One ancestor · one question · 2 days

Stuck on one ancestor?

The question your tree is stuck on, answered from the records in 2 days. $79.

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$79 · £69 incl. VAT · A$119 · C$109 · PDF within 2 days · no answer, no charge

A wall of bricks with one brick missing and a record showing through the gap
Your report: every record we read, what they add up to, what was not found, and what to do next.

Three steps.

01

Send the question

The ancestor, what you already have, what you have tried. A tree link helps; a photo of a headstone helps too.

02

We search the records

Census returns, civil and parish registers, passenger lists, newspapers, cemeteries, land and probate indexes: free archives only, read page by page.

03

Read what they prove

A 4–8 page PDF: each record cited with its image, our reading, a plain Not found list, and the next two or three steps.

What you send, what you get.

What you send (an invented sample)
Bridget Nolan, born Ireland about 1842, died Scranton PA 1911.
Married Patrick Nolan at St Peter's Cathedral, Scranton, 1866.
I have her children and her headstone. Nothing before 1866.
Question: where in Ireland was she born, and who were her parents?
Tried: Ancestry hints, FamilySearch search, Google.

Bridget Nolan, about 1842 – 1911

1866 · marriage register, St Peter's Cathedral

Patrick Nolan and Bridget Walsh, 12 June 1866, witness Thomas Walsh. The maiden name the family did not have.

1911 · death notice, Scranton Truth, 4 March, p. 7

"A native of Ballina, County Mayo, came to this country in 1863."

1842 · Kilmoremoy parish baptisms (NLI, free)

Brigida Walsh, baptised 19 March 1842, parents Thomas Walsh and Mary Nolan. Fits the marriage, the notice and the 1900 census month of birth.

Our reading: a strong candidate, not a proven match. Not found: a passenger list, a townland. Next: the 1911 death certificate ($20) may name her parents.

An invented sample. Every real report cites the record behind each line.

Read the whole sample report

$79
£69 incl. VAT · A$119 · C$109

One ancestor, one question, within 2 days of payment.

  • Every record we found, cited in full, with the page image attached
  • Our reading: proven, a candidate, or not answered, and why
  • A Not found list: what was searched and where it may still be
  • The next two or three steps, including any paid record worth ordering
  • One free round of questions after you read it; no answer, no charge

Send the question.

You get an order code now and a card payment link by email. The 2 days start when you pay. If we find nothing you did not already have, you pay nothing.

Three questions.

What is in the report?

A 4–8 page PDF on your one question: what you already had, every record we found with a full citation and the page image attached, our reading of what they add up to (a proven answer, a candidate, or no answer), a Not found list of what we searched without result, and the two or three next steps worth your time, including any paid record worth ordering.

What if you cannot answer it?

Then the report says so. Some walls stand because the record was never made or did not survive. You still get every record we did find, the list of what was searched, and the next steps. If we find nothing you did not already have, there is no charge.

Which records do you use, and which countries?

Free public records only: census returns, civil birth, marriage and death indexes, parish registers, passenger and naturalisation indexes, newspapers in free archives, cemetery records, land and probate indexes. Ancestors in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are covered best; others depend on what is online. We never use a paid database on your behalf.

Read the sample first

The whole invented Bridget Nolan report as a PDF, plus our checklist of the twelve free record sets to search before you pay anyone.