In July 2023, we were approached by a client seeking comprehensive research on her mother’s family. Beyond the names of her parents and grandparents, she had no additional family details. This request initiated a year-long research project titled ‘Skinner Family History.’
In the first quarter, we identified four family lines: the paternal and maternal lines of both grandparents. We traced these lines back to the early 18th century using birth and marriage records, uncovering four family names and mapping out 235 ancestors, including siblings.
This initial phase allowed us to create detailed family trees for the client and a story book that was used as a Christmas gift.
Typically, our projects might conclude at this stage, but the client wanted deeper insights into her ancestors’ lives. To achieve this, we focused on key figures in each family line, conducting thorough research through newspaper archives, trade directories, field visits, travel records, and various other sources. This stage also helped us verify or debunk family legends passed down to the client.
Our research led to remarkable discoveries: family branches in Canada, the USA, and Australia, including an award-winning scientist in Australia, a Governor of the Toronto Stock Exchange, and a farming dynasty in Nebraska.
We also uncovered generations of successful Welsh farmers and numerous war heroes. Our copywriter then crafted these findings into engaging stories, bringing these extraordinary ancestors to life.
The final phase was to create a website to publicly share our findings. The website, built in-house, was handed over to the client for future development. It features sections for each of the four families we researched and numerous personal profiles. We also produced various PDF books that were both printed for the client and added to the website. You can explore the Skinner Family History by clicking here.
This project has been the most fulfilling we have undertaken, especially witnessing the client’s joy as she connected with previously unknown relatives.
The client expressed her gratitude to the team and said, “Thank you for everything you have done. I started this journey feeling that my sisters and I had grown up alone, and now we have a rich family history and relatives across the globe.”
