BTLGen
Family-line research
Investigating a maternal or paternal line, resolving identities, locating records, and examining relatives whose lives help distinguish people with similar names.
Your question. A research plan.
Research Services
Personalized research will be separate from the free BTLGen resources and quoted according to the question, records, locations, and work involved.
No two family-history problems are alike. Availability and pricing have not yet been announced, but these are the kinds of projects BTLGen intends to support.
Connect with a Search Angel or independent researcher
Members with access can prepare a private request or apply to help through the Member Hub. A volunteer case uses a $0 research fee; professional fees and approved expenses must be agreed with the researcher. For a BTLGen case, both people must sign the current NDA and research agreement before helper access opens. A request does not guarantee that a suitable helper is available.
Search Angels & Research Professionals
Unknown parentage
Research planning for adoption, unknown parents or grandparents, and DNA-supported family questions, with care for privacy and unexpected discoveries.
Lineage-society research
Assessing a possible qualifying ancestor, identifying gaps, and assembling evidence. Eligibility and acceptance remain decisions of the individual society.
Family narratives
Turning researched lives into readable stories supported by photographs, maps, records, and historical context.
Family-history books
Planning larger keepsake histories that connect genealogy, documents, images, places, and the events surrounding each generation.
Research review
Examining an existing tree, source trail, or difficult connection and identifying contradictions, missing evidence, and practical next steps.
Prepare a question a researcher can assess
An effective request explains the outcome you want, the information you already have, and the gap you would like investigated. A complete family tree is not required to begin that conversation.
- State one research question. Identify the person, relationship, place, or event you want to understand. Explain what would count as a useful result.
- Summarize the known details. Include names and variations, approximate dates, places, and the relatives who may help distinguish the person.
- List the evidence and previous searches. Supply references to relevant records and explain where you have already looked, including unsuccessful searches. Separate a record’s wording from an assumption or family story.
- Identify limits and sensitive information. Mention relevant access restrictions and your preferred scope. Keep living-person details and private documents out of a general inquiry until a suitable private exchange has been agreed.
Use the free-estimate request to describe the project. A request is an opportunity to discuss scope and availability; it is not confirmation that paid work has begun or that a particular answer can be found.
Agree on the work before it begins
For any proposed project, clarify which question will be investigated, the places and record groups to be considered, the time or budget limit, and how you will decide whether to continue. Discuss any external record-access, copying, or travel expenses before authorizing them.
Ask how results will be delivered: for example, a research summary, a record search log, citations and copies where permitted, an explanation of conflicting evidence, and suggested next steps. Not every project calls for a finished narrative or a family-history book.
The agreement should also address confidentiality, the treatment of living people, permission to use photographs or private documents, and who may receive the finished work. Read the research agreement guidance and Code of Ethics before making a commitment.
Understand what a result means
A useful report explains the search and the evidence, including gaps, conflicting records, and conclusions that remain tentative. An unsuccessful search can narrow the next step, but it should not be presented as proof that a person or event never existed.
Review the source references and ask for clarification where the reasoning is unclear. Society acceptance, the availability of a missing record, and the confirmation of a hoped-for relationship remain separate questions.
Research cannot guarantee a particular answer
Availability of records varies by place, period, community, and historical circumstance. Every project should report what was searched, what was found, what remains uncertain, and where research could continue.
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