My Research

Your Family History

Maybe you are just starting out to investigate your family’s history and really are not sure what to do first. Maybe you want to find the ancestral origin of one of your immigrant ancestors. Or maybe you have done extensive research but have that one “brick wall” that needs to be broken through. I would be thrilled to assist you with any type of family history research. I specialize in Scandinavian and German research.

I begin with a free consultation by email, phone, or mail. From this I can better understand your needs and we can develop your expected research goals.

I will provide you with a Research Agreement that will include an estimated time and cost for your project, along with agreed upon project goals. Once you sign the agreement and provide half of the agreed upon cost upfront, your project begins. Any unexpected cost will be agreed upon before added to the agreement, so there are no surprises. Once full payment is received, I will send the final Research Report.

A Research Report will typically include:

  • Report of my findings and conclusions,
  • Copies of relevant source materials (300 dpi scans/photos) with source citations,
  • Research Calendar of all sources researched,
  • Pedigree charts and family group sheets, and
  • Recommendations for further research.

Here is an example of a typical Research Report.

Document Retrieval

Perhaps you know exactly what you need, you have the full citation, but just cannot get to the Minnesota Historical Society or a courthouse in Minnesota. Or perhaps in-person research is needed before you can identify which specific document you need.  I can provide FAST and reasonably priced document retrieval. The cost will vary based on the repository, length of document, and amount of research (if any) needed to identify the document.

Lineage Society Applications

Membership in a lineage society, such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of Confederate Veterans, or The Swedish Colonial Society, is a goal for many people. But the application process can be difficult, requiring well-documented research and rigorous analysis. I have helped clients to achieve membership status with various lineage societies and I can negotiate through the most complex and difficult application processes. The amount of time required for the preparation and processing of lineage society applications depends on the particular society you are seeking membership with and the amount of existing research. I would be happy to discuss our options.

Historical Home Research

Names, dates, and places are the bare bones of family history research. But fleshing out the details of the lives of your ancestors is what brings them to life. One way to learn more about your family is to learn about the homes they lived in. Was it a Sears Catalog house delivered in pieces by train and assembled by your grandfather and grandmother? Was it part of a settlement created by a group of neighbors from the old country? Whether or not the original house still exists, there may be a significant amount of information to be learned about the home and to shed light on your family. This specialized research uses many different resources from typical genealogical research but can be richly rewarding.

I also have extensive experience at preparing National Register and state historical register applications. By the way, if you have a property that qualifies for registration, in some locations you may qualify for tax breaks for the maintenance of the property. Please contact me with any questions.

Heir Research

As a licensed attorney, with a deep understanding of genealogical resources, I am ideally suited to save you time and money ensuring due diligence is performed to identify potential heirs and documenting their relationships and ensuring that the documents include apostille stamps, as appropriate. Please contact me for additional information and fees.