Done-for-you research
Professional family-history research, carried out for you.
Bring us the person, story or question. We identify the useful records, do the searching, assess what they mean and give you a clear account of what can genuinely be supported.
01 / What the service is
You do not need to become the researcher.
Family-history websites are excellent tools, but they still leave you to decide where to search, whether two similar names belong to the same person, and how much confidence to place in a suggested record.
Known Again provides the research itself. We agree a focused question, work through the relevant evidence and explain the result in ordinary language. A family tree is included where it helps the answer; it is not the only thing you are buying.
The aim is not the greatest possible number of names. It is a reliable answer to something your family actually wants to understand.
02 / How research proceeds
One question. Several lines of evidence.
- 01
Establish what is already known
We review names, dates, places, certificates, photographs and family recollections. Contradictions are useful: they often reveal exactly what needs testing.
- 02
Choose records for the question
Census returns, civil registration, parish registers, newspapers, probate, military, travel and occupational records may all help. We use the sources that fit the person and period rather than searching every database indiscriminately.
- 03
Compare, connect and challenge
A matching name is not enough. We compare ages, addresses, relatives, occupations and chronology, looking for evidence that confirms an identity and evidence that might disprove it.
- 04
Write the findings clearly
The final report sets out the story, the records behind it, our reasoning, and the boundaries between documented fact, a strong indication and an unresolved possibility.
03 / The evidence
Records are evidence, not decoration.
A census entry, newspaper report or passenger list can be valuable. It can also be wrong, incomplete or about somebody else. The work lies in understanding how the records fit together.
- Identity
- Does the record belong to the right person?
- Context
- What was happening in that household, place and period?
- Agreement
- Do independent records support the same conclusion?
- Limits
- What does the record not prove?
04 / What you receive
A research report made to be read and kept.
- Written findings
- The investigation told in a clear sequence around your original question.
- Family relationships
- A sourced family tree or focused relationship diagram where it adds understanding.
- Records and citations
- The key evidence, where it came from and how it supports the conclusion.
- Honest conclusions
- Documented facts separated from likely interpretations and open questions.
- Next research routes
- Further records worth pursuing when a promising lead sits beyond the agreed scope.
Begin here
What would you like to know about your family?
A name, approximate date, place, photograph or family story can be enough for us to assess a useful first investigation.
We review your question
We clarify anything essential
We propose a scope and fixed price