Family History Journey in England

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How much information do you need to draw up my Victorian family tree?

We can probably begin with the full name of your English-born ancestor/s, together with their place and date of birth. (If they were born before 1838, you need to request pre-Victorian research through our Research Services above.) If your ancestor was known by other names please indicate these too - we will automatically check for variant spellings of first name and surname. If you are unsure of the accuracy of the information you have, just let us know.

Additional information, if you have it, that helps us to identify your ancestor/s: names, and approximate birth places and dates, of any known brothers and sisters; who your ancestor/s married, when and where, and any known names and approximate birth places and dates of their children; if they left England, when did they leave; if and when any other research has been conducted into your ancestor/s; any stories about their family and life in England - even if they might not be true!

The more information you can give us, the more quickly we can deliver the results to you - and will help us to avoid duplicating what you already know.

Can you guarantee that you will find my ancestors?

Unfortunately, the answer is that no, success cannot be guaranteed. For a wide variety of possible reasons, it may be that we can find no trace. That said, it is unusual to find nothing at all in the civil Victorian records, and we will research them all from every possible angle. In the event that no trace can be found, we will provide you with a full research report to indicate where we have looked, and make suggestions for what can be done together with the probabilities of their success.

How accurate will the tree be? How do I know that the names and people on the tree are my ancestors?

You will always receive a full research report and copies of all the sources consulted. You will be able to see if there are questions, doubts or alternatives available. It can be difficult to distinguish between one person born with the same name or in the same place or at the same time as another, and you will be able to see how and why one may be more likely to be right and another wrong. Genealogy is often a question of evaluating the evidence in order to draw conclusions. Even official documents may be inaccurate for one reason or another: the person concerned may have given wrong information, for example, if they didn't know their information was wrong (even about a date or place of birth) or if they were trying to hide their true age or origins (and they may had their reasons) - or it may just have been a sloppy official. Family History Journey offer the experience and knowledge to think tangentially to solve these problems.

How long will it take?

Family History Tree packages take, on average, 6-10 weeks to complete. If it will take any longer, we will let you know as quickly as possible. It make take longer, for example, to obtain birth or marriage certificates from national or country registry offices if these offices experience a surge in requests. It can be difficult to predict until we have begun the research, but if you have a deadline, please do let us know at the outset. Whilst every effort will be made to meet your deadline, we cannot however guarantee it. Pre-Victorian and archival research will depend on the availability of the resources available, and how many places we need to look in.

I want to find out more about a particular ancestor, can you help?

We certainly can help. You can use are Biography package on the Family History Tree page if your ancestor was living in Victorian England. We can research their places of birth, residence and death, and their life: their education, occupation, marriage, and descendents. We can provide an historical context to their life and work for you. If they lived in pre-Victorian England, please use the Research Service page and we will research all of the above - it may just take a little longer.

What do I get for my money?

You will receive the services of a dedicated family historian who will research your ancestor/s using civil birth and marriage records and census returns. You will receive a full research report detailing their work on your behalf, and copies of each source certificate and census used. You will, of most importance to you, receive a Family Tree charting your ancestry: the names, dates and places of birth of your ancestors, so that you can see who they all were at a glance. We will also make suggestions for further research, which you can then persue yourself or ask us to persue.

How far back can you go with my family tree? What historical period do the Family Tree Packages cover?

The Family Tree packages explore your ancestry and heritage in Victorian England using civil birth and marriage certificates and census records. These records were not available before the Victorian era. Births and marriages were first recorded in September 1837 (but were not immediately compulsory), and the first national census taking was in 1841.

Before these dates, baptisms, marriages and burials were recorded in parish churches, and although there were a few parish-wide (parochial) censuses, they did not always record the name of even a head of household, never mind all members of the households. Parish records are usually kept in the nearest county records office. Although there are numerous professional and voluntary efforts to make the contents of these parish records more widely available, they are still only sporadically available.