In the following text, when I say “we”, I mean me. It’s business speak.
- Do you have at least one name of a grandparent that is no longer alive?
- It is important to protect the privacy of the living, and not all states in the United States allow for public records of individuals that are still alive, although some have marriage and/or divorce records.
- Death records, social security records, census records dating up to 1950 are resources in which we begin our search.
- Birthdates of as many deceased members of your family can help us narrow down the search. Even if it is just the year.
- Of course, the uniqueness of the surname definitely helps, but even common U.S. surnames such as Smith, Jones, Williams, etc., can be found.
- Did you know that many of your ancestors went by their given middle names instead of their first name? Having the full names of the “starter” individuals also advances the search more quickly.
- If you are outside the U.S., does your country allow for records search? Many non-democratic or war-torn regions may not have or allow for outside access to their records.
- Were you adopted? This is a tricky one as so many are closed records, but any and all information you can provide, can help and it is not necessarily a closed door.
- How many generations do you want to go back? We can dig as far back as you like, however, the farther you go, the weaker the sources become. Historical family bibles, church records, family genealogy books and more can provide sources that are considered factual in terms of familial associations, but are they the truth?
- Have you had your DNA done? We do not offer this service as we are researchers, not scientists, but any information you gained from your DNA can be fruitful.