In response to growing client requests, we now undertake 'forward searching' in our GENEALOGY PLANS. 'Forward searching' involves attempting to trace descendants of a common ancestor up to the current day. Sources include GRO certificates and census material, professional, trade and street directories, and electoral rolls. Forward searching can sometimes be far more complicated and time-consuming than tracing ancestors. It is therefore essential that you contact us first for a brief assessment of the viability of a proposed project.

Devon Ancestry's GENEALOGY PLANS are individually tailored to your specific needs. Although our original speciality lies in the counties of South West England, we can draw upon the expertise of a growing network of research contacts around the country to investigate your particular family history requirements. We can oversee a project from start to finish using both local and national sources. Gathering of information is only the first part of a historian's work. Careful interpretation and appraisal are vital elements of successful research and the time spent upon them can pay excellent dividends. We therefore place a high premium upon quality analysis of our findings in the original documents.

In order to commission a GENEALOGY PLAN, you will first need to supply us with a clear summary of the relevant information that you already possess. This may simply be some basic facts and dates about your immediate family. It is often possible to start from that, although one or more birth or marriage certificates may be required to verify a person's precise details. If you have already carried out some research, a summary of your findings and/or a tree or chart can be very helpful. This will minimise the risk of duplicating earlier work. Please also indicate as precisely as possible what you are hoping to achieve, the problems you have encountered, or the questions you would like addressed. Again, this can range from the beginner's request to discover information about a grandparent's origins to a more advanced search of historical sources for an earlier generation. If you are unsure of anything, we are happy to provide some initial guidance and suggestions, on request. However, very detailed and time-consuming appraisals of large files of material, will only be undertaken as part of the GENEALOGY PLAN itself.

Once we have appraised your information and requirements, we can proceed to archival research. As indicated above, in some cases, certificates may first need to be obtained in order to ensure that we are basing the research firmly upon proven evidence. It is quite usual to carry out an initial archival search, analyse those results carefully, and then return to the archives again to develop the unfolding picture. Thereafter, we will report back. We aim to do so within ten to twelve weeks of accepting a commission, but more complicated cases may require longer. Reports can be sent by post or e-mail to suit your preference. Your confidentiality is respected - a GENEALOGY PLAN is carried out on your behalf and is not divulged to anyone else without your express permission or at your written request.

Our typed reports are clear and comprehensive. These:

* Explain what we have examined (whether the outcome is positive or negative);

* Discuss the leads we have discovered and pursued;

* Give precise documentary references;

* Provide careful analysis, setting the material in its historical context and relating it to your specific family or problem;

* Assess alternative interpretations and working hypotheses whenever the documents are ambiguous or present more than one potential candidate for an ancestor;

* Make suggestions for further research, if feasible, that can form the basis of a subsequent Research Plan. It is not unusual for genealogical research to extend over several commissions if ample material is available and a family has left many historical footprints.

By arrangement, copies of important items can be obtained (subject to the conservation rules of the various Record Offices) and are charged at cost. Subsequently, draft trees can also be produced and updated. They can also be supplied as GEDCOM files to import into your own Family History software.

It is important to be aware that genealogical searches can have negative as well as positive results. Sometimes the records that could elucidate your particular problem have simply not survived, are heavily damaged, or have faded so badly that they can no longer be deciphered. Sometimes there are gaps in parish registers, while given events may not have been entered due to clerical oversight. Instances occur where a person's place of birth is stated clearly in a census return, but there is no corresponding baptism in the named parish. A wider search of surrounding parishes and in different classes of document may then be required in the hope of picking up the trail. There can be no guarantee in advance that this can be done successfully. You must therefore be prepared for the possibility of setbacks and of eventually confronting a dead end in a particular line of enquiry. Much effort may nonetheless have been expended exhausting the available sources on your behalf. There is therefore no remission of fees even if a lengthy search has a minimal or negative outcome.

In certain exceptional cases we may decide after an initial appraisal and short search that the commission is not viable. This can happen when a potential client has already carried out extensive research or another professional genealogist has concluded that a dead end has probably been reached. We will advise you accordingly and make a charge only for the time spent to that point. We also reserve the right to decline a commission request at the outset.

NEW FOR 2007!!! By request we are introducing a tiered system for our popular GENEALOGY PLANS, which were hitherto only available in 10-hour blocks. We are now offering plans for 7, 10, 12 or 15 hours of professional work. Certain economies of scale mean that, as with the rising discount in our basic RESEARCH WORK fees, the larger plans are more cost-effective for our valued clients.

For current GENEALOGY PLAN fees, please see Payment Details.  To order a GENEALOGY PLAN, please complete the Commissioning Form.