It depends how far you have got. If you have researched beyond your great grandparents then you do not, but you will need to supply us with all the information you have ascertained thus far preferably in GEDCOM format or in an easy to follow WORD document. It is imperative that you supply all the sources you have checked in detail including dates and reference numbers.
  If you have started your family tree and have only got as far as your great grandparents you will need to purchase a package and complete the Application Form. The form only covers information as far as your grandparents, but once you receive the confirmation you will have an opportunity to supply details about the next generation.

Yes we can. Under the terms of the Contract of Sale, Complete Family Trees may be split if required by a certain date and the research is deemed uncompleteable by that date by UKfamilyrecords.com and its partners. A fee is payable if the research exceeds the maximum research time of seven months plus, when no priority fee has been added to the cost of research. The results of the research will be presented formally and any new information will be presented in an Addendum at the end of research.

Under the terms of the Contract of Sale customers can split research if:
a. Splitting the tree was decided during the initial consultation and a further fee of £70 has been submitted;
b. UKfamilyrecords.com and its partners are given One Month's notice in advance of the specified date and a further fee of £70 is submitted within 7 days.

We use standard genealogical techniques as well as some we have developed of our own; these include using records readily available in the public domain. Research should be a scientific process and never reliant on indexes, presumption or oral history exclusively, wherever possible we will consult original resources. This may mean that in comparison to other Genealogists we will probably take longer to compile a family tree, but it will be accurate - you must weigh up accuracy against a quick turnaround.
   If we approach research as an evidence gathering exercise it should be based on the following basic tenets:
Accuracy (as already mentioned), competence, interpretation, linkage, evidence, proof. It should preferably consist of evidence gathered from records that provide linkage that overlaps at least two primary sources. Many family trees that claim to project ancestry back beyond 1700 fail to convince due to the lack of quality evidence to prove linkage incontrovertably and are at best 'conjectural'.

We will start from a fixed point in time, it might be your birth or the births of your parents or grandparents; from that point we will begin searching through the records acquiring evidence to project your family tree back as far as possible. From the data we have gathered will begin to compile a family tree based on the evidence we have amassed proving linkage between the generations, until in the end we hope to have names, dates and places of forebears.
   This information will be entered into a computer program that will generate family charts and reports based on the data so you can see at a glance who your ancestors are.
   In a standard package you will receive family charts showing your ancestors, a narrative report describing the generations in your family, their names, dates of birth or baptism, their husbands or wives, their children, their occupations etc. You will also receive a research report outlining the steps undertaken to complete the tree and introducing you to your ancestors on a more personal level. Included will be Surname Distribution Maps (if viable), Parish Maps, Source Lists, Appendices that may indicate other occurrences of your name and copies of original documents or certified copies of certificates. For more information on documents see the FAQ for What documents will I receive?
  If you have opted for one of our Deluxe packages your report will be bound or comb-bound and will include all of the above plus your own photos, stories and family legends.
For even further information please see the Product Description of each individual package.

Note: Please be aware that contents vary from customer to customer and are dependant upon the success of the research.

The unanswerable question! This is similar to 'How long will it take?' and for the same reason it is difficult to be precise when one is dealing with something so unpredictable! The magic of genealogy is that it is so impractical, one never knows what one will get because like it or not we are dealing with human nature, i.e. the unpredictability of our ancestors.
   With this in mind (and with experience), we can safely say that each project we research will have a different cost per family even though the research may bring us back to the same point in time.
   Rather than ask us the question 'How much will it cost?' you should be asking yourself 'How much can I afford'? £100 for one customer may only get them back three generations, but for another customer five generations. However, as a rule of thumb and as a general guidance we like to suggest £100 per surname per 100 years (from yourself), though this is never guaranteed; it may be the case that we can do more or less for the said amount.
   This suggested amount is only for the research and standard reports (see What will I receive?), there are optional extras that you can add to the package for gift purposes or for your own personal satisfaction.
   You will discover when you view the product page that their are pricing suggestions linked to research durations, you can pick and choose costs using our flexible pricing scheme for the best price and turnaround time

For genealogical purposes we divide the family up into four surnames: your paternal grandfather's surname (it may have been the name you were born with), your paternal grandmother's surname, your maternal grandfather's surname (could be your mother's maiden name), your maternal grandmother's surname.
   Research 'per surname' will include one of the above names, two surname research will include two of the above and so on. If we're researching one surname, say your paternal grandfather it does not mean we completely ignore all the wives along the line, they are included too, just not in great detail.
   If you want all your grandparents researched then you should choose a four surname research package.

