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What information do you need to start with?

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I can often start with very little information up front. For example, if you don't have any certificates, I can start by ordering the birth certificate for one of your parents if required, and the marriage certificate, or preferably the birth certificate, of a grandparent, if possible, as I can achieve more with the time and budget available.  It is preferable if you know roughly when and where your ancestor was born, the full name of whom they married, and where they lived, but if this isn't known I can still work without it.

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Can you include my own information?

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Yes, you are welcome to provide as much information as you can, particularly any photos of your ancestors or family stories, letters, or certificates, as these will add greatly to your Family History Report.

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How long does it take?

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Bronze through to Silver research packages take about 2–4 weeks to complete, Gold up to 8 weeks and then Platinum takes longer, usually around 10–12 weeks. Timescales include obtaining birth, marriage, and death certificates which have to be ordered from the relevant agencies. 

 

More in-depth commissions and research involving going further back than 1800 or transcribing older documents can take longer.  I also have a waiting list that will determine when I can start, but if you are looking at gifting this as a present to someone soon, then my gift certificates are a perfect option.

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Can you research my family as far back as possible, and how much will it cost?

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Most families in England, Scotland, and Wales are traceable back to an ancestor born in the late 1700s or early 1800s and the records to do this have survived well.  If something is missing, the problem can often be worked around.   

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Earlier research is very interesting, but this is only possible where the records survive, and there is enough evidence to do so. Once you go back further, research is less predictable as records may not survive for the parish where ancestors lived, or they may have survived but aren't as detailed as later documents.   It also requires visiting archives or repositories as often these records aren't available online, and this can be time-consuming, especially where they aren't indexed.

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The chances of success will vary on many factors including how common the surname was, your ancestor's migration patterns, their status, and even how well a church curate recorded things. Sometimes you cannot locate where ancestors moved to or from, and a lot of names could be shared so it's difficult to distinguish two people with the same family name. Alternatively, if your family stayed in a small village for many years, the research could proceed quickly. There will be a point however where the family is unlikely to be traced back further.

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So the answer is yes it is possible and something I am happy to undertake, but findings aren't guaranteed and so for this reason, I don't undertake earlier research as part of a package as there are too many unknowns to answer the question around cost.

 

The way around it is to commission a number of hours of research (I usually recommend about 15), after which point the findings can be reviewed, and continued if possible and desired. It may be necessary to repeat a number of these cycles to get as far back as possible.  This sort of research is charged by the hour, which can be done independently, or added to your chosen package.

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Will I be charged if you can't find all my ancestors?​

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Genealogical and historical research can be a lengthy and challenging exercise and no professional genealogist can guarantee to find an ancestor as sometimes records are simply not there for every ancestor or event, are lost or destroyed, or I cannot be sure in proving a link.  I, therefore, cannot guarantee I will be able to find any particular person(s) or family, event, or other information and that I cannot predict how successful a search will be, if at all. 

 

Some families just have a way of dodging the records and all research should be considered positive as where nothing is found, that document or direction is simply ruled out.  Ancestors sometimes went to great lengths to conceal their identity, such as falsely giving information which means that it is not possible to establish the truth.

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Research time includes all time spent searching, regardless of whether the outcome is positive or negative and therefore if a search is unsuccessful, I still have to charge our agreed rate, on a commercial basis, for the time spent.  I will keep a record of all unsuccessful/negative searches and include these as part of the completed research in the Family History Report.

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If in the course of my research it becomes clear that research has reached an insurmountable hurdle, or I cannot meet the agreed objectives in the agreed time, I may offer a partial refund of the payment received or you may choose for me to spend some time researching another branch of your family tree. This will depend on the length of time spent on the commission before coming to this conclusion.​

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What isn't included in the packages?​

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The majority of my packages concentrate on your direct ancestors ie those from whom you directly descend, and don't include all relatives such as siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles, etc.  

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Only direct ancestors will be included in any active research and Family History Reports.  Your ancestor's siblings/children's names, normally along with roughly when they were born, will be included on the charts and in the report when this information is found whilst researching your ancestor (eg this information will be present on a census record so is often found by default), and on Drop Line Pedigree charts. 

 

These siblings/children themselves are not traced forward as that would take a variable amount of time and as numbers vary from family to family I can't include this in a fixed price. 

 

If family members are easy to find, I will attempt to go back a further generation.

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If you want to trace your ancestors' siblings forward, then the packages can be used as a starting point, but extra charges would be incurred to locate this information. Please contact me prior to purchase to discuss if this is one of your requirements.  Again, the way around it is to commission a number of hours of research charged by the hour, which can be done independently or added to your chosen package.

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Can I get extra copies of my report?

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Yes, extra copies can be purchased and they make a perfect gift for family members. The price varies depending on the size of the report, a one surname report is usually £50 plus postage and packaging. Please contact me for details. Please note, the electronic files needed to create these reports are retained for a minimum of 6 months. After this time, we may not be able to produce further copies.

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What size is the Report?

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Your Family History will be professionally researched and beautifully presented in a detailed research report that proves your ancestry.  The report will be bound in a deluxe presentation folder making an ideal gift.  Binders are available from a choice of colours and all reports are printed on A4 Acid-Free Permanent paper which has a manufacturer’s 200-year guarantee. A downloadable PDF document will also be provided, which will be sent via email.

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Can I get extra copies of certificates/documents?

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Copyright restrictions mean that I cannot reprint certificates and documents for you—I will provide you with the originals. Extra copies of certificates can be obtained from the General Registry Office at their current fee and I am happy to order these on your behalf at cost price.

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What do you mean by one surname, two surnames?​

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We all have lots of ancestors, as the numbers double from generation to generation.  For example two parents, four parents, eight great grandparents, sixteen great great grandparents, and so on.  The more of these branches that we follow, the more timely and expensive research becomes. 

 

The one surname packages trace back along the route of one surname, so from when the couple married.  Although both people are included, only one is followed back to the next generation and so on.

 

The two surname package traces back along with any two surnames in someone's ancestry and then follows back along the route of each. In summary, they guide the decisions about which ancestral lines to follow back at each generation.

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The Ultimate Family History package (Platinum+) is different and aims to follow back on all branches, back to the 16 great, great grandparents and if time permits and the information is readily available, some information on some of the 32 great, great, great grandparents as record survival and time allows.

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How safe is my personal data?

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I take the privacy of my clients very seriously and will never use or retain details without express permission. All reports and research is confidential and I will not share these without a client's written permission

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I am registered as a Data Controller (number ZB128198) with the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office).  For reassurance on how I look after your data and comply with the General Data Protection Act 2018, please see my Privacy Policy here https://www.alisonstephensgenealogy.co.uk/privacy-policy

 

 

Terms and Conditions

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All of the above plus my terms and conditions, payment terms and fees,and code of conduct can all be found in my terms and conditions, please read these for further information. https://www.alisonstephensgenealogy.co.uk/terms-and-conditions.  

 

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