Genealogical research

Search the archives

We find documents of your ancestors, even if all that remains of your family history is your name and the name of your village.

We verify each record and obtain official copies that can be submitted for citizenship, inheritance, or to compile a family tree.

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Search the archives

Each type of archive answers its own questions, and documents from one family are often scattered across multiple archives and even countries. We determine which holdings your family needs, where they are stored today, and work with them directly. You don't need to go anywhere or write requests.

State archives

Civil registry office records, inspection reports, population censuses, passport and personal files, lists of subjects.

Church and synagogue buildings

Metrical books of births, marriages and deaths, confessional records, books of rabbinates of various faiths.

Military archives

Service records, award documents, registration cards, information about the dead and missing.

How we work

Consultation and information analysis
We start with a conversation: we find out the purpose of the search (citizenship, proof of origin or lineage) and collect everything that the family knows. These are names, dates, places, family traditions, old documents, letters and photos. Already at this stage, we suggest which documents are realistic to find and what is needed for this.

Search strategy
We determine which province, county, or parish the desired location belonged to in a specific year. We determine which archive and fund these records are stored in today. Borders, village names, and administrative divisions have changed many times, so without this step, the search is at random.

Working in archives
We work with state, church and military archives of Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Israel and other countries. We are looking for birth records, censuses, lists of subjects, Soviet civil records, service lists. You do not need to go anywhere or correspond with the archives yourself.

Decryption and cross-checking
We read 17th–18th century cursive, pre-Reformation spelling, documents in Romanian and Polish. We take into account different spellings and changes of surnames. We compare first names, patronymics, ages, addresses, and relatives across multiple documents, because we don't take any connection for granted.

Official registration and result
We order certified archival extracts and certificates, organize translation and apostille so that the documents are accepted by the state authorities of another country. We provide a report with conclusions and a diagram of family ties. We deliver a package of documents to any country and explain how to use it further.

Documented experience

Over 10 years We work with state, church and military archives of different countries and eras. We know how borders, village names and administrative divisions changed. Therefore, we first establish which province, county or parish the required place belonged to in a specific year, and only then do we search in those funds where the documents are actually stored.

We work with pre-revolutionary registry books of churches, synagogues, and cathedrals, as well as with Soviet civil records. We link people between them by name, patronymic, age, and address, so that there are no gaps in the family line. We read cursive from the 17th–18th centuries, pre-reform spelling, and documents in Romanian and Polish.

For example, for a client from Bessarabia, we found a file from 1935 with lists of residents who received Romanian citizenship, and he received Romanian citizenship. In Odessa, the records of the rabbinate's registry book for 1905, together with Soviet acts, confirmed the family's Jewish origin. And in the Kharkiv region, from scant information about one grandfather, we reached records from 1732 and documents from the 17th century.

We do not take any connection for granted. We check each fact against several sources, and the result is officially formalized: archival extracts, translation, apostille. We do not assume - we prove.

Frequently asked questions

What do you need to start your search?

A few lines are enough: the ancestor's last name, first name and patronymic, approximate years of life and the place where he was born or lived. Old documents, letters, photos with signatures and memories of relatives help narrow down the search.

Do I need to go to the archive in person?

No. We work with the archives ourselves, and we send finished documents to any country.

How long does the search take?

It depends on the task and the number of archives. In our projects, searching for specific documents for citizenship took from 1 to 3 months, and a full pedigree in several lines took more than 6 months.

Will the documents be suitable for citizenship?

We obtain official archival certificates and certified extracts, organize translation and apostille in a format accepted by state authorities of other countries. Our clients have applied for such documents, in particular, for Romanian citizenship by descent.

The documents are written in an old script or another language. Will you read them?

Yes. We decipher handwritten records, including cursive from the 17th–18th centuries, and translate them.

How much does a search cost?

The cost depends on the number of archives, countