You will be asked to provide ALL written material or information that would aid research, so as to be as efficient as possible. That might include birth, marriage or death certificates, family trees, obituaries, bible records, immigration documents, family stories, etc. I will then prepare a research plan with the agreed upon research objective, start the research process, and finally, write a research report on my findings.

Depending on the issue and time allotted, examples of record groups I’ll be checking might include census, vital records (birth, marriage, death), military, court, wills/probate, newspapers, obituaries, cemetery, religious, land and tax, immigration, city directories, existing genealogies, etc. Your ancestors likely left a trail of records that they didn’t know about (Just like you are doing today.) Yes, there was almost as much bureaucracy back then as now, which we genealogists are very grateful for.

Important note: I will use all my abilities and skills to solve your genealogy mystery, but sadly, sometimes there is no definitive answer. In other words, you are paying for a professional, well-documented process and report, and a definitive answer is not always the outcome. I (nor anyone) can not guarantee a clear answer. Reasons might include records that are either difficult to find, inaccessible, or simply don’t exist anymore, especially if they were more than 200 years old. However, the good news, is that in most cases, answers can be found.

Your research report will include what sources have been checked, what hasn’t (if there wasn’t sufficient time to research), citing where you can find those records (and providing copies when possible), along with making a sound conclusion based on all evidence found. This report will be given to you at the end of our time working together, and could be a jumping off point for future research, either by yourself, other family members or other professional genealogists.

Please email me with either a request for what you would like, or questions that might help you decide if I can help you.