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How far back can you research? |
| Using the many sources available today it should be possible to trace your family back to the early 1800’s with reasonable success. It is also possible to further back to the 1600’s although the further you go back the chances of success are reduced. |
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What if you can't find my Ancestors? |
There could be many reasons why we are unable to find some of your ancestors. Documents although very carefully handled now were not in the past and could be badly damaged or faded. The handwriting may be illegible or names spelt incorrectly. Indeed some of your ancestors may have deliberately gone out of their way to avoid the census takers (for reasons we may never know).
It does mean that, occasionally, we may hit the proverbial brick wall. In these cases the cost of the research will be reduced accordingly. |
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How long does the research take? |
| It is very difficult to definitely say how long each lot of research will take as each family is unique and it also depends on the availability of records. All that taken into consideration you should expect the work done in about two to three months. You will of course receive regular updates informing you of the progress. You may want to bear the length if time in mind if you are ordering a family tree as a present. |
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What will the research tell me? |
| By the end of the research I aim to have found out who your direct ancestors were, when and where they were born and who they married. I will also find out, from documents such as census returns, what they did for a living, where they lived and if they had any other children. |
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What is a GEDCOM file? |
| One of the biggest advantages to using the Internet for genealogy research is the ability it provides to exchange information with other researchers. One of the most common methods used for this information exchange is the GEDCOM, an acronym for GEnealogical Data COMmunication. In simple terms it is a method of formatting your family tree data into a text file which can be easily read and converted by any genealogy software program. |
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What is a PDF file? |
PDF stands for Portable Document Format. It's a distribution format developed by Adobe Corporation to allow electronic information to be transferred between various types of computers. The software which allows this transfer is called Acrobat. In order to view and print a PDF file you will first need to download and install a copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
By having a copy of your Family Tree as a PDF file on the cd it means you can share the tree with all your relatives, wherever they live, by emailing them the file.
To download and install Acrobat Reader, please visit Adobe's download page. |
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Why use Archive Quality sleeves? |
| The sleeves you find in a lot of standard folders are of a lesser quality than those used for archiving valuable documents and photographs. Over a period of time the acids used in the manufacture of these lesser quality sleeves react with the ink, and breakdown the image. We only use the archive quality sleeves in order to protect your family tree documents so that the generations of the future can enjoy it as much as you will. |
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What is a pedigree chart? |
| A pedigree chart maps out in diagram form your family tree. It starts at the nominated person (which is the root of the tree) and then branches out doubling in the number of people included as each generation is added. In the pedigree tree only direct biological ancestors are included i.e. father/mother, grandfather/grandmother etc. |
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What are your Sources? |
Research is carried out using:
• General Register Office civil records of Births, Deaths and Marriages for England and Wales (from 1837)
• Parish Records
• Census Returns for England and Wales 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901.
• Access to Family History Societies archives.
• Pallot’s Marriage Index.
• Parish Registers
• County Record Offices at Worcester & Birmingham.
• Dudley Archives and Local History Service
• Internet Genealogy Sites.
• Scottish civil records of Birth, Death and Marriage (from 1855)
• Scottish Old Parish Registers births and Marriages 1553 – 1854.
• Scottish Census Returns from 1841
Plus many more
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Can I put my family tree on the web? |
| It is a fairly simple process to get your tree onto the World Wide Web and by doing so could bring you into contact with distant cousins who share the same ancestors as yourself. A lot of family tree software has the facility of putting your tree onto the web for others to view. Alternatively there are a few web sites which offer the same facility at no cost. See the link page for a selection of these sites. |