Professional Family History

Professional, high quality service!

Qualifications:

• I am a member of the APG (Association of Professional Genealogists) and an affiliate member of AGRA (The Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives).

• I am a member of the Society of Genealogists, a member of the Cambridgeshire Family History Society, for whom I undertake transcribing and checking work, and a member of the BMSGH (Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry). 

• I am committed to continuing professional development and am working towards a Higher Certificate and Diploma in Genealogy from the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies.
  
  I am registered with the ICO as a data controller under the Data Protection Act 1988.
  
  My modus operandi is to offer a professional, high quality service ensuring peace of mind for my clients.

Services

• Family History Research in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Suffolk

  You may have a specific piece of research for which you wish to consult with a professional or you may wish to have some work carried out at one of my local record offices. Perhaps you just want some look-ups in parish registers. Please contact me with details and I will provide a quotation at no cost. Depending on the details it is usually most appropriate to commission a set number of hours work after which I will report back to you and we can agree the next steps. I will not charge for travel to my local record offices but will charge per hour or part hour for my time spent at the record office looking at your documents according to my standard hourly rate.

Family Tree Packages

• There are a number of family tree packages available. All packages include research using online GRO indexes of birth, marriage and death, census returns and birth, marriage and death certificates. The advanced package considers additional online sources tailored to each individual case, such as military records, passenger lists and parish registers. The starting point and how far back a fixed number of generations will take you will depend on how much information you already have. Please contact me in the first instance and I will review the information you have at no cost and suggest the most appropriate package.

  Starter Package - one parent
  Research back up to 3 generations from the client - 1 surname
  Includes:

  • Brief report of research with sources examined and findings
  • Copy of the direct pedigree from the starting individual
  • Copies of census returns for direct ancestors
  • Copies of birth, marriage and death certificates for direct ancestors (up to 10 certificates*)
  • Typical documentation received by client 25-30 pages

  Intermediate Package - one parent
  Research back up to 4 generations from the client - 1 surname
  Includes:

  • Full report of research including sources examined, findings, GRO references and transcriptions of all certificates obtained and transcriptions of census records found
  • Copy of the direct pedigree from the starting individual
  • Copy of the family tree including siblings found from the census records
  • Copies of census returns for direct ancestors
  • Copies of birth, marriage and death certificates for direct ancestors (up to 15 certificates*)
  • Typical documentation received by client 40-50 pages

  Intermediate Package - two parents
  Research back up to 4 generations from the client - 1 surname
  Includes:

  • As per intermediate package for one parent but two sets of documents.
  • Copy of the direct pedigree from the starting individual
  • The copy of the direct pedigree will include ancestry of both surnames
  • Up to 30 certificates*
  • Typical documentation received by client 80-90 pages

  Advanced Package
  Research of 1 surname back to the late 1700s / early 1800s, typically 4-6 generations depending on starting point. Research is conducted in a similar manner to the other packages but additionally examines other online databases including WWI records, National Probate Calendar 1861-1941, passenger lists c.1880-1960 and a preliminary search of available online parish registers if appropriate.
  Includes:

  • Full report of research including sources examined, findings, GRO references and transcriptions of all certificates obtained, transcriptions of census records found and research notes
  • Copy of the direct pedigree from the starting individual
  • Copy of the family tree including siblings found from the census records
  • Additional copy of the family tree in a larger format (A3 minimum) depending on size of tree
  • Copies of census returns for direct ancestors
  • Copies of any WWI army papers found
  • Copies of any entries in the probate calendar
  • Copies of any migration papers found
  • Copies of birth, marriage and death certificates for direct ancestors (up to 20 certificates*)
  • Typical documentation received by client 60-80 pages

  * It is assumed that the client will know the birth, marriage and death details for their parents. If this is not the case then the number of certificates provided for earlier generations will be reduced to accommodate this.

  Many companies produce family trees using the GRO indexes and census records alone and may offer copies of birth, marriage or death certificates at additional cost to the client. Others provide a limited number of certificates. My personal belief is that the only way of verifying the correct birth, marriage or death event has been found for an ancestor (post-Jul 1837) is from a copy of the appropriate certificate and my family tree packages include certificates for all birth, marriage and death events for direct ancestors, wherever possible. At a current cost of £9.25 per certificate around 40% of the package prices are actually purchase of certificates.

Specialities

My areas of speciality are:

• GRO (General Register Office) and local indexes of birth, marriage and death from 1837 onwards
• Birth, marriage and death certificates
• Census records 1841-1911
• Parish registers, particularly from mid 17th century onwards Parish records or “parish chest” material including: Churchwarden’s accounts, Overseer’s accounts, Vestry minutes, Settlement papers, Bastardy papers, Parish apprenticeships
• Other areas of research are available. Please contact me in the first instance.

Fee Information:

Hourly Rate

My hourly rate is £20. Please contact me for a quotation for a specific piece of work. Chargeable time includes time spent researching, analysing and preparing reports. I do not charge for time spent travelling to and from the following record offices:

• Cambridgeshire (Cambridge & Huntingdon)
• Essex (Chelmsford)
• Suffolk (Bury St Edmunds)
• Hertfordshire (Hertford)
• Travel to other record offices / places can be arranged and I will advise in advance of any costs associated with travel.

Please use the form below to request additional information.