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/ RESEARCH METHODLOGY

Going beyond the databases

Every project follows a documented path — from your desire to build out your family tree to source citations to a narrative with verifiable records. Here is what that looks like.

Your project, from inquiry
to final report.

Before I open an archive, let's establish what is known, what is contested, and where you've found brick walls. This conversation will shape the research plan and the project estimate.

\ STEP 1

Archival verification across primary sources.

Census records, passenger lists, vital records, church registers, probate archives — each source will be located, examined, and cited individually. Whenever possible, I will use multiple records to show each family relationship, and when that is not feasible, I will document where I searched and what clues I suggest you follow if in the future additional sources are located or released.

\ STEP 2

Findings reviewed,
discrepancies resolved.

Conflicting dates, name variants, and migration gaps are often the cause of genealogical brick walls. I have the knowledge and experience to break many of these down, but when I can't, I will address this directly — not try to paper over.

Where the record is ambiguous, my report will say so and explain why. Where I have made an educated guess, my report will say so and when possible offer plausible alternatives that could better match new information.

\ STEP 3

What are you in search of?

Over email or the phone, we'll chat about your goals for my research. Are you looking to connect with living relatives, to get to know where your ancestors lived, to trace your family line back as far as records exist, or something else? This will help determine the scope of the project and a mutually agreeable budget, and help me understand your connection to your family tree.

Once we agree on the parameters, I will send you a contract outlining my responsibilities, my ethical and professional standards, my timeline, and what you'll receive from me when the project is complete.

\ WHAT YOU RECEIVE

A documented lineage, not a raw data export.

Every project concludes with a written narrative report, an annotated family tree, and a full appendix, with scans of relevant primary records. Records that are not publicly available will be kept private, and the privacy of living people preserved.

These documents are yours to keep, share, and build on — the evidence of your family's path that you can take into the future.

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