Two Surname Family History Research Gift Package

This is our second most popular package!

It includes the services of a personal genealogist who will research your gift recipient's family tree and then write a story narrative detailing their ancestor's lives in the historical context of the period.
 

What is Two Surname Research?
It means we will research two of the surnames in the gift recipient's family tree, for example their dad's surname and their mum's surname (maiden name). For their dad's family tree, we will research his father, his father, his father, and so on. For their mum's family tree, we will search her father, his father, his father, and his father etc. After we have researched the tree, we will write the family history based on those two surnames.

The gift recipient can also choose any two of their grandparents' surnames to be researched. Alternatively, if this is a joint gift for a couple, say for an anniversary, they may each wish to research a parent.

The chart illustration above shows how the tree might look once researched.  While research concentrates on the male line of each side, note how research also uncovers other ancestors and family members.
 

Are the ancestors' wives and children included?
Yes. We will find out their wives' full names, their years of birth, their places of birth and the names of both parents where possible. We will also find the full names and years of birth of their children, who they married and their children if time and budget allows.

This package does not include, however, research of their wives' family trees going back generations. For that you need our Premium All Surname Family Tree.
 

What about their occupations?
Wherever possible we will find out what they did for a living. We will also look for any information about their religion, any criminal activities, any probate, institutional records or anything about them in the newspapers.
 

I have already begun my family tree, can I buy this package?
This family tree is costed for beginners only (i.e. for anyone wishing to research back from their parents or grandparents). The further back one goes the more expensive it is to research a family tree, those costs are not included in the above price, so this package is not suitable for anyone who has already begun their tree.
 

How far back do you go?
As far back as the budget will allow. Each family is unique and research may get back to 1850 for one family and 1650 for another.


 

What information do I need to start if I am buying for a gift recipient?

This depends on how complete you would like the tree to be. You have the following options:

• Option 1: A tree with the gift recipient and all their direct ancestors (i.e. their mother, her parents, her grandparents, her great grandparents and so on.) 
  
   
• Option 2: A tree with the gift recipient, all their direct ancestors (as Option 1), their children and grandchildren (if any), their siblings, their nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins etc.

For Option 1, you will need to supply the gift recipient's full name, date and place of birth, father's full name and mother's full name including mother's maiden name.

For Option 2, you will need to supply the same as option one plus the full names, dates of birth of the gift recipient's siblings, their nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins etc.

If you do not have all the information for option 2, you may wish to consider a Gift Voucher Pack and let the gift recipient supply this information themselves. 

Click on Pdf for sample pages from report

How is the final tree presented?
The gift recipient will we receive a hardback book folder telling the story of their ancestors in a chronological narrative, detailing their lives and times. The length of the book is approximately 90 – 100 pages. The gift recipients' ancestors are drawn by the genealogist in their historical context – this approach is more than a list of names and dates – it outlines the motives and actions of their ancestors in relation to the period in which they flourished. Ancestors are presented as people rather than shadows.

The hardback book folder will also include, at no extra cost (see below), documents concerning the gift recipient's relatives from birth, marriage and death, baptism and burial certificates to census, directory entries and army records. All families are different so contents will vary, but on average most customers receive in the region of 25 documents.

Our family tree hardback book folders (click to enlarge)

No Extra Cost Documents?
Many other genealogists offer packages cheaper than ours, but further investigation will show they do not include family documents or proof of your family tree included in the price, but as an optional extra. They will charge you more fees to buy the documentation they require to research your family tree accurately in addition to their basic cost.

We believe if a high standard of research is to be achieved, proof should never be optional and it should be included in the price.

At Family History Gifts, we include all the documents in with the price. We do not charge you extra for them.

Main Features
Services of a professional genealogist
Your family tree research – 30 HOURS of research and analysis
Hardback book folder outlining your family tree

•  Including:
•  Genealogist’s narrative
•  Family narrative
•  Hourglass tree (Plus extra copies)
•  Ancestral town research and description
•  Ancestral town photograph
•  Surname distribution map
•  Occupation research (where possible)
•  Surname meaning
• Plus much more!

Your documents (NO document limit!)*
Unique family tree viewing area
Add your own family photos and memories
For beginners
For England, Scotland and Welsh ancestry – for Ireland, please enquire
 

*Unlike other genealogists we do not limit the documents we buy and we do not charge extra for them either.

Documents not in the public domain
We cannot search documents that are not in the public domain. This will include a number of 20th century record classes, most notably: military records including World War Two service records, personnel employment records, hospital, education, and coroner's records to name a few. Many records are subject to Closure Rules.

Hardback Book Folders
There are two types. The package includes a green quality hardback book folder in faux leather finish, but there is an option to upgrade to the embossed book folder in pastel as shown in the illustrations above.
 

Payments
To order, pay by credit/debit card using the following options:
a. Direct from our site. We do not capture or keep any of your card details on our servers.
b. By PayPal. Please note it is not necessary to be a member of PayPal to use it. Please select PayPal as your payment option, complete the Checkout process, and enter your credit/debit card details on the PayPal payment page.

To order by phone please call 07788647670 and have your debit card ready.

Shipping
Delivery costs of £11.00 for delivery of final report and documents via Royal Mail Special Delivery will be added to your order.
 

What happens after you place an order
Select ‘Application Form’ from the menu above. This is where you or the gift recipient can provide details about the family to be researched.

If you have purchased a Gift Voucher Presentation Pack this will be posted to you within 48 business hours (excluding bank and seasonal holidays).

'Ancestors are presented as people rather than shadows'

How long does it take?

On average about 20-22 weeks after we have received your Application Form, but you must consider the following factors:

• Not one family is the same as another
• Historical research is unpredictable – it is not possible to know in advance where it will lead or whether it will be straightforward

To achieve a high standard of research, a genealogist needs time to search through all the necessary records in order to overcome hurdles and uncover the correct ancestors.
 

You will therefore need to allow a minimum of 22 weeks for research and possibly 2 weeks for information gathering about your/gift recipients family (see What information do I need to start if I am buying for a gift recipient?)

So in total allow Twenty-four Weeks.

Need a family tree for a specific Gift Day?
If you require a family tree for a specific gift day, contact us first to discuss your needs. We might be able to offer you a faster delivery date – alternatively, see below.
 

Not enough time before your gift day?

Quality Gift Voucher Presentation Pack (click to enlarge)
 

If you do not have 24 weeks or more before your gift day, we offer an alternative – our gift voucher in a high quality Gift Presentation pack. Order this Two Surname Family Tree Research package and select the Gift Voucher pack option. The presentation pack can be given to the gift recipient on gift day and they can complete the Application Form and send it to us to start the family tree research process. Gift Voucher packs are dispatched within 48 business hours.

Research Updates
We do not provide email, letter or phone updates… we think that's boring!
Much better to allow the gift recipient to login to their private family tree viewing area whenever they want and view their new ancestors! They will be able to instantly see all the research we've added, the documents and tidbits we've discovered. This is an exciting addition to our services.
The gift recipient will need to have an email address to use the family tree login area, alternatively they can nominate a member of their family.
 

Installment plan includes postage of final report but does not include cost of folder upgrade, but we can invoice you separately if you require.

If you opt for Installment Plan, your family tree report will not be delivered until all payments have been paid.