Your Genealogy project
- Start by making contact with me via the Contact Us page or by email/phone (for details see the bottom of every page).
- For a Standard Package I will perform a basic check of the details you provide and confirm the cost which you will need to agree before work commences.
- For custom work I will need to discuss further with you before providing you with an estimate. This estimate will form a budget for the work and I will ask you to agree to it before work commences. I will provide updates detailing spend against this maximum. I will alert you if the spend reaches 90% of the budget and it looks likely that achieving the original research goal will result in an overrun.
- I will give you an indication of how long the work can be expected to take based upon how busy I am and any special visits or enquiries that may be necessary. I will update you if this changes.
- Payment terms are 50% before work commences, and 50% payable on invoice upon completion.
- I will ask you to decide which BMD certificates you want to receive; I may recommend some if they will help make the Family Tree more certain.
- I will provide a draft book report for you in PDF format for you to agree before I print the final version.
- I will hold your contact data and the research data from your Genealogy Project for two years from completion, in order to make it straightforward for you to return and request further work.
- I will not share your data, or the Research Data from your Genealogy Project, with any third parties without your prior agreement.
- Please feel free to get in touch with me at any stage; I aim to be responsive in how I work and am happy to consider changes once the ship is underway.
The standards that guide our work
It is of the utmost importance that the work I do is of the highest quality, so I work to the Professional Principles of Genealogical Research adopted by the Society of Genealogists:
- Accuracy and honesty of all personal research and of work published, promoted or distributed to others.
- Provision of clear evidence from primary sources to support all conclusions and statements of fact.
- Use of original sources and records (or surrogate images of originals) to gather key information.
- Citation and recording of sources used so that others may also evaluate the evidence.
- Logical and reasoned development of family links with each step proved from valid evidence before further deductions are made.
- Investigation and analysis of all possible solutions and of contradictory evidence with each alternative hypothesis examined and tested.
- Qualification of less certain conclusions as probable or possible so that others are not misled.
- Acceptance of the possibility that a solution may not be found and acknowledgement of circumstances in which this occurs.
- Awareness of gaps in the availability of and information from sources at all levels.
- Receptiveness to new information and to informed comment which may challenge earlier conclusions.
- Acknowledgement and attribution of research done by others and use of such work as a secondary source only.
- Evidence only becomes proof through a reasoned and logical analysis and argument capable of convincing others that the conclusion is valid.
"Fast and efficient service with regular updates at a fair price."
H.B. Suffolk
