Researching Family Histories
In most cases, we charge by the hour. This includes reviewing the information you already have, developing a research plan, doing the research and analysis and creating a report for you that shows our findings. The cost will vary from project to project depending on the complexity and depth of research needed to answer your question.
Before we start work, we will provide you with an estimate of the number of hours we think it is likely to take. Our hourly rate is $50. Some projects can be done in 8-10 hours. Other questions could take much longer. However, we will not take longer than the agreed upon time without your consent. Typically, we ask for the 20% of the estimated total charges at the start of work with the remainder due at the time the work is completed. Final payment must be made before the report is delivered. If the project takes less time than expected, we only charge for the actual time devoted to your project. In other words, if it takes less time than we expect, we will charge less. If it looks like it might take longer, we will check with you before going further.
If we agree to do research for you, it is because we feel there is a reasonable chance we will be able to answer your question. However, this is not always possible. There are situations where courthouses have burned and records have been destroyed over the years. The further back you go, there are usually fewer records. If for some reason, there is not sufficient available evidence to completely answer your research question, we will still provide you with documentation of all the sources we checked (even those that produced no result) and provide all evidence we were able to discover. You will only be charged for the work provided.
As a part of doing business, we pay for access to many databases that hold billions of records. We do not charge you extra for this access. On occasion though, there may be the need for incidental costs, such as repository fees, duplication of records, translation of records or travel. Typically, these types of charges are small, but we will notify you in advance for your approval if we see this might be needed. These fees would be charged at our cost.
Genetic Genealogy
In cases where DNA testing is involved, the same hourly rates apply. However, any DNA tests taken will be billed directly to the client by the testing service. We do not charge a commission or receive compensation from the testing services. We only recommend tests that would provide necessary information for answering your research question.
DNA testing, depending on the type of test, can take as little as a few weeks to as long as a few months. Most tests though take 4-6 weeks. We do not charge for processing time. We only charge for the time needed to analyze the results and apply them to solving your research questions.
DNA Test Reviews
Many people have DNA tests done for various reasons. However, when they receive the information, they are often unclear as to the meaning of those results. The major testing services offer a wealth of information, but it can seem confusing and overwhelming to those that are new to genealogy.
For people that want help interpreting their DNA test results, we offer a special DNA Test Review. For a fee of $50, we will provide a 2 hour one on one review of those results by phone. We go through the results together, explain them and answer questions. The consultations may be done in increments of 30 minutes to 1 hour.