ABOUT

Hello. My name is Naomi Leon.

After graduating with a Master’s in History from Cambridge University, I worked at a number of literary, film and television agencies in London, before becoming a professional genealogist. I founded Research Roots in 2011 and have not looked back.

I got the bug for genealogy when I began tracing my own Jewish family history from the ‘old country’ (Poland) to the new (Britain, America, Canada, Israel and France). While it is true that every family story is different, over the years I have realised how archetypal in many ways my own family story is. To this day, the lessons learned during that initial personal research informs a great deal of my professional work.

I now focus almost exclusively on researching Jewish families for private clients. However, my passion for finding answers in general, no matter how obscure the questions, means I can also put my skills to good use in other areas, such as probate research and adoption tracing.

I am a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), an Associate member of the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) and a mentor for the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain (JGSGB). I also work as a specialist researcher for Ancestry ProGenealogists.

In my spare time, I volunteer for the not-for-profit organisation Jewish Records Indexing-Poland (JRI-Poland). I am also leading a project to digitise the Jewish community records of Brighton & Hove, near my home in Sussex.

On Film

I have worked on the UK television series Who Do You Think You Are? and in 2017 I was one of the lead genealogists on the British television series The Secrets In My Family, sponsored by Ancestry and broadcast on W.

Please get in touch to discuss your project.

What our clients say

"While I had been trying to research my elusive Jewish grandfather for years and getting nowhere, his habitual misdirection proved no defence to Naomi's enthusiastic and persistent searching. Once she had found a deed poll with his name change she broadened my family tree from fewer than 20 individuals to over 500 spread across six generations in the UK, US and Israel. In doing so she uncovered numerous family stories, put me in touch with long-lost cousins, suggested further reading, set up a Facebook group and all-in-all went way beyond simply combing through archives. It was a life-changing day when I stumbled across Naomi's service."
D. Gardner, Surrey
“I hope you have some idea of what a hugely significant thing it has been to discover so many things about my roots. I feel so grateful that through your work my own sons will have easy access to the truth.”
H. Roberts, Manchester
“When I started researching it felt like detective work. Now I’m realising that it is more profound – each new piece of information grounds me within a much bigger community. Being Jewish means that you can’t easily answer the question, “Where are you from?” You belong not to a place but to the journey of so many people.”
Amanda B., Oxfordshire
“You are like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible! I am amazed at your ability to find people so quickly.”
D. Murray, Lewes, East Sussex
“A remarkable piece of work that exceeded any of my expectations in respect of the quality and detail. History comes alive in the telling of stories.”
A. Fisher, Kent
“You found me three new cousins all sharing my great-grandfather from those photos. Wow! I have a lump in my throat. You are a rock star of a genealogist!”
C. Epstein, Maryland, USA
“Thanks to you, I spoke to my brother this afternoon on the telephone. It was over 50 years ago that I last saw him. I was a little girl and he was a young married man. We had a really good chat and it was just lovely after all these years.”
J. Ceratto, France
“You unlocked a door for our family. What we found behind it was beyond our greatest hopes.”
M. Postman, Buckinghamshire
“Absolutely thorough and professional, Naomi is brilliant; I can't recommend her highly enough.”
N. Woolley, Brighton
“You do such amazing work. I have been recommending you to everyone I know. It’s been fascinating to discover more of my history. You are very talented.”
L. Merchant , Bristol
“I'm stunned. I don't know what I expected but already I'm amazed... and you say we have just begun to scratch the surface.”
R. West, Brighton
“Thank you so much for all of your hard work and giving me closure, I just wish my father had lived long enough to hear his brother's story.”
D. Woods, Worthing
“I have been engaged in genealogical research for 45 years, and in all my years of research, rarely have I come across someone who works with such a high degree of professionalism, efficiency and speed. Her level of expertise in the UK is unmatched.”
M. Denn, Dallas, Texas
“Just to let you know, all your information was spot on. I have been in contact with my birth mother, we have exchanged letters and spoken on the telephone. She told her husband about me before she married and told her children some years ago. I plan to visit her. Thank you so very much for finding her for me.”
Anon
“A superb grasp of European genealogy and smart, informed & clear-headed advice.”
Neil Jaworski, London
“Probably the best present I've ever given. It was supremely well received.”
R. Womack, London
“WOW, you're a real ancestry star investigator!”
H. Klein, Chigwell, Essex
“Thanks to your sheer determination and hard work over a long period of time, you were able to give me information about my family's past which I did not know about and give me closure. This meant a lot to me.”
R. Barlow, Perth, Western Australia
“You're a real Ariadne for people lost in the archives...”
E. Lawson, Brighton, East Sussex
“I haven't had this much fun in years! I am so intrigued by this research, and we've only just begun. This is so much more than we could have wished for.”
S. Rapkin, Boston, Massachusetts
“It's pretty amazing what you did. The presentation, the discovery, the appeal - all of us loved it. Something for the family to have forever.”
J. Stewart, Los Angeles, California
“I am going crazy with all of this. I was a normal person before I met you but I'm so glad I did...”
F. Hirsch, Yorktown Heights, NY
“Naomi is a tireless and creative researcher. She unearthed information which my family had not been able to find in several years of research and she was unstinting in the amount of effort she devoted to our search. I could not recommend her more highly.”
H. Harvey, New York
“I had no idea at all how far and deep you could go into my family history. You work is just stunning, a million thanks.”
D. Chambers QC, London
“Thank you for researching a school memory which was always on my mind. You traced a person from 45 years past, and answered everything I wanted to know.”
P. Houghton, Lancing, West Sussex
“A highly detailed and fascinating account that has delighted both my mother and my grandfather. The perfect family gift.”
J. Stockham, London
“After many many years of wanting to know, the mystery is now answered with your help.”
A. Lewkowicz, Dixon, California
“Just wanted you to know that my cousin 'friended' me. We have not spoken in years. This is exactly what you do. You bring families together.”
F. Hirsch, Yorktown Heights, New York
“Naomi managed to piece together enough information in the course of one afternoon, to solve a family mystery I had been struggling with for years. Her knowledge, resourcefulness and attention to detail are second to none, and she manages to combine complete professionalism with a real passion for the material she is researching. It’s been an amazing journey of discovery, and I can’t think of anyone else I would have wanted to lead me on it.”
C. Glover, London
“What you have done for us all is a mitzvah.”
R. Paskin-Hamilton, Santee, California
“Research Roots is simply the best in the business. Their work on my family tree was fantastically thorough, impeccably researched and beautifully presented. I'm going back for more. Top class service.”
D. Chambers QC, London

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“The things you are passionate about are not random. They are your calling.”

— Fabienne Frederickson