About Us

History Of Research America

Research America was founded by Gary R. Schieferstin in 1991, building on his experience identifying and locating missing heirs on a full time basis for another company. Since 1976, Mr. Schieferstin has visited over a thousand county courthouses across the United States and has located thousands of heirs to hundreds of estates.

In 2002, he was joined in his business by his daughter, Heather Spears. Ms. Spears has learned every facet of the business, including constructing family tree charts, the key processes involved in the identification and location of missing or unknown heirs, the necessary accounting functions as well as the ability to work well with attorneys and heirs.

Research America conducts research throughout the USA, and works closely with overseas associates in the following locations: London; Paris; Rome; Vienna; Dublin; Stockholm; Budapest, Hungary; and Heilbronn, Germany. Our overseas research network is not limited to these areas.