FAQ

My services are structured in two phases. Phase 1 — which covers initial research to determine what's out there and how far we might go — is a flat fee of $125. If you choose to continue into Phase 2, research is billed at $55/hour for the first three hours, and $45/hour for any hours beyond that. Every Phase 2 engagement concludes with a recorded Zoom call where I walk you through everything I found and we talk through where things might go next. With many professional genealogists and genealogy firms charging $100–$200 per hour or more, my rates are designed to make this kind of research accessible without shortchanging the work.

Every family's records are different, and I have no way of knowing what's out there until I start looking. Working in phases means you're not committing to a large fee before either of us knows what's possible. Phase 1 gives us both a realistic picture of where the research might go — and from there you decide whether to continue. Even if you stop after Phase 1, you'll come away with my honest assessment of where your research could lead — and I'll share whatever I've built in the tree so far as a starting point if you choose to continue on your own.

That's great! That means I can spend my research time helping to expand that tree, adding detail to your chosen starting point. I will need to gain full editorial access to your tree, so I can orient myself and correct any obvious errors (which happens quite often if any information is copied from other trees without verifying details).

At the end of Phase 2, you'll receive access to your family tree on Ancestry.com, which includes all the lines I've researched. You'll also get a PDF pedigree report of your direct ancestors with sources cited. And we'll schedule a recorded Zoom call where I share my screen and walk you through everything I found — family and friends are welcome to join, and it's a great opportunity to ask questions. Note that when you log into the tree on your own, you'll be able to see names, dates, relationships, and source citations, but accessing Ancestry's underlying records database requires their subscription — I'll cover all of this during our Zoom.

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For those who want to continue building their tree independently on another platform, a GEDCOM file of the full tree — including collateral lines such as siblings and spouses — is available on request at no additional charge.

Everyone has a unique family, and for a variety of reasons, records don't exist for every place and every time period. Also, some names are quite common, which can be exacerbated by children being named after relatives. For example, searching for John Smith and Mary Jones might take several hours just to determine which Smith and Jones families are the ones we should be researching. This is why there are no guarantees, although every research project will get you some answers, or at least eliminate unhelpful or incorrect information.

Depending on my availability and the scope of what is discovered in the initial tree, maybe I can be of further help — whether that means continuing the research or taking a fresh look at a brick wall you've been stuck on. Either way, we'd agree on a number of hours upfront so there are no surprises on either end. As for brick walls specifically, if you've banged your head against a wall for years, I don't want to do the same! But perhaps a fresh eye is exactly what you need. And for Italian research in particular, I may be able to make progress where others haven't. The nature of the genealogy beast, though, is always "no guarantees" on what I might (or might not) find.

First of all, you might be surprised at how far you'll be able to go back — if not now, then eventually. And when doing genealogy, researching the lateral (sibling) branches, in addition to one's direct ancestors, can often bring rewards. Not only can it help you find crucial information to help you reach farther back on your own line, it can lead to a plethora of cousins who are often fellow researchers and interesting people! For example, I've met people around the globe (both online and in person) who have not only added spice to my research, but to my travels too. So, you may not find a deep history of direct ancestors, but putting in the research time could yield quite a bit of rich family history and other connections.

The bulk of my experience is with families currently located in the USA. While I'm most comfortable with American and Italian documents, my research has led to records from a variety of countries. If your family originates from an English-speaking country outside North America, please reach out and tell me a little more about location and historic time frame you're curious about: I will see if I have access to the required resources and let you know if I can help you.

DNA testing can be a valuable complement to genealogy research — particularly if you know very little about your ancestry, want to break through a brick wall, or are hoping to connect with living relatives who are fellow researchers. It can also bring unexpected surprises, so it's worth going in with both curiosity and an open mind.

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For a full overview of the types of tests available, the major companies, and my current recommendations, see my DNA Testing Guide. The landscape shifts frequently — company ownership, pricing, and features have all changed in recent years — so I do my best to keep that guide current.

On one Italian line, I've been able to go 10 generations back to 8th great-grandparents, who lived in the early 1600s. Most of my lines end in the 18th or 19th century. With DNA detective work, I'm also close to proving an unexpected Early American, pre-Revolutionary line. Time will tell if the brick walls in my own family tree can be dismantled!

Italy has an abundance of digitized records, with new ones coming out regularly. Depending on the location, some government records go back to the early 1800s, and many of them include baptismal records that were needed to qualify a marriage. So if you're lucky, you can get back to the 1700s. There are also church records available online for many villages, and I've seen several that go back to the 1500s (even if some years might be spotty). Countless churches in Italy also hold physical records that have not been digitized. And personally speaking, I know that through travel and persistence it may be possible to access those too. (Perhaps this will be your inspiration to sign up for an Italian class and make a trip to Italy!)

Recent changes in Italian law have made citizenship by descent more limited for now — though legal challenges are underway, and the landscape may shift again. In the meantime, there's still a great deal I can help you explore when it comes to your Italian roots, from genealogy research to ancestral travel guidance and beyond.

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See the Your Italian Roots page for the full picture of what I offer.

Possibly — and it's worth finding out, because many Americans are eligible without realizing it. Canadian citizenship recognition doesn't require naturalization; if the right ancestor is there, the citizenship may already be yours. People with Loyalist ancestors, roots in New England, the Midwest, or Louisiana are often surprised by their connection to what is now Canada.

My role is the genealogical detective work: building your tree with Canadian eligibility in mind and assessing which lines are worth pursuing. See the Could You Be Canadian page for full details on how the process works.