Professional Research in the United Kingdom
Hourly Search Service: £40 (about $51.00) per hour
Whether you want a full family tree researching from scratch, help getting you past a brick wall, or you need research doing in Warwickshire, the best way of commissioning research is by an hourly rate where you decide your own spending limit. This means that you can keep control of how much you spend, and if desired, the research can be carried out in several short stages, or a larger one. You can start with a minimum of two hours, and pay either in advance or in arrears (with a small deposit).
This is how it works:
1. You set a spending limit (a minimum of £80 for 2 hours).
2. You pay £80 in advance.
3. I will carry out searches up to the agreed spending limit, and no further. I only charge you for the work done (any expenses, e.g. birth/marriage certificates) can be included in your spending limit). I will send you the balance to be paid by invoice along with my report.
4. If there is potential for further research, then we agree another spending limit, and so on. However, there is no obligation to continue if you do not wish to.
I accept payments by Paypal, bank transfer or cheque. To request research or ask for more details, please email me at info@tracingancestors-uk.com
When carrying out a large amount of research, particularly when researching several different lines, it can sometimes be necessary to search or view documents held in local archives throughout the country. When this happens, I have a contact list of experienced and well qualified British genealogists who will carry out research in areas I do not have access to. This saves you the time and hassle of trying to find a professional genealogist in every area that your ancestors lived.
If for any reason it is not possible to continue researches due to lack of information or availability of resources, we can discuss any further searches that can be done (e.g. follow a different line).
To request research, I will need the following information:
Your name, email address and postal address
Information about your earliest known ancestors (names, dates and places of birth etc, if known)
What searches you have already carried out, if any.
Any specific information you wish to find out.
Send this information to info@tracingancestors-uk.com
Advantages of Hiring a Professional Genealogist
Although the internet has made it much easier for amateurs to start tracing ancestors, there are still many good reasons for hiring a professional genealogist:
- A professional genealogy researcher often has access to records that may not be available to other members of the public
- Research, particularly before 1837, often necessitates visiting local archives, and a professional genealogist can do this for you if you are not able to travel to that location.
- A professional genealogist knows which resources are the best to search at each step
- A professsional researcher will have a pool of known and trusted British genealogists who can be called upon to search local archives, saving the client the time and hassle of finding a different researcher in each county.
- A good professional will have a knowledge of British history that often assists in research, and contributes to the quality and richness of the information found.
- A professional genealogist is experienced in reading old handwriting which the amateur may often find difficult.
- Using a professional genealogy researcher will help you to not fall into the many pitfalls that amateurs often do (e.g. relying on secondary sources, not understanding name spelling variations etc)
- You will save time, and possibly money, by not acquiring unnecessary documents
- Often the client and the professional work together to solve difficult problems and this can greatly increase your chances of breaking through brick walls.
Tracing ancestors is never quite as easy as it looks on some of the TV programmes – and I will be happy to work with you to try and get through those inevitable brick walls.
Looking for a family tree but out of the country until April 26th. Would appreciate email for reference on return. Many thanks Andy
Hi Andy
I am sending you an email.
Ros
Mother’s father was Walter Hogarth Nightingale and my mother was always insistent that we are related both to Flo and to
The illustrious artist . How can find out if this is true ? Am very willing to pay a free to find out
Hi Lucilla – that is interesting! I am a great fan of Hogarth’s work. Basically, to find out if there are any links you need to trace you family back from your grandfather. I will send you an email.
Ros
Hi there.. I have hit a brick wall with my Great Great Grandfather John Wood who was born in Falmouth, Cornwall. I would love if you could help me find his parents.
Hi Mary – I’m sending you an email.
Best wishes
Ros
Hello,
I have researching my family tree using Ancestry, UK General Register, National Register Of Scotland and Scotland’s People websites. Although I have found quite a bit of information on the Maternal side, I’m having trouble finding more detailed information on my father and that side of my tree (he was born in England). I do have their marriage certificate, Death Certificates, and addresses of where they lived. I could also share my Ancestry tree with you. What would you recommend? Is this something you could assist me with?
Kind Regards,
John Laurence
U.S.A.
Hi John
It’s always difficult to say whether I can help or not until I actually start the research! In these kinds of cases I usually suggest a couple of hours to start with just to get myself into the problem and see if I can find anything that would lead to a breakthrough.
If you would like me to do this (I currently charge £30 per hour), then please email me at info@tracingancestors-uk.com, and yes – a link to your Ancestry tree would be very helpful.
Best wishes
Ros
Hello, looking to help my dad trace his mother’s family history. They lived in the UK at the turn of the 20th century. They may have come from abroad in the late 1800s but not sure. Is this something you can help with. He is new to geneaology and doesn’t know much except where his maternal grandmother was buried. Is this something you can help with?
Hi Juliet – I will send you an email.
Ros