Services

A. Lineage society applications

DAR, SAR, GSMD/Mayflower, and similar societies. Includes patriot/eligibility review, generation-by-generation proof, worksheets and documentation packets, written arguments for gaps, and help with registrar questions.

Eligibility check: $175 flat (about 3 hours). Full application package: $950 flat (up to 8 generations; online records or sources near Chicago). Hard cases — AIR responses, DNA, stubborn gaps — continue hourly at $60.

$175 · $950 · hourly for hard cases

B. Family history research

Research plan, work in original and online records, written report with citations and record images, and recommended next steps. Built for brick walls, immigrant origins, and multi-generation stories.

Billed at $60/hour. Retainers available in blocks (for example 10 hours $575, 20 hours $1,100). Minimum deposit before work: $500.

$60/hr · $500 minimum deposit

C. House & property history

Chain of title, census and directory occupants, Sanborn and plat maps, owner biographies, and an illustrated PDF. Meaningful for historic homes, new owners, or neighborhood stories.

Essential: $450 (owners/occupants timeline). Full narrative: $950 (with printed copy option).

$450 · $950

D. Record retrieval

In-person Chicago-area pulls (Cook County Archives, Daley Center, Newberry, NARA Chicago, IRAD, collar counties) or remote ordering anywhere. Scans delivered as PDF.

$60/hour, 2-hour minimum ($120) per repository visit. Remote ordering: $40 per request plus third-party fees.

From $120 visit · $40 remote + fees

E. Family history book

Turns completed research into an edited, designed narrative with photos, charts, and sources, ready for print-on-demand. Research itself is billed separately under family history rates.

From $2,500 (≈40 pages from existing research)

F. Talks & workshops

45–60 minute talks with handout — topics such as patriot ancestors, AI for genealogy, house history, and related historical themes. Virtual or in person.

$200 per talk (virtual or within 30 miles). $300 for a 2-hour workshop. Mileage beyond 30 miles at the IRS rate.

$200 talk · $300 workshop