Frequently Asked Questions


Why do you ask for copies of documents I already have?
How can I send you these documents?
I have a lot of documents; what is the best way to send them?
How much do you charge for your research?
What do I get for my money?
How can I control costs?
How do I obtain copies of any documents you mention?
How will I receive the documents I order from you?
How can I ask you a question about something not covered by the above?

Why do you ask for copies of documents I already have?
Before we begin any research it is important to establish a known, documented, base from which to build otherwise we could end up wasting your time and money researching ancestors that are not really yours. We therefore need to make sure we have the full documented facts about the person from whom you ask us to travel back in time. Letting us know the facts that you, yourself, have already discovered also saves duplication of effort.
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How can I send you these documents?
The easiest way is to scan them and send them to us by email.
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I have a lot of documents; what is the best way to send them?
Scanned documents can have quite a large size. Scan each document as a “.jpg” file if possible. If you are familiar with WINZIP then it is preferable to compress the images using this before emailing them to us. It is better to email the documents individually if possible because if you include too many scans in a single email it may be too large to be deliverable.
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How much do you charge for your research?
Bear in mind our Genealogists are trained professionals so will get far more done in an hour session than an amateur Family Historian. Also most simple requests can be completed within an hour, so, if in doubt simply pay for just a single hour and we will mention in our Formal Report we send you at the end of this session whether we would recommend any further research or not.

We require each research session to be paid for in advance. We currently have four rates: The shortest research session we will undertake is ½ hour for which we charge £7. Our standard rate for a 1, 2 or 3 hour session is £12 per hour. If you choose a 4 hour (half-day) session then you can save £8 and only pay £40. Alternatively, if you book an 8 hour (whole-day) session you can save £21 and only pay £75. We can accept online payment by Debit/Credit card via our website, or by PayPal or you can send us a cheque or Postal Order through the post. Please note that we can only accept payment in British Pounds so if you are one of our overseas customers please pay by Debit/Credit Card or PayPal.
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What do I get for my money?
At the end of each research session we will send you a Formal Report of our findings. This formal Report will be in Acrobat PDF format so should be readable on any computer (if you are unsure if your computer can read PDF files then simply ask us to send you a small test file to try). The Report will include the results of our research together with the full references (including date ranges) of all documents searched.
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How can I control costs?
The simplest way to is to request we undertake your research in individual one hour sessions. After you have read the Formal Report of our findings at the end of each session you can then decide whether you wish us to continue with further research or not and are welcome to ask questions about our recommendations and offer your own suggestions for future research. There is no obligation to continue and, indeed, some customers prefer to pause for a while between research sessions to allow themselves time to digest what we have discovered before proceeding with the next session. You remain completely in control and we are happy to proceed at the pace you choose.
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How do I obtain copies of any documents you mention?
Our hourly fee just covers our time. If you require copies of any documents we mention then we will be happy to obtain these for you at cost. Typically costs are £9.25 for each Birth/Marriage/Death Certificate and 70p for each copy of an entry from a Parish Register. Note however that some old books and registers are too fragile to copy. In this case we can photograph them for you but we will have to pay the Suffolk Record Office £5 for a half-day photography license. This license will cover unlimited photographs during the half-day period but, due to it’s cost, we recommend waiting until you have several documents you wish us to photograph before requesting we purchase a license on your behalf.
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How will I receive the documents I order from you?
Once you have become a customer we will create a login account for you so you can access your personal area of our website. It will be in this personal area where we put links to scans of any documents you request so you can see them as soon as we receive them. Once you have gathered several documents you can ask us to send you the originals by 1st Class Recorded Delivery. We will be happy to do this at cost.
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How can I ask you a question about something not covered by the above?
Simply go to our CONTACT US page and submit a question using our webmail form.
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