Branch & Record

Your family, four generations back, with the records to prove it.

Give me an hour of what you remember. In about two weeks you get a family tree built from census pages, certificates and parish books, which you can open on your phone and send to every relative.

Fixed prices from $450. Booking opens an email to contact@branchandrecord.com, and I reply within two days.

A family tree four generations back from you, to your sixteen great-great-grandparents, each marked with the evidence behind them. Great-great-grandparents You Interview Father The interview Mother The interview Father's father Death certificate Father's mother 1950 census page Mother's father Marriage index Mother's mother Birth register Great-grandfather 1900 census page Great-grandmother Death certificate Great-grandfather Cemetery index Great-grandmother Marriage bond Great-grandfather Parish baptism Great-grandmother Obituary Great-grandfather 1910 census page Great-grandmother Still being checked 1870 census Death record 1880 census Gravestone Marriage bond Land deed Will Tax list Baptism Church book Ship list Not yet found 1860 census Pension file 1850 census Not yet found

The full tree goes on to your great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents.

  • Original record
  • Index
  • Inferred
  • Family account
  • Not yet found

What you get

A tree you can share from your phone

An unlisted web page with the whole tree: anyone with the link can see it, so it's easy to send to cousins and grandparents. Living people show only their first name.

See a sample tree, built from an invented family.

A one-page pedigree

Every direct ancestor on one page, each marked with how strong the evidence is.

The story of each line, with sources

Where each family lived, what they did, the key records with full citations, and what is still unknown and why.

A file you keep

A standard GEDCOM file that opens in Ancestry, MyHeritage or any other family tree program, plus a list of questions worth asking older relatives.

Every ancestor shows how strong the evidence is

Family trees online are full of guesses copied from other trees. Yours marks each person with the evidence behind them, so you know what is proven and what is still a lead.

Original record

I read the census page, certificate or register entry itself.

Index

A transcribed index lists them, but the original page hasn't been seen.

Inferred

The evidence points one way, and the report says exactly why.

Family account

From your interview or family papers, not yet matched to a record.

Not yet found

No one has been identified here yet. The box stays empty instead of holding a guess.

How it works

  1. We talk

    An hour by video or in person. Names, places, family stories, and any papers or photos you have. Very little is enough to start.

  2. I search the records

    Census pages, birth, marriage and death records, church books, cemeteries and old newspapers.

  3. I check every link

    Each parent–child connection gets a grade. Gaps turn into a few follow-up questions for you.

  4. We walk through it

    A call to go through the tree together. Anything sensitive is shared with you privately first.

Prices

Fixed prices, agreed before any work starts. Half when we begin, half when you get the tree. Gift certificates are paid up front and don't expire.

PackageWhat's includedTimePrice
Family TreeStart here Four generations on every line, up to 30 direct ancestors. Share page, pedigree, written report, GEDCOM file, interview and walk-through call. About 2 weeks $450
Deep Roots Everything in Family Tree, plus six generations, the brothers and sisters of each direct ancestor, and a longer written history of each line. About 3–4 weeks $900
Extend one line One family line pushed further back, such as an immigrant ancestor traced to their home country. About 2 weeks $250
Printed book or chart A keepsake book or wall chart made from your finished tree. 1–2 weeks after Printing + $150
plus tax and shipping

Pilot families, this fall. Three families get the Family Tree package for $250 instead of $450. In return, you give honest written feedback after the walk-through, which I may quote with your permission and a note that you paid the pilot price.

Ask about a pilot spot

Give it as a gift

A gift certificate covers the Family Tree ($450) or Deep Roots ($900). The person you give it to books their interview whenever they're ready, and their tree arrives about two weeks after the interview (three to four for Deep Roots).

  • I email you a printable card the day you pay, so it works as a late gift.
  • For Christmas, order by December 23.
  • Certificates don't expire, and if prices go up there's nothing more to pay.
  • I take ten gift certificates this season, so every one gets a real slot. When they're gone, checkout says so.
  • Changed your mind? Full refund any time before the interview.
  • If I can't hold the interview within 30 days of the recipient's first email, unless they pick a later date, you get a full refund.
  • If a project is cancelled after it starts, any refund goes to you, not the recipient.
  • If I ever close the business, unused certificates are refunded.

Secure checkout through Stripe. Questions first? Email contact@branchandrecord.com.

Questions

What if we barely know anything?

That's normal. Most trees start with a few names and a hometown. Grandparents' names and roughly where they lived are usually enough to reach great-grandparents.

How does a gift work?

You buy a certificate, and I email a printable card the same day. The person you give it to books their interview whenever they're ready. Certificates don't expire.

How far back can you go?

For most American families, four generations is very reliable and six is often possible. Lines through Quebec, Acadia or Latin American parishes can go back much further. Some lines stop early where records were lost; the report says where and why.

What happens to information about living relatives?

The share page shows living people by first name only and leaves living children off. Dates, places and notes about them stay in your private files, and you can ask me to leave anyone out.

What if you find something difficult?

Old records sometimes reveal an adoption, a different father, a prison sentence or an enslaver in the family. In the interview we agree on what you want to know. Anything sensitive comes to you privately before it goes on the share page.

Why not buy a cheaper tree online?

Low-cost trees are often pieced together from other people's online trees, mistakes included. Firms that check every source usually bill by the hour, and a project often runs $2,500 or more. Here you pay one fixed price, and every ancestor shows the evidence behind them.

Do you only work with families near Wilmington?

No. Most records can be searched from anywhere, so your family can come from almost anywhere. Interviews are by video, or in person around Wilmington, NC.

Do you do DNA testing?

No. This is research in historical records. If you already have DNA results, bring them and they can help confirm a line.

Who does the research

I'm Keegan Burkart, in Wilmington, North Carolina. I build family trees from historical records and check each link myself, following the Genealogical Proof Standard. I'm not a certified genealogist, and I'll say plainly what the evidence does and doesn't show.

This fall I built trees for four families, with 44 to 300 people each. One reached eight generations through Latin American parish records. Another reached 1600s Quebec. Branch & Record is new, so these were friends' families, not paying clients.

Start with a conversation

Email to book an interview or ask a question. I'll reply within two days with times and a one-page agreement. Gift certificates are bought online.

No email app on this device? Write to contact@branchandrecord.com from any account.