DNA Research Services:
Traditional Research Services:
- DNA consultation: I can advise you on which DNA test to take with which testing company, in order to answer your research question.
- DNA testing strategy: I can look at your family tree and advise you on "targeted" testing; figuring out who else in your family to test in order to solve brick wall problems.
- Downloading and transferring raw data: I can walk you through the steps of downloading your raw data from Ancestry or 23andme and uploading to FamilyTreeDNA or GedMatch.
- Unknown parents: if you or your parents were adopted or were donor-conceived, I can analyze your matches, suggest further testing with other companies, and write up my conclusions in plain English.
- Working with tools such as DNAPainter, GenomeMatePro, and DNAGedcom, I can do deeper analysis into segment and chromosome data, correlating your matches.
- Working with genealogy databases such as Ancestry and FamilySearch, and online directories and social media, I can trace your matches' families back to your most recent common ancestor.
Traditional Research Services:
- Genealogy and Family History Research, specializing in the United States, England, Scotland and Ireland. At the end of your research time you will receive a completely source-cited report with my analysis and conclusions, with images of all documents cited in the report and suggestions for further research. See Sample Documents.
- Working with subcontractors in other locations (Salt Lake City Family History Library, National Archives in Washington, D.C., and local archives and county courthouses all over the world) to retrieve records that are not online.
- Record retrieval in local repositories such as the Tacoma Public Library Northwest Room, the Washington State Library, and the Washington State Archives. This includes court records, obituaries (from newspapers on microfilm not yet digitized), vital records and naturalization records.
Research: finding records online and offline
I have been doing research online since 1989, when Ancestry.com was in its infancy. Working as a reference librarian for two public library systems, I became familiar with websites and databases that yielded important information for people interested in family history. I'm now an expert in online resources, and have written and lectured about the vast array of resources that are available at the click of a mouse button.
Contrary to popular opinion, the vast majority of genealogically valuable records are NOT online! As well as researching for your family online, I also have a network of colleagues and researchers across the US and internationally, who are ready to pull and examine records that are not available online. These may include crumbling papers in dusty courthouses, wills and probate records on microfilm at the Family History Library, and Civil War pension records or War of 1812 Bounty Land records at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
Whatever you need to prove a family line, I will figure out a way to get it!
Contrary to popular opinion, the vast majority of genealogically valuable records are NOT online! As well as researching for your family online, I also have a network of colleagues and researchers across the US and internationally, who are ready to pull and examine records that are not available online. These may include crumbling papers in dusty courthouses, wills and probate records on microfilm at the Family History Library, and Civil War pension records or War of 1812 Bounty Land records at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
Whatever you need to prove a family line, I will figure out a way to get it!
Records That Are Not Online
Here is a small sample of some of the records that you won't find online:
Research Policies and Fee Schedule:
What I charge, for the most part, depends on what it is you want me to do for you.
Research Services: this is the heart of what I love to do best, and that is the research! In order for me to be an effective researcher into your family history, the following conditions must be met:
1. There needs to be a specific goal, with an agreed upon number of hours. Costs for additional records will be explained and agreed upon in advance.
2. I will need to examine all previous research that has been done, by you or by another researcher. This saves you time and money.
3. There is a 10 hour minimum for all research projects. This allows me to review previous research, formulate a research plan, do the research, analyze the records found, and write a complete report.
Please contact me for a consultation and evaluation of your research needs. My work includes creating a research plan and writing a complete source-cited report with images of all sources and discussion of conflicting or indirect evidence. All reports and images will be delivered electronically, by email or DropBox.
What I charge, for the most part, depends on what it is you want me to do for you.
Research Services: this is the heart of what I love to do best, and that is the research! In order for me to be an effective researcher into your family history, the following conditions must be met:
1. There needs to be a specific goal, with an agreed upon number of hours. Costs for additional records will be explained and agreed upon in advance.
2. I will need to examine all previous research that has been done, by you or by another researcher. This saves you time and money.
3. There is a 10 hour minimum for all research projects. This allows me to review previous research, formulate a research plan, do the research, analyze the records found, and write a complete report.
Please contact me for a consultation and evaluation of your research needs. My work includes creating a research plan and writing a complete source-cited report with images of all sources and discussion of conflicting or indirect evidence. All reports and images will be delivered electronically, by email or DropBox.
All content (c) Claudia Breland, 2024