Give a family history

Two ways to start

Most gifts start here

Both sides, back to about 1900

from $900

from $225 to start · the balance on delivery

Both sides of your family, traced from records
Every person tied to the record that proves them
Sourced report and the full research trail

Start their family file

Your card is held, not charged, until we've both said yes.

For a known brick wall

Discovery assessment

$300

one payment · credited in full toward any package

A brick-wall check and a written research plan
Credited in full toward any package

Start with the assessment

Where every 1600s request begins.

How a gift works

Pick the package and check out. Your card is held, not charged.

You land on a private page. Upload what you know: names, dates, old photos, letters, the family stories. Tell me it's a gift and who it's for.

Within two business days you get the exact scope and total in writing. Nothing is captured until we've both said yes; if either of us says no, the hold is released and nothing is charged.

Ask them before you start

The best clues live in memory. Before the research starts, sit down with them and ask:

What were your parents' full names, and where were they born?

What were your grandparents' names, and what do you remember about them?

Where did you grow up, and which towns did the family move through?

What did the family do for work?

Is there a family story everyone tells? Which part do you doubt?

Did anyone change their name, or spell it differently?

Who served in the military, and in which war?

What church or community did the family belong to?

What do you still have at home: letters, a family Bible, photos, certificates, old documents?

Who else should I ask?

Write down their exact words. The records sometimes correct the stories, and that is part of the fun.

Before you buy

It's their family story. If you can, ask first, and ask what they would like to know.

Research takes time. This starts a project: it isn't a finished book under the tree. When I send the written scope, I'll tell you honestly how long yours will take.

I never publish living people, and your family file stays private. The details are on the ethics page; for anything about refunds, see the refund policy.