WHAT DO YOU GET FOR YOUR MONEY?


  • You will receive a pdf document with a typed report of the events in the lives of your family members that I have managed to find.

  • These details can be in two forms:
    1. Digital images from public domain sites. Some of these are free others are subscription sites. The images are copyrighted so I might have to edit to show only your ancestor's entry. However, I prefer to include the whole image as it places your ancestor into a social, political and economic context - all of which makes up who you are and your family history (see FAQs "What's the difference between Family History and Genealogy?")
    2. Transcribed details. These are transcriptions made by volunteers of old Church Registers, Birth Marriage and Death Indices etc. where digital images do not add to information or are not available for photographing.
  • Sources and reference details will be supplied so that copyright holders will be acknowledged.

  • I will also include website details of other significant links to your family (e.g. If your ancestor was born in certain house which is famous, the website for that house will be given in the report I send).

  • I have degrees in History, Church History and History of Music so the significance of events, dates and places in the history of the humankind will be incorporated into my report.

  • The digital images, some of which are fairly large, will be placed in my dropbox and you will be invited to download them from there rather than clogging up your (and my) bandwidth by placing them in emails.

    • The email report will be emailed to you as a pdf document. If you wish to print it out and bind it you may. see Privacy and Ethical Issues
  • Where your family is large and confusing, with more than one child having the same first name etc. I will place it into a program that creates family trees and create a descendants' report(s). See examples in St Paul's Graveyard

  • In these cases, I will also send a gedcom file in case you wish to incorporate/merge it into your own family tree program or place it online.

  • As far as privacy of names and details see Privacy and Ethics page.

  • I will endeavour to fulfil the Principles as given by the Society of Genealogist of the Untied Kingdom

Principles of Genealogical Research

I will be accurate and honest in all personal research and of work published, promoted or distributed to others.

I will provide clear evidence from primary sources to support all conclusions and statements of fact.

I will use original sources and records (or surrogate images of originals) to gather key information.

I will cite and record sources used so that others may also evaluate the evidence.

I will give logical and reasoned development of family links with each step proved from valid evidence before I make further deductions.

I will investigate and analyse all possible solutions and contradictory evidence before presenting an alternative hypothesis.

I will qualify less certain conclusions as "probable" or "possible" so that others are not misled

I will accept the possibility that a solution may not always be found and acknowledge the circumstances in which this occurs

I will be aware of gaps in the availability of and information from sources at all levels.

I will be receptive of new information and of informed comment which may challenge earlier conclusions.

I will acknowledge and attribute the research done by others and use of such work as a secondary source only.

I will remember that evidence only becomes proof through a reasoned and logical analysis and argument capable of convincing others that the conclusion is valid.