See 'How much will it cost?' for general hysteria on this subject! Seriously, it is a hard question to answer and one we generally get completely wrong.
Imagine.... you have been asked to find some information for a thesis you are writing. You are told to look for a certain book that may contain the information you need, but you know very little about the book or where to look for it. Your best bet is to go to the library, so you trot on down to your local under-used library, but you are unsure where to start because it could be in any one of a number of catagories. You can use the catalogue to locate the book, so you try searching and get a number of hits - which one is it you ask yourself? You note down the class numbers, you go to the shelves, it's not there or it's not the correct book! When you do find it you have to search through it for the right information. Is it the information you require or is it a wild goose chase? Is the information easily understood? Is the book damaged at the point where it gets juicy? Is it abbreviated? In another language? Is it just a reference to another book, so you have to start the search all over again!
Now sit down, take a deep breath and ask yourself, 'Could I have predicted in advance exactly how long that search would have taken me?'
No, you could not, there are too many variables that cannot be accounted for or anticipated in advance, for instance when you get to the library someone might already be looking at the book you want - how long are you prepared to wait?

So you can imagine that we have a very extensible standard turnaround time of seven-twelve months, but research could be completed a lot quicker or it may take a lot longer (in fact months longer) - it is not set in stone and you will be required to be very flexible. You can pay for a faster service and if research is required for a special day such as a birthday, we recommend you Split Research.
  Remember that traditionally Family Trees were a lifelong hobby (I started mine in 1985 and I am still doing it) and should not be rushed, if you have not given your researcher enough time to complete research for a Gift Day then you should have a back-up plan. Never exert pressure upon a Genealogist simply because you have not planned in advance, they are only trying to complete a job accurately and professionally.
  You should also note that we dictate the conditions of sale and you can never dictate research times and delivery of the product to us. You should make sure you understand what to expect before you purchase any research and if you disagree with our conditions of sale in any way, you should not proceed.

The questions we get asked the most are: 'How long does it take?', 'How much will it cost?' and 'How far back can you go?' - all generally unanswerable because of the nature of historical research, it's a lottery. Dip your hand in, you might get lucky, you might not, but it will be fun finding out.
  Are you a risk taker? Can you imagine spending a lot of money finding out absolutely nothing! That is a very strong possibility. You trace your great-grandfather all the way back to 1882 only to find out he was adopted, well that could be it for your research - unlikely to have a change of name record and certainly no adoption register until the 1920s. You might have to draw a line under that one.
  Alternatively, you trace your great-grandfather back to some timeless backwater village and his family have been there since 1662. Bingo! You're quids in.

So ask the question again, how far back can you go? Answer: as far as possible. However, don't let some blathering buffoon on an Internet forum convince you it is possible to trace your ancestry back to some Roman General or even better the Twelve Tribes of Israel! In some extroadinary cases this could happen, but in most instances such claims are without any genuine proof whatsoever and Family Trees are worthless without proof - it's golddust.

"Expenses" can be described as:

Time spent researching persons or person, subject or notion; travel expenses to and from record offices, or to and from information offices, or to and from all places relevant to research; general admin costs e.g. writing or telephoning on behalf of customer; acquiring copies of documents through photocopying or scanning; ordering microfilms relevant to research; ordering books or any other type of document relevant to research; hiring sub-contractors or agents in preference to travelling to far away geographic locations; sub-contractor or agents fees; analysing results; summing up results in a social and historical context; supplying photos and maps; writing and designing Report of Findings; print costs; postal costs.

*As deemed by UKfamilyrecords.com and its partners as "unresearchable", having explored all possible avenues of research first.

Customers can make applications for certain types of research to be undertaken, this must be completed by the end of the initial consultation period. When the consultation period has been completed all research methods, decisions and practices will be decided by us UKfamilyrecords.com and its partners. Under no circumstances will customers be allowed to:

a. Dictate research methods;
b. Replicate the same research at the same time as UKfamilyrecords.com and its partners.
If customers wish to guide their research using a professional to supply them with documents,  they will require a Record Agent.

