Case Studies

Below are a few of the many successful research projects our genealogists have recently completed:

You can also view samples of our research reports.

Stubborn Brick Wall

Objective: Break through the brick wall of research in the client’s family tree.

Overview: The client wanted to extend his pedigree and find the parents of his last known ancestor, whom they knew was named Peter born in 1876.

Results:

  • We broke through the brick wall and extended the family tree back four generations.
  • We found a total of 65 people, the earliest dating back to a birth date in the 1790s.

Uncertain Family Tree

Objective: Review the client’s direct line to ensure accuracy of her family tree.

Overview: The client wanted us to examine research done by others to ensure that it was accurate. She also want to obtain more details concerning the birthplace and parents of the her great-great-grandfather.

Results:

  • We determined that the family tree was correctly researched and found sources to verify it, including the information provided for the client’s great-great-grandfather.
  • We increased the number of known ancestors from 14 to 107 people, an increase of over seven- fold.

Scant Information to Work From

Objective: Solve the mystery of who an ancestor was with scant information to work from.

Overview: An online undocumented source gave an ancestor’s name as simply Mary. The record said she had died in Wales, but all her children were born in Utah. The client wanted to find original records as much as possible to know more about Mary because he had no sourced information about her at all.

Results: We located the missing person and found that the undocumented source was incorrect. We searched five different record sets found at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City in order to verify birth, marriage, or death dates, as well as names of the parents. We solidified the foundation of the client-provided family tree by providing additional records and documents.
We often receive requests from clients who say, “Can you help me? I don’t have much information and I don’t know anything about the family.”
The answer to the above question is a resounding Yes! Despite the scant information our researchers sometimes receive, they almost always manage to locate the person they are seeking.

Establish a Military Connection

Objective: Establish a direct connection to Civil War ancestry.

Overview: The client wanted to verify and extend the maternal family tree, building a broad and balanced pedigree going back as far as possible within the time limit, looking for Civil War ancestors or possible Civil War connections throughout the research.

Results:

  • We determined that indeed one of the client’s direct ancestors served in the Civil War and documented that service.
  • We verified and solidified the first three generations of the maternal line prior to the clients’ generation.
  • We verified and strengthened and added to the fourth and fifth generations.
  • In total, we added three additional generations, both paternal and maternal.

Desire to Visit an Ancestor’s Birthplace

Objective: Determine the birthplace of the client’s great-grandparents so he could visit that area.

Overview: The client wanted to verify that the documents he had were relevant to his ancestors. He also wanted to determine whether his great-grandparents were indeed from Ireland, and if so, locate a more precise location in Ireland so that he could visit that area. He also wanted to determine the names of his great-great-grandparents and explain why his great-grandfather used his mother’s maiden name as his surname.

Results:

  • We identified and corrected several discrepancies in the client-provided documents.
  • We determined that the client’s grandmother was born in Dublin, Ireland, and provided several important places for the client to visit in Dublin to learn more about his family.
  • We determined that the client’s grandfather was born in Newfoundland, Canada, not Ireland.
  • We uncovered what we believe is the key reason that his great-grandfather shared the surname of his mother.
  • We verified the names of the client’s great-great-grandparents and offered several suggestions for future research to possibly extend his pedigree even further back in time.

Join an Organization

Objective: Determine whether the client qualifies for DAR membership.

Overview: The client wanted to extend her family tree and determine whether any of her ancestors qualified her for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution organization.

Results:

  • We determined that the client did indeed qualify for membership eligibility with the Daughters of the American Revolution.
  • We extended the family tree back three generations.
  • We discovered 43 additional documents relating to the client’s family from 1784 through 1865. These included deeds, bills of sale, records of legal proceedings, tax records, census forms, letters, wills, and photographs.

Get a Passport

Objective: Determine whether the client qualifies for an Irish passport.

Overview: The client wanted to determine whether he had Irish ancestry, as family rumors suggested, thereby qualifying him for an Irish passport. He also wanted to extend his pedigree, through both his father’s and mother’s lines (birth and adoptive) to reveal his family roots.

Results:

  • We determined that the client does indeed have Irish ancestry, which was through the client’s great-great-grandfather, who was born in Ireland in 1831.
  • We determined that the client most likely does not meet the Irish government’s requirements to qualify for an Irish passport. We explained the options to meet eligibility.
  • We extended the client’s pedigree on both his father’s and mother’s lines (both birth and adoptive) including three sets of his great-great-grandparents on his father’s side and two sets of great-great-grandparents on his adoptive mother’s side.