Services

Hunting Forebears offers a full range of genealogical services, specializing in Texas and the Gulf Coast states, but willing to follow the records wherever they may lead. Some of the services I provide include:

  • Genealogical Research
    • Traditional genealogical research for a particular family line, to determine kinship, document migration patterns, or simply to know more about your ancestors.
  • Forensic Genealogy
    • Forensic genealogy is genealogical research, analysis, and reporting in cases that have legal implications. This includes:
      • Locating unknown and missing heirs in probate and estate cases;
      • Providing identification of persons in land title, oil and gas royalties, and beneficiaries of trusts, civil pensions, and insurance benefits;
      •  Locating unknown family for deceased individuals for medical examiners and coroners;
      • Use of DNA and genetic genealogy to locate an adoptee’s biological family;
      • Use of DNA to locate perpetrators of violent crimes (murder, rape), and identify the remains of victims of violent crimes.
  • Consultation
    • Consulting services to review records obtained by people doing their own research to help them work through a brick wall, develop a further plan of research, and recommendation of further research, resources, and records to further their own research. I can also help them to determine if their research provides acceptable proof of their findings for professional genealogists or courts.
  • Lectures
    • Provide informative lectures on several different subjects, including humourous looks at genealogical research, breaking brick walls, African-American research, black sheep in the family, and several more.
  • Records Location
    • Search and locate specific records such as civil records, census, births, deaths, immigration, military service, church records, land transactions, cemetery records, and tombstones.
  • Photography
    • Locate and photograph places of interest, tombstones, historic homes, businesses, or anything else that may assist you in your research

There are certain expectations you should have of a professional genealogist, which are done by Hunting Forebears. Among these are/should be:

  1. A written agreement between you and the genealogist that outlines the work to be performed, including:
    1. The scope of the work to be performed
    2. Fees that will be charged, and for what
    3. What is considered work hours being charged
    4. How the fees will be applied
  2. Open communication with the genealogist during the project
  3. A complete and thorough research along the scope of work agreed to
  4. A thorough final research report that includes:
    1. All sources utilized in the research
    2. Both positive and negative results and findings
    3. An analysis of findings
    4. Copies, abstracts, or transcriptions of documents discovered during the research
  5. A full accounting of time and expenses
  6. Recommendations for future research, if needed

All services are performed at an hourly rate that includes the time for review of records, research, analysis, and report preparation, PLUS any additional costs associated with rentals, copy fees, postage, travel, long distance telephone calls, or document purchase. All costs, hourly and additional, will be discussed and approved prior to expense.

Any balance due will be paid in full prior to the release of the final report. Any unused fees will be reimbursed along with the final report.

I am very up front about any fees or costs as I don’t want you to spend money you don’t need to. After all, we are all po’ folks.