UKfamilyrecords.com and its partners will cover all costs and correct any mistakes it has made when creating a Report of findings bound or unbound, including any typing or transcription errors.
If you send us information about your current family to be included in a report and it proves to be incorrect, you are responsible for covering all costs involved in making the correction. This is particularly relevant to those buying Complete Family Trees, who need to complete Application Forms about their parents and their grandparents origins, much of which we do not check. If we did spend time confirming this information then not much money would be spent building a customer's family tree, in fact we would end up telling them what they already know!
In some circumstances we will check the information if it appears to be sketchy and possibly in error, other than that we will not check unless specifically requested to do so.
The new fee for correcting errors made by the customer is £45.00. All costs will be covered by us if the error is ours.

This is a type of research that best sums up the term 'Family Tree' as explained below:

'A summary, in chart form, of what is known about a male-line descent from a common ancestor...it must be emphasised that a family tree is only a summary, useful as a visual aid; it is valueless unless confirmed by reference to the original documentary evidence on which it is based.' (Source, A Dictionary of Genealogy by Terrick V H Fitzhugh)

It meets the requirements of most individuals researching their ancestry allowing them to accumulate basic facts about their ancestors, their names, dates of birth, marriages, children, occupations, religion etc. Contrary to this we can produce Family Trees concerning female lines as well; naturally all our research comes with original documentary evidence and not just charts but our bonus narratives as well. More ambitious researchers may wish to try Indepth Research (Family History) or start with the Standard Family Tree and move onto Indepth Research eventually.

This can be a very rewarding route to Family Research, but requires great patience and a very large budget. The possible project duration is lengthy perhaps numbering many years and should be considered a long term hobby, it can be best described as the following:

'...[It] applies specifically to biographical research into one's forebears with the object of compiling a narrative history of the family...a family history should place the members of the family in their historical, geographical, social and occupational contexts, and describes their activities and the lives they lived'. (Source,  A Dictionary of Genealogy by Terrick V H Fitzhugh)

It is not necessary to undertake this type of research - standard research should meet most customers requirements - however to best get to know ones ancestors completely, understand their lives, motives and to know something about what it may have been like to live when they did, this would be without a doubt the most satisfying. It is quite possible to learn about their social status, their sporting prowess, their artistic tendencies, their school grades, their political allegiances, the charities they supported, who they took to court and so on, the list could be endless.

Birth certificates, Marriage certificates - (GRO certified copies, not original church (or chapel, registry etc.) entries - these do not contain original signatures of the couple or witnesses. However GRO certificates are preferred because they are quicker and easier to acquire), Death certificates, Wills, Administrations, Grants of Probate and Estate Duty Records, Census Records, Baptism entries from original church registers, Marriage entries from original church registers prior to 1837 with original signatures, Burials, Army Records - i.e. Attestation Papers, Pensions, Muster Pay Lists, Other occupational records such as those of men who served with the Metropolitan Police, Newspaper entries, Obituaries, and any other type of document that may provide vital information about your family.

Please note that documents will vary from customer to customer.

This is fine, you are under no obligation to purchase a tree if you do not want to continue at this point. If you have made a payment you must inform us within 24 hours of receiving the Confirmation from us or if you are paying by cheque and have submitted the Application, you must inform us as soon as possible. You can cancel at any time prior to receiving a Confirmation.

It is courtesy to let us know you are cancelling, you do not have to give us any reasons, but we need to know so that your place in the research schedule can be allocated to someone else.

All unbound items are sent Recorded Delivery and all bound items are sent Special Delivery. Packages that have no Add-on Reports (e.g. Unbound) are placed in special felt presentation folders and put in either plastic Post Safe Envelopes or padded bags. Any bound items will be dispatched in document boxes, Post Safe Envelopes or padded bags depending upon size. You will need to sign for all Package deliveries from us.

We will inform you of any difficulties we may have with the research, but we will continue until every possible avenue has been explored; if after this time we still cannot solve the problem you will receive a Refund (See, Will I get a refund if you cannot complete my research?)

If you require the results that have been achieved thus far urgently, you might like to consider Splitting Your Tree.