Research Services
Forensic Genealogy Services
Prices of all services are subject to change without prior notice. However, we guarantee that no increase in price will be charged to you if we receive your request for our service prior to any published raise in price for this service.
We offer a unique research support service for amateur and novice genealogists through our consultation service.
Benefits to you
- Assurance that your research stays in the right tree
- Faster, better, more reliable results
- Efficient solutions to your research problems
- Breakthrough research roadblocks
- Maximize your time at an archive or library
- Less waste of your valuable resources
Why we think we can help you
- 49 years of combined successful legal and genealogical research
- 17 years of respected editorial and copywriting activities
- 9 years of full-house seminars and lectures
- 9 years of successful genealogical class instruction
Evaluation & Independent Verification
Of your completed research prior to submission to court and administrative agencies for proving your entitlement as an heir, immigrant or entrant to a lineage society.
Fee quoted by project. Contact us for details.
DNA Services for Proof of Kinship
Everyone receives one-half of their DNA from their father (Y-Chromosome), and the other one-half from their mother (Mitochondrial). If interpreted correctly, an individual's DNA can be just as important in locating or establishing a birth family as is familiar research in various civil and church records or recalling family stories. With the advent of autosomonal DNA tests it is now possible to establish kinship of an individual with other known descendants issuing from all four purported grandparents. We assist each client in the selection of the proper test for their purposes, and then test through major DNA testing companies. We also assist our clients in understanding their DNA profiles and interpreting their results so that those results can be incorporated into their own research.
Fee quoted by project. Contact us for details.
Heir Tracing
Our search service is available only to members of the legal profession, Trust Officers, Official Guardians and other similar agencies and individuals who are searching for missing heirs; beneficiaries to a Will, trust or insurance policy; legatees; stockholders; class action claimants; witnesses to a Will; property owners or people on property title for the purposes of providing clear title to real property; owners of unclaimed property; and, intellectual property rights owners. We maintain a non-percentage based fee policy that is fairest to all the heirs and beneficiaries for our search services whether you decide the fee should be charged to the estate or to the missing heir's share. We offer a very high rate of search success and documented court-ready reports providing clear and convincing evidence of the identities and location of all concerned parties. All relevant supporting documentation, including records of birth, death, marriage, divorce, census, and other ancilliary supporting documentation are included. The report is compiled and presented in an easily understood format fully suitable as an exhibit in court proceedings.
Fee quoted by project. Contact us for details.
Establishing Provenance
Establishing the provenance of any personal property assists the owner to confirm the insurance or replacement value of collectibles as well as a broad range of antique and historic relics. To do so requires detailed knowledge of documentation procedures in addition to knowledge of the historical eras through which an item survived. Detailed research to establish provenance typically involves searches for and examination of Wills and supporting estate documentation including distribution to heirs, Deeds, Censuses, business ledgers, bills of sale, diaries, and much more relating to the original principal owner. Using the same and similar documentation the chain of disposition of the item can be followed through its various owners down to the current time.
Fee quoted by project. Contact us for details.
Exposure of False Genealogical Memoirs, Hoaxes, and Frauds
The tools used in the detection of hoaxes, frauds and false genealogical memoirs include photographic timelines and databases - vital records, census reports, property deeds, maps, newspaper interviews, obituaries, phone directories - and living relatives. Reconstruction of the direct family on both the maternal and paternal sides is also often necessary as is the tracing of the migration or emigration of any of the descendants. DNA testing is also an option. Examination of the paper, ink, and glue in notebooks and diaries to verify a consistancy in their age with the purported historic timeline can also be undertaken. While dispelling the genealogical myths that one may be faced with is the primary goal in exposure of false memoirs, hoaxes and frauds to do so also raises awareness of what can be done with modern genealogy techniques and records access. Ultimately, if you are contemplating taking your family's memoirs to publication, it would be prudent to verify the veracity of those memoirs through critical genealogical analysis before committing them to publication.
Fee quoted by project. Contact us for details.