Family-tree research
Follow one ancestral line through the records.
Begin with a parent, grandparent or surname. We build a sourced tree and report the names, places, occupations and stories the evidence supports.
Explore family-tree researchFamily-tree and family-history research
Discover the people behind your family tree.
Professional research, carried out for you. Start with a parent, grandparent, surname, photograph, rumour or unanswered question. We trace the surviving records and tell you what can genuinely be discovered.
The assessment is free. The Family Story Investigation is £695 total, with two staged payments of £347.50 and no VAT added.
A real investigationAugust 1935
What happened to June and her nurse?
The ship, date and broad location were documented. Other parts remained unresolved.
Read the case Shropshire · Louis Claes / MAS · public domain
01 / A real commission
A family story, tested against the records.
Lucy Cameron wanted to know what surviving records could establish about the loss of her aunt June and the child's nurse from a passenger ship in 1935.
- Documented
- The ship, date and broad location
- Family context
- The wider family's lives and journeys
- Still open
- The exact position and parts of the account
“We could not have done this without you, and it means so much to us.”Lucy Cameron, June's niece
30 pages and 31 references in this private report. Your report's length depends on its scope and evidence.
What a commission contains
- A sourced written report
- A one-page family summary
- A relevant tree or timeline
- Findings and next steps
02 / How it works
From a starting point
to a report you can keep.
- 01
Tell us the question
A name, place, date, photograph or family account is enough for a free assessment.
- 02
Agree the route
Nick sets out the likely records, limits and fixed scope before any paid research begins.
- 03
Receive the findings
You receive a sourced report explaining what was found, how it fits together and what remains open.
Who carries out the work
AI-assisted research, checked and signed off by Nick James. Sources are cited and conclusions are marked documented, strongly indicated or unresolved.
Personal information is used only to assess your enquiry and carry out work you commission.
03 / Two ways to begin
Trace a family line,
or answer a family question.
Focused investigation
Investigate the account that never quite made sense.
A disappearance, unexplained photograph or person who slipped from the family story can become one carefully researched question.
Explore investigationsFamily Story Investigation£695 total
One agreed question or ancestral line, a sourced report, a one-page family summary and an early progress update. Pay £347.50 to commission and £347.50 when the report is ready, before release. No VAT or mandatory extras.
Ask us to assess your starting point04 / Before you ask
A few sensible questions.
What does the free assessment include?
We review what you know, consider which records are likely to survive and explain what a sensible focused investigation could establish. We do not search records at this stage.
Can you guarantee an answer?
No. We explain the likely sources and risks before you commission anything, then distinguish clearly between what is documented, indicated and unresolved.
Can you research a family tree for me?
Yes. The £695 service can follow one agreed ancestral line within the records, period and boundaries set in your proposal, producing a sourced tree and written findings. A complete tree across every branch is a larger project, so we assess and phase it separately.
What does the £695 include?
It includes one agreed question, a sourced PDF report, a one-page family summary, a relevant diagram or timeline, an early progress update and one findings follow-up by email or a call of up to 30 minutes. You see the sources to be investigated, boundaries and delivery date before paying. Payment is £347.50 to commission and £347.50 when the report is ready, before it is released; no VAT or mandatory extra is added. AI assists the work; Nick checks the evidence and approves your report.
Initial question assessment
Start with the question.
Tell Nick who or what you would like to trace and what your family already knows. He will assess whether there is a worthwhile route through surviving records. There is no charge and no research begins at this stage.
Included: sourced report, one-page family summary, diagram or timeline where useful, early progress update and one findings follow-up. Scope and dates agreed before payment.