The Untold Branch began with a discovery close to home: my descent from Hungary’s Róth family through my great-grandmother Helene (Ilona) Róth, sister of renowned mosaic and stained-glass artist Miksa Róth. Uncovering that connection meant piecing together genealogical archives, immigration records, and family stories across generations.

Following the family beyond the Róth name led to other remarkable lives, including my second cousin once removed, György Román, a distinctive Hungarian painter and writer whose work was shaped by memory, dreams, and the upheavals of twentieth-century Hungary. I also discovered people who had largely slipped through history’s cracks, particularly women like Román’s sister, Dr. Ágnes Elek, whose stories deserved to be recovered.

That process taught me something fundamental: family stories are only as strong as the evidence behind them. A name passed down at the dinner table isn’t the same as a birth record with a source citation. The most compelling genealogy combines both: the documents that establish what happened and the stories that reveal who these people were.

The Untold Branch brings the documentation discipline I developed through my legal training, along with genuine curiosity, to every family line I research. Whether you’re searching for an elusive ancestor, building a family history, or exploring citizenship by descent, I bring the same standard: evidence first, story always.

That experience planted the seeds of what would eventually become The Untold Branch

I help people uncover the stories hidden in their own family trees, especially those shaped by migration, name changes, wars, and the Holocaust. My work is grounded in primary-source research, careful documentation, and respect for the lives behind the records.

I also specialize in citizenship-by-descent research, helping clients determine whether their ancestry may qualify them for dual citizenship and building the documented lineage needed to move forward.

I hold a B.A. in English Literature from Reed College and a J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. I am a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and the National Genealogical Society (NGS). My genealogical research has contributed to published historical scholarship, including assisting with the family history of architect Eugene John Stern for his biography in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, and has led to discussions with a Budapest museum about preserving historical family material.

I hold a J.D., which informs my research approach, but I am not a practicing attorney; nothing shared here should be taken as legal advice.