STAFFORDSHIRE ANCESTRY RESEARCH SERVICES

SUE GILL
Professional Researcher for Staffordshire Family History & Genealogy

SERVICES and COSTS

Ancestry Research
Location Photography
Consultation & Planning Service
Transcription Service

 

(1) Ancestry Research

I specialize in Staffordshire research, and offer a comprehensive research service using traditional archive searching skills as well as taking advantage of modern information technology.

  • I can search the archives for a particular piece of information ...
  • ... or carry out a full family history search, trying to find your ancestral lines at all levels. I will use my local knowledge and search sources that put 'leaves on the tree' and give you a more detailed picture of your family and its location.

Examples of records held at the Staffordshire Record Office / William Salt Library (Stafford):

  • Church registers for christenings, marriages, banns & burials, 1539-2000+
  • National Civil Registration Indexes (GRO) for births, marriages and deaths, 1837-1900
  • Staffordshire census returns (every 10 years 1841-1901)
  • National 1881 census returns
  • Soldiers who died in WW1 and WW2 (CD-ROM)
  • Indexes to Wills for Staffordshire, and parts of Shropshire, Derbyshire and Warwickshire, 1521-1858
  • Quarter Sessions: including Land Tax Returns, Calendars of Prisoners, Alehouse Licenses, Gamekeeper lists
  • Electoral Registers
  • Monumental (Gravestone) Inscriptions
  • Maps, trade directories, local history books, photographs and prints

Your Report
This is confidential, and will contain:

  • detailed results from all records searched (positive and negative results), including confirmed family links
  • ideas for further research & recommendations about best value approaches

Research Costs
I charge £24 per hour for work at the Staffordshire Record Office, the William Salt Library (Stafford), or visiting locations up to 10 miles away.
No extra charges are made for travelling time or travelling expenses to these places.

The rate includes:

  • planning of the research
  • the research work itself
  • creating your report
  • suggestions for further research

Additional costs to the above rate:

  • extra mileage & travelling time for places over 10 miles away (ask for further details). Click on Multimap for Staffordshire locations
  • photocopies, microform printouts, certificates
  • postage, phone calls etc.

Advance Payment

For new clients, I require an advance payment of at least 2 hours for the first research request. If I do not use the full amount sent, you can choose whether to have a refund of the surplus funds, or request further research.

For methods of payment, see ‘How to Pay’.

Controlling the Cost

You always have control!
Often it is not possible to estimate how long a search will take, as genealogical research can be open-ended. Sometimes documents may be damaged & difficult to read, and most are not indexed. Therefore, please include a time limit or budget limit.

Waiting Time

I appreciate that clients find their family history exciting and want their results as soon as possible, so I will book an appointment at the Record Office as soon as I receive your instructions & payment.

Visits outside Staffordshire can be made by arrangement.

 

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(2) Location Photography

I can take photographs of the Staffordshire churches where your ancestors were married, christened their children, or were buried. I will take photos of churchyards and monumental inscriptions on tombstones. You might like photos of the street, village or town where your family lived.

Costs: Charges are the same as for ancestry research, with additional costs for materials.

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(3) Consultation & Planning Service:
‘How do I start?’ or ‘Where do I go next?’

If you want to research your Staffordshire family history yourself, but don't know how to begin, or you've found that the trail has gone cold, tell me what you want to find, and what the problem is.

Send full details of what information you have so far, and the sources that you have already searched (see the Guidelines in 'Frequently Asked Questions'). I will advise you on how to get started (or the next steps to take). Where possible, I will suggest sources that could be searched, and their whereabouts in the UK.

Costs: Charges are at the same rate per hour as for ancestry research

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(4)Transcription Service

If you have difficulty reading old English documents, such as wills, I can transcribe the old 'Secretary Hand' writing for you, revealing information that might lead to new sources to search.

Costs: Hourly rates as for ancestry research.

 

Please browse round my Website for further details of my Research Services...

Home  My Skills  Services & Costs  FAQs  How to Pay  OrderForm  Links

Sue Gill, BSc(Hons), Cert. Loc. Hist. (Keele)

Mrs S. Gill, 9 Malory Close, Stone, Staffordshire, ST15 0JQ, UK
Email: stars@launchpoint.demon.co.uk

 

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© Copyright. Page created 27 Oct 2001; updated January 2008