos of my own life, looked at the empty space where my professional passion should have been, and thought: "Right, get your s**t together Susie – and got my brand together and created a website."

And here we are.

Compass and Covenant Genealogy is no longer a dream or a neglected box in the deep recesses of my mind! It is officially real.

Why now?

Because life is too short to be a spectator in your own history.

Whether it’s the thrill of a DNA breakthrough or the quiet satisfaction of finally slotting a lost ancestor into their rightful place in the family tree, there is an addictive, forensic magic to this work that I just couldn't ignore anymore.

So, I’m trading my high-vis vest for a magnifying glass (metaphorically speaking, though I do still quite like to create and format an organised spreadsheet now and then). I’m here to help you navigate the archives, solve those pesky genealogical mysteries, and maybe find a few surprises along the way.

Pull up a chair. Let’s have a look….

Something to ponder:

What’s the one family mystery that you’ve been meaning to solve, but haven’t quite known where to start?

I can help with that alright!