A record for every link
Each parent-and-child link in a report rests on a record I have opened and read: a baptism, marriage or death entry, a civil certificate, a census, a passenger list or a naturalization file. The citation names the archive, the register, the page or image number, and gives a permalink, so you or a consulate can find the same entry.
Online trees are leads, never evidence
Shared trees on Ancestry, FamilySearch, WikiTree and Geni are full of copied mistakes. One wrong parent can pull in hundreds of ancestors who aren’t yours. I use these trees only as hints of where to look, and nothing goes in a report because a tree says so.
Confidence is marked
- Proven: a record names the relationship directly, and the names, dates and places agree with the rest of the evidence.
- Probable: the evidence points one way but no single record states the link. The report says exactly why, and what would settle it.
- Not found: the record wasn’t found within the scope. The report lists what was searched, so the next person doesn’t repeat it.
A documented dead end is a real result. It’s never covered up with a guess.
Reading the old registers
Central European registers before about 1900 are mostly in Latin, German or the local language, in handwriting that changed over the centuries. Every entry cited in a report is transcribed as written and given an English working translation. These aren’t certified translations; if your application needs one, a sworn translator works from the certified copy you order. Hard-to-read entries are checked against other entries in the same register: the same family’s other children, godparents, house numbers and the priest’s habits.
Images and permissions
Archives set their own rules for copying their scans. Where an archive allows it, the report includes the record image. Where it doesn’t, the report gives the citation, a permalink to the image on the archive’s own site, and a full transcription.
Where the research stops
The report documents the family line. It doesn’t say whether that line qualifies for citizenship, and it doesn’t replace the certified copies your application needs. It tells you exactly which ones to order and where. For the legal side, check with the country’s authorities or a qualified lawyer.