Record 1 · US census, 1900
Index transcription · original image not yet consulted
- Name
- Nicholas H Gunther, son, 5
- Born
- June 1895, Maryland
- Parents
- George and Lina
- Brother
- Charles A., 1
- Place
- Baltimore, Ward 5
Genealogy & family history research
Your family story. Backed by records.
Find out who your ancestors were, where they lived and how the records connect, with a clear research report and a keepsake you can share.
A written plan and fixed price before you pay. No subscription. No call required. Projects from USD 297.
Every fact sourcedScope and price agreed in writingOne-time project
Inside an Ancestor Story project (USD 497), from a historical case study. Delivered as printable PDFs.
How we connect records
See how two records become one documented life.
A real example from the case study. The question: is the five-year-old “Nicholas H Gunther” of the 1900 census the same person as the Henry Nicholas John Gunther who registered for the draft in 1917?
Record 2 · Draft card, 1917
Transcribed from the original image
- Name
- Henry Nicholas John Gunther, 22
- Born
- June 6th 1895, Baltimore
- Address
- 3011 Eastern Avenue
- Work
- Bookkeeper, National Bank of Baltimore
What we found
A third record bridges the two: the 1910 census, read on the original image, lists “Henry N”, 14, son of George and Lena, with his brother Charles.
Why it belongs to him
The 1900 and 1910 censuses connect the child to the same parents and brother. The 1917 draft card adds the full name and exact birth date, consistent with the birth month and year in the 1900 index. Together, these details support the identification.
What remains uncertain
The name order in the 1900 index (“Nicholas H”) still needs checking against the original page, and no birth record was found online. The report says so.
Why families come to us
Three reasons people start.
Understand your family’s past
Who they were, where they lived, what they did and whom they married, told in plain English from the records that survive.
Create a meaningful family gift
A researched story and a keepsake page for a birthday, an anniversary or a reunion, delivered as files you can print.
Preserve a story for the next generation
Names, dates and places written down with their sources, so what you learn isn’t lost again.
What you receive
A report to understand. A keepsake to share.
Shown: an Ancestor Story project. Contents vary by package; compare packages.
The research report
- 1The case at a glanceThe question, the answer in one paragraph, and how sure we are of each conclusion.
- 2The story, in short chaptersPlaces and dates in plain English. Nothing invented to fill gaps.
- 3Timeline and family chartA visual timeline and a chart of the relationships the records support.
- 4How the records connectKey records transcribed and explained: what they show and their limits.
- 5Evidence at a glanceEvery fact set against every source in one grid.
- 6Sources, conflicts and next stepsEvery source linked, every conflict shown, every search logged.
The keepsake page
A printable page made only from facts supported in your report: names, documented moments, places and a short written story, with a portrait when one survives. Color and black & white, US Letter and A4. You can add a dedication. A commemorative page, not an official certificate.
Details from a historical case-study report. The contents of yours depend on your package and on the records that survive.
Inside a report
See how a family story comes together.
Read a finished report from cover to sources: a Baltimore bank clerk born in 1895, traced through census returns, his draft card, his headstone and the history of his regiment.
A historical case study showing our research and presentation approach. Your project is shaped around your family and the records available.
Read the complete report
Download the PDF
The PDF has selectable text and clickable source links. No email needed.
Our method
How our team works on every case.
- Identify the personWe define exactly who we are looking for from what you know.
- Compare before linkingNames, dates, places and relatives must agree before two records are joined. In the report you can see how the five-year-old of one census becomes the man on a draft card.
- Separate proof from inferenceEach finding is labeled supported, probable, hypothesis or unresolved. Online trees are leads, not evidence.
- Report dead ends tooYou see what we searched and found nothing, so nobody repeats it. Every report is reviewed by our team before release.
How it works
Three steps, and you pay only after the plan.
1
Free check
- Tell us about a deceased ancestor and your question.
- We check whether online records cover that person, time and place.
- If they don’t, we say so and stop. No charge.
2
Plan and payment
- You receive a written plan with a fixed price.
- You pay only if you approve it. No subscription.
3
Research and delivery
- Research within the agreed scope; questions by email.
- Report and keepsake delivered as PDFs.
- Your questions answered by email after delivery.
Your written plan states
- Who we are researching
- The question we will answer
- Which online sources we will search
- What is not included
- What you receive
- Timing and fixed price
- How the guarantee applies
- Whether an index-only record counts
Packages
One question, one life, or one family line.
Prices in US dollars, one-time, wherever you live. We confirm which package fits before you pay. What we find depends on the records that survive; no number of generations is promised.
