Services:
McKinley Group, Inc. provides three core research services — each grounded in the same primary-source methodology and forensic discipline. We work with attorneys, title companies, families, institutions, and policymakers who need research that holds up.
Land, Law & Lineage Research
Forensic title examination and heirship reconstruction for complex property matters
This is the work most research firms won't take. Burned-record counties. Multi-generational intestate estates. Fractured chains of title spanning a century or more. Mineral rights disputes. Partition suits. Cases where the documentary record is incomplete, destroyed, or contradictory.
We specialize in reconstructing ownership histories from indirect evidence — chancery court records, historical tax registries, land patents, court orders, and alternative legal documentation — when primary county records no longer exist.
Services include:
Chain-of-title reconstruction and forensic title examination
Heirship determination and heir location
Probate record research and reconstruction
Burned-record county case resolution
Mineral and property rights research
Partition suit analysis
Court-ready ownership analyses and title summaries
Clients served: Probate attorneys · Title companies · Real estate attorneys · Land developers · Mineral rights holders · Estate administrators
Historical & Genealogical Research
Primary-source research for families, institutions, and historians
Genealogical research at McKinley Group is not database searching. It is archival work — census records, vital records, land patents, military records, church documents, probate filings, and historical collections spanning multiple generations and jurisdictions. The same forensic methodology applied to title work is applied to family lineage research. Every finding is sourced. Every conclusion is documented.
Services include:
Multi-generational family genealogy and lineage reconstruction
Historical property and land research
Military records research
Lineage society documentation and application support — SAR, DAR, Jamestowne Society, and similar hereditary organizations
Historical artifact provenance research and collections documentation
Institutional and museum research
Appalachian and mid-Atlantic regional research specialization
Clients served: Families · Attorneys · Museums · Historical societies · Libraries · Lineage organizations · Documentary projects
Pro-bono genealogical work accepted on a selective basis for families with demonstrated need and compelling historical research questions.
Policy Research & Legislative Analysis
Independent analysis written for people who need to act on it
McKinley Group's policy research practice applies the same primary-source discipline used in forensic title and historical research to legislative and regulatory work. Statutory text, legislative history, agency guidance documents, and regulatory records are primary sources — and we know how to work in them.
Work product is structured as briefing-ready analysis built around statutory authority, regulatory history, and actionable recommendations — not academic theory.
Services include:
Legislative research and bill analysis
Policy briefs and analytical reports
Regulatory impact analysis
Oversight and appropriations research
Statutory and legislative history research
Hearing preparation support
Analytical summaries for non-specialist audiences
Current research focus areas:
Regulatory fragmentation and administrative policy drift
Federal housing legislation and permitting reform
Workforce mobility and occupational licensing
Domestic industrial capacity and infrastructure
Historical and institutional foundations of American governance
Published work: rmhudgins.substack.com Full portfolio available upon request
Clients served: Congressional offices · Think tanks · Advocacy organizations · Law firms · Institutional clients
Ready to discuss your research needs?
info@themckinleygroup.org · 202-534-0460