Why Should I Pay for Things that are free on the Internet?...

Don't!.. There is so much free stuff on the Internet that I urge you to make full use of it. However (there is always a however) how do you know that it is actually based on sound facts and not a figment of somebody's fertile imagination? Even genealogists make mistakes! I strongly advise everyone to be very skeptical about what you see on any Internet site as it is so easy to see the same myths and errors being proliferated again and again. Especially beware when people say that you can do your family history on the Internet in a day - I can assure you that you cannot. Even authentic websites like the Mormon's International Genealogical Index (IGI) has become devalued over the years by the amount of non-factual information put on it.

The only way to be sure is to check all information against relevant and original records, some of which are online, much of which is not. Often just knowing what information is around and how to access can be off putting.

You can of course if you wish, employ a professional genealogist for all or part of your researches. There are many good ones around, look for those who are AGRA members. These people don't come cheap of course, so expect to pay a basic hourly rate of £15-£40 an hour and expenses for travel, subscriptions, certificates etc. A well known and respected genealogist on the Internet currently offers a basic family tree back to 1837 for £290 plus certificates. Always make sure that you specify a maximum cost limit or else it can get very, very expensive.

The other, much more interesting way is to do it yourself, especially for the beginner who probably can sketch at least two or three generations out off the top of their head for starters. That is why this website has been created; not to do all your research for you (unless you want of course!), but to help and guide you so that you spend your time and money as efficiently as possible. It does this by a series of online basic guides on the right supplemented by an optional paid-for personal service.

Please feel free to get in contact!