I am an avid family history researcher or, as Arnold Schwarzenegger might say, ‘I am the dead rel hunter’. 😀
I first became intrigued with my family history when one of Mum’s cousins back in England sent a copy of the tree he’d created. I was about 12 at the time and it fascinated me – I loved the visual representation of my heritage and being able to see the links to the people Mum talked about.
Fast forward several decades (and many iterations in technology!) and I joined Ancestry.com to begin my own hunt. A few years later I had my DNA tested and that really helped me begin discovering my roots. I now have over 7,500 people on my family tree, an Ancestry tree rating of 9.2 out of 10, and DNA matches everywhere. I also have a couple of dead ends here and there that I’m still working on, so the challenge never leaves!
But enough about me. How about you? Are you interested in researching your family history? Don’t know where to start? Not enough time? The technology too much for you? Maybe I can help!
How does it work?
Reach out to me via the Contact form here and let me know that you’d like help building your family tree. I’ll get back to you with some detailed instructions, but the simple steps will be:
- You will need an Ancestry account if you don’t already have one. This can be a free account – you don’t have to have a paid subscription.
- You will need to have your DNA tested via Ancestry if you haven’t already done so. You will have access to purchase the DNA test kit once you create your Ancestry account. This is a simple ‘spit in a tube’ test which can be mailed back to Ancestry for processing. (Please note that your DNA test is a separate cost paid directly to Ancestry and is not part of the research package I am offering here.)
- I will send you some instructions on how to create a ‘starter tree’ so that you are the ‘owner’ of the tree rather than me, as tree ownership can’t be transferred.
- I will also send you some instructions on how to share your DNA results with me (via our Ancestry accounts).
- I will ask you to provide some basic details about yourself, parent(s) and grandparents so that I start with the most likely ‘true’ facts available.
- I begin building your tree by adding the facts you provide and then validating those where I can via your DNA matches and whatever documents I can find online.
- The aim will be to validate the links back to your great-grandparents at least.
- I will add other people along the way, such as your cousins, aunts, uncles and second cousins, and possibly some great-great grandparents, where DNA matches bring these to light. These wider links will help validate the research, too.
- I will ask you to be open-minded about the results and accept that we don’t know what we will or won’t discover until I start digging.
- Once the initial work has been done, the choice is all yours! You can:
- rescind my access to your DNA results and your tree and take over the research yourself; or
- rescind my access to your DNA results and your tree and leave your tree as it stands; or
- leave me with access to your DNA results and your tree and engage me for additional blocks of time (minimum 3 hours per block at my current hourly rate) to keep researching, as and when you like.
Starter package
My Dead Rel Hunting Starter package is $880. (I am not currently registered for GST, so this is ex-GST.) This covers a maximum of 3 hours for admin, onboarding and communication (questions, updates etc), and a minimum of 8 hours for researching.
The main aim will be to build your initial tree with a minimum of 15 people as follows:
- You as the core person (1 person)
- Your parents (2 people)
- Your grandparents (4 people)
- Your great-grandparents (8 people)
As I build I will be adding cousins, aunts and uncles across the various generations as well, validating these with whatever official documents I can find. These will enable me to link to more of your DNA matches and verify some of the above branches.
The second aim is to maintain an Ancestry minimum tree rating of 9 out of 10, so that you can be confident that the documents and links are as reliable as possible. I can’t guarantee this as I don’t know what information I will or won’t be able to validate until the time comes, but a minimum 9 out of 10 rating will be the aim.
How do you get started and how long does it take?
Once you reach out and we agree to proceed, I’ll send you an invoice. Once it’s paid in full and I have access to your DNA test, I’ll start as soon as possible – usually within a fortnight at the most.
The initial research, depending on whatever else I have on at the time, should be completed within two-four weeks. I may have some questions as we go along – these will be emailed to you to ensure that we both keep track of the same information.
Please note that it’s not worth my while (or your money 😉 ) having me start work prior to your DNA results coming back. So if you haven’t yet ordered and returned your DNA test, you’ll need to allow roughly 8-10 weeks from ordering before I can start work.
What if I can’t trace one of your lines back to your great-grandparents?
If I can’t confidently trace any of the minimum 15 people listed above (excluding yourself, of course!), I will refund you $25* for each one I can’t trace. By ‘can’t confidently trace’, that means I can’t find supporting documents to validate their existence in your lineage, and/or I can’t find a DNA connection to that same ancestor. (* Please note that if you’ve received a discount on your Starter package, then that same percentage discount will apply to any refund.)
Having said that, it is also feasible that I may be able to add some great-great-grandparents in one line or another, depending on your DNA matches and other information available. So a dead end in one line doesn’t mean a ‘stop’ in another line – I will be validating and adding as many connections as I can over the research period. The above 15 family members listed are the minimum I will be aiming for.
As you can see here, I’m still trying to validate one of my own paternal great-grandfathers (Edward James Butler). I strongly suspect that he was left on the doorstep of a church in Ireland and raised by adoptive parents, but that hasn’t stopped me tracking down the rest of my great-gandparents, and many of my great-great grandparents (and further back) in my other lines:
What if you’ve already started building your tree on Ancestry?
That’s okay – I’m happy to have a look and see what work might be required to take it further.
If your tree is too large to qualify for the Starter package, then you can book me for a minimum of three hours at a time to work on it.
- If your tree is a ‘public’ tree on Ancestry, then send me a link to your tree via the Contact form here, let me know what your aims are, and then we can discuss what options might be suitable for you.
- If your tree is a ‘private’ tree, then let me know that, plus what your aims are, via the Contact form here. I’ll send instructions on how to share your tree with me so that we can then discuss what options might be suitable for you.
Your privacy
I am a sole trader, so I don’t outsource your work to anyone – I do it all myself.
All communications will be between the two of us only, unless you instruct me otherwise.
Any living people added to your tree will be marked as such and so will have their details hidden in Ancestry – only you and I will be able to see them.
If you wish, I can set your entire tree to be ‘Private’ so that other people on Ancestry will be unable to see most details. However, any photos uploaded or documents linked to, may be accessible to other people, depending on how the information is added.
I will send you instructions on how to remove my access to both your tree and your DNA results once you’re happy to move to that next step.
Why Ancestry?
As I’ve worked on Ancestry for nearly two decades, learning another system is not worth it for me now. So with apologies in advance, but if you don’t have an account with Ancestry, there’s not much I can do to help. 🙁
Please also note that I do NOT receive any kickbacks or financial return from using Ancestry or for mentioning them on my website here.
Are you ready to start?
Get the ball rolling via my Contact page here. Let me know that you’re interested in building your family tree on Ancestry and any particular research interest you might have there, and I’ll get back to you generally within two working days.
Please note that all quotes are obligation-free and I don’t pick up the phone to hassle you into signing up. The choice is always yours whether to proceed or not. But in the hope that you do proceed …
I look forward to helping you with your dead rel hunting!