Your family history, investigated.
We research your family's past the way an investigator builds a case. Every name is traced to a record, and every record is checked against another. You receive a finished history with the evidence attached, and you never have to search a database yourself.
Question under investigation
Who were Margaret Doyle's parents?
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Lead
Death certificate, New South Wales, 1948
Names her father as Thomas Doyle. The informant was a neighbour, so the detail is second-hand.
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Corroborated
Marriage register, Bathurst, 1891
Margaret gives her father as Thomas Doyle, shearer, and her birthplace as County Clare.
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Confirmed
Baptism register, County Clare, 1867
Margaret, daughter of Thomas Doyle and Honora Keane. Date and parish match the marriage entry.
Finding: Thomas Doyle and Honora Keane, established on three independent records.
How a commission runs
You tell us what you know. We do the research, show our evidence, and hand you the finished history.
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Scoping consult
A free 20-minute call. You share what your family already knows and what you most want answered. We tell you plainly what is likely to be findable.
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Fixed written quote
You receive a quote that states the lines we will research, how far back we expect to reach, the delivery date and the price. The price does not change once agreed.
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Investigation
Researchers work through civil, church, immigration, military, land and court records in Australia and overseas. Where the paper trail stops, an investigator takes over the question.
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Verification and delivery
A second person reviews every conclusion against its sources before anything reaches you. You receive the history, the family tree and a copy of each record we relied on.
Why investigators and security professionals
Most family trees online are copied from other family trees. One wrong guess is repeated until it looks like fact, and a whole branch of somebody else's ancestors ends up attached to your name.
Investigators are trained to avoid exactly that. They separate what a document says from who said it and how that person knew. They look for a second, independent record before accepting a link between two generations, and they write down what they could not establish.
Security professionals bring two things. They know how to assess digital sources, including scanned records, indexes and online trees, and how to spot one that has been altered or mis-transcribed. They also set the standard for how your family's information is stored and who can see it.
Each commission is carried out by people from our network of licensed investigators, experienced record researchers and security professionals, chosen for the countries and periods your family history covers.
Every statement in your history carries one of three grades
- Proven
- Supported by at least two independent records that agree.
- Probable
- Supported by one sound record, or by several weaker ones that point the same way. We say what would settle it.
- Unknown
- The records are missing, destroyed or contradictory. We tell you so, and we list where we looked.
What you receive
- A written family history. The story of each generation in plain language: where they lived, what they did, and what was happening around them.
- A family tree chart. Laid out for printing and framing, with every person linked to their evidence.
- The source file. A copy or full citation of every record we relied on, so anyone can check our work.
- A list of open questions. What remains unproven, why, and what further research could answer it.
- Your files, kept privately. Delivered through an encrypted archive that only you control access to.
Paternal line: generation summary
| Generation | Person | Lived | Records | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Margaret Doyle | 1867 to 1948 | 6 | Proven |
| 3 | Thomas Doyle | about 1838 to 1902 | 4 | Proven |
| 3 | Honora Keane | about 1842 to 1879 | 3 | Proven |
| 4 | Patrick Doyle | about 1805 to ? | 1 | Probable |
| 4 | Mother of Thomas | not established | 0 | Unknown |
Pricing
Every family is different, so every commission is quoted individually after the free consult. These starting prices show what to expect. All prices are in Australian dollars.
| Commission | What it covers | Typical time | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundations | One family line traced through four generations. Every fact sourced and graded. Delivered as a digital report with a tree chart. | 4 to 6 weeks | $1,450 |
| Investigated History | Both sides of your family through five to six generations. Investigator-led work on the gaps, overseas records included, and a full written narrative. | 8 to 12 weeks | $3,900 |
| Heirloom Commission | The complete history as a hardcover printed book, with an encrypted digital archive and a session presenting the findings to your family. | 3 to 5 months | $8,500 |
One question only? If you are stuck on a single ancestor, a single-question investigation starts from $650. Extra family lines and record translation are quoted on request.
Founding clients. The first 50 people on the waitlist receive 10% off their quote and are scheduled first. Join the waitlist.
Your family's information stays yours
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We research the past
Our work concerns ancestors who have died and the historical record. We do not locate, monitor or report on living people.
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Living relatives by consent only
Details of living family members appear in your history only when you supply them and confirm they agree.
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Never sold, never shared
We do not sell your information, publish your tree, or add your family to any public or commercial database.
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Deleted when you ask
Your files are encrypted in storage. Ask at any time and we delete everything we hold about you and your family.
Questions
When does the service open?
We are preparing to take the first commissions and will invite people from the waitlist in the order they joined. Joining costs nothing and does not commit you to anything.
What do you need from me to start?
Whatever you have. A few names, dates and places for your parents or grandparents is enough. Old certificates, letters, photographs and family stories all help, including the stories nobody is sure about.
What if the records do not exist?
Some do not. Records are lost to fire, war and neglect, and some events were never written down. Your quote sets out what we expect to find. Where a question cannot be answered, your history says so and lists every place we looked.
Can you research family from overseas?
Yes. Most Australian family histories lead overseas within a few generations. The United Kingdom, Ireland and much of Europe are well covered. For other regions we assess what is available at the consult and tell you before you commit.
Do you use DNA testing?
We do not sell or run DNA tests. If you have already taken one and choose to share the results, we can use them as one more piece of evidence alongside the records.
Can you find a living relative for me?
No. We do not locate living people. If you are searching for a living family member, a post-adoption support service or a family tracing service in your state is the right place to start.
Do you research Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family history?
This research involves records and community knowledge that need specialist, culturally informed handling. Link-Up services in each state and the AIATSIS Family History Unit offer dedicated support, usually at no cost, and we recommend them first.
Who carries out the research?
Each commission is assigned to people from our network of licensed investigators, record researchers and security professionals, matched to the places and periods involved. One person is your point of contact throughout.
Find out who they were
Join the waitlist to be invited to a free scoping consult when commissions open.