The Most Frequently Asked Questions

How far do you generally go back?

• Generally I go back as far as I can go, each family is different, but record keeping and genealogies in Jamaica can go back to 1655, the date of the English invasion of Jamaica. Older records do go back to the Spanish Colonial era and can be located in our local repositories.

For example if I wanted to trace both sides of the family?

• Two lines are admissible under the current 14 hour fee, however after that additional lines carry additional hours.

Do you provide a report for us to take?

• A Report is provided, outlining all the findings, source of documentation and a Sketch Lineage chart, if you wish me to expand the report further into a book then that would have a specialty fee applied based on the quantity of time it would take to format the book.

Will's and deed's are they included or a separate charge?

• All Will's and deed's are copied at a separate charge, and are subject to changes that are beyond my control, as they are the fees charged by the institutions and archival repositories. These charges are calculated and included under your expenses.

If I pay for two separate 14 hour segments of research, is that generally sufficient to identify/locate a few generations back?

• As long as there are no significant research difficulties encountered this is enough time to yield several generations back, however you would be told of the difficulties encountered in each report.

How long can a project take from start to conclusion?

• Each project will have its own unique challenges, these will impact on the deliverable date, Genealogical Research and Historical Research are very different types of research, because of the differences, timelines will differ, and this is not wholly within the control of the Researcher. 

How dedicated will you be in unearthing my genealogy/ family history?

• We will endeavour to overturn every stone and delve into every type of document in an attempt to find your ancestors.

What information should I provide to get the ball rolling?

• Every client has the obligation to provide all pertinent information which they have in their possession to the Researcher, however if you have the date of birth, date of death and age of the death, and place of birth along with the full given name of your ancestor or the person being used as your starting point, which could be as recent as yourself and your parents, that's good too