Many individuals have trouble deciding what to pay for their family trees because of inexperience and little knowledge of documents costs.

My service offers basic research which for many individuals is all that they will need; some customers may require more in depth research research - please see details towards the end of this short guide. For your money you should expect all of the following details: full names of ancestors and their dates of birth or baptism, dates and places of marriage, occupations, religious preferences, full names of offspring and the fate of those children wherever possible. If finances allow I will search for deaths/burials, Wills, Army or other military records, occupational details and any other interesting connections.

Not only will you receive all this detail but I will provide copies of original documents from the national archives which often provide signatures and other fascinating information such as disabilities etc.

How far back?

The above guide is an indication of what all customers should expect for their money. However most people want to trace their lines way back and this is the area where cost can be a mystery; a rough guideline to follow is £100 per 100 years say from your parents or grandparents though please be aware that this amount can go a long way for some people and not very far for others. This is particularly true if ancestors hailed from cities, a rule of thumb is to expect to pay more in this scenario. The reason we cannot predict how far someone's money will go is because family research depends on a number of variables which affect its eventual outcome, these are mostly negative factors:

• Common names.
• City or village ancestors.
• Poor or middle class.
• Good or bad oral history.
• Ancestors who emigrated briefly.
• Changes of name (unlike to today this did not have to be a legal process).
• Occupations: if they were seaman, commercial travellers, Gypsies or had any occupation that required migration, e.g. stone masons.
  

  The list goes on...

    

In depth Research

As a genealogist, the best form of research in my opinion (rather than keep going back in time) is the type of research that really allows us to know our ancestors. About thirteen years ago I began work on one line which reached a plateau about 1750 - I was unperturbed by this and have had no thoughts since of going backwards, but to continue with the same methodology I adopted. Amazingly this line of research is still presenting itself with ideas and providing me with scope for a biographical project which I hope to publish on this site shortly as a guide to the kind of results that can be achieved.

It is phenomenal to be engaged by the minutiae of daily life surrounding your ancestors which I have discovered with my own, from learning about their school grades, their prowess within the local cricket team, their recreational achievements (mine were singers and actors - I have stage reviews and sheet music of the songs they sang), their political allegiances, the charities they supported, the legal scraps they got themselves into, their affect on the local economic community (one of mine provided the impetus for the Buckfastleigh railway) and their obituaries.

The problem with this research, amazing though it is, has to be the investment. You should consider stopping research backwards at circa 1800 (for the time being anyway) and concentrate on the 19th century - you may need funds in excess of £500 to do the complete job.

Hope this has helped you make a choice....

Related Links:
Complete Family Tree Overview
Application Form
I would like my family tree researched and a Simple Comb bound report
I would like my family tree researched and a Deluxe Comb bound report
I would like my family tree researched with a report and a copy of it on CD-ROM
I would like to know which documents I can expect to receive.

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