One question
Ancestor Discovery
$297USD · one-time
You have one clear question about one ancestor.
- Findings report: summary, timeline, sources
- The key record cited and linked
- Ancestor memory card to print
- Answers by email after delivery
Typical delivery: 7–10 business days
One life story
Ancestor Story
$497USD · one-time
You want the documented life of one person or couple.
- Narrative report in short chapters
- Two or three records transcribed and explained
- Family group chart and places documented
- Personalized keepsake page
- One round of questions and corrections
Typical delivery: 10–15 business days
The report you can read on this site is an Ancestor Story.
One family line
Family Chapter
$997USD · one-time
You want one family line across the generations agreed in writing.
- Extended report covering each person in the line
- Records explained across the line
- Multi-generation chart
- Keepsake page and relationship chart page
- One round of questions and corrections
Typical delivery: 15–20 business days
Compare everything included
| Ancestor Discovery$297 USD | Ancestor Story$497 USD | Family Chapter$997 USD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research scope | One deceased ancestor and one agreed question | One person, or a couple if in your plan | One family line: people and questions approved in writing |
| Report | Findings report: summary, timeline, sources | Full narrative report | Extended report covering each person in the line |
| Story chapters | Not included | Included | Included |
| Records explained | Key record cited and linked | Two or three records transcribed and explained | Records explained across the line |
| Relationship chart | Not included | Family group: parents, couple, children | Multi-generation chart |
| Places documented | Not included | Included | Included |
| Sources and research log | Included | Included | Included |
| Keepsake | Ancestor memory card | Personalized keepsake page | Keepsake page and relationship chart page |
| Questions after delivery | Answers by email | One round of questions and corrections | One round of questions and corrections |
| Typical delivery | 7–10 business days | 10–15 business days | 15–20 business days |
Our guarantee
New record or your money back.
If our paid research finds no new historical record that we can reasonably attribute to the ancestor agreed in your research plan, we refund your project fee in full, automatically: you don’t need to ask. How refunds work.
Counts as a new record
- A census, birth, marriage, death, military, immigration or naturalization record you didn’t have
- Attributable to your agreed ancestor, with the reasoning shown in your report
Doesn’t count
- A record you already sent us
- A record already shown in your free check
- A duplicate, or a person who only shares the name
- Family trees made by others
Your plan states before payment whether an index-only record counts. The guarantee doesn’t promise a particular answer, town, ship or number of generations.
Questions
Before you start
Could I find these records myself?
Many historical records are online. What we do is locate the relevant ones, test whether they belong to your family, explain conflicts and present the findings clearly, with every source linked.
How do I know a record is about my ancestor?
Each identification is explained: the names, dates, places and relatives that agree, and what remains uncertain. The complete report on this site shows how this works, page by page.
Which countries do you cover?
We work with English-speaking clients worldwide, whatever their family’s origins. Whether we can help depends on the places, dates and records involved, so we check each case in the free review.
What if the records I need aren’t online?
We research online archives only. If the free check finds no suitable online sources, we tell you and don’t take the project. That means we found none online, not that none exist.
Will my report look like the one on this site?
Your report follows the same research and sourcing standards. Its contents depend on your package: Ancestor Discovery answers one agreed question; Ancestor Story adds a narrative and family group chart; Family Chapter covers the family line agreed in your plan. We don’t promise a set number of pages, sources or pictures.
When does the delivery time start?
Delivery time begins on the research start date we confirm by email, after payment, receipt of the materials we need and your authorization to begin. If you choose “Not yet” at checkout, nothing starts until you tell us.
What if the records tell a different story from the one in the family?
It happens. Records can confirm, correct or complicate family memories. We report what they say, with care, and never promise famous ancestors or particular outcomes.
What if you find nothing new?
If our paid research finds no qualifying new record attributable to your agreed ancestor, we refund you in full automatically; you don’t need to ask. What counts is listed in the guarantee and fixed in your plan.
Who sees my family’s story?
Your details are used only to assess and carry out your project, as described in our privacy notice. We never publish your family’s story without your written permission.
Is there a subscription, or do I have to book a call?
No subscription: each project is a one-time payment. No call needed: everything runs by email.
Can this be a gift?
Yes. Tell us the occasion and date; we confirm feasibility and delivery before you pay. You can add a dedication to the keepsake. Delivery is digital.
What isn’t included?
DNA, archive visits, requests to town halls or parishes, certified copies, legal translations, printed books, and research on living people. The report is not documentation for citizenship or inheritance.
Free research review
Tell us who you’re looking for.
We check whether suitable online records exist for your ancestor and reply by email. If your case fits, you receive a written plan with a fixed price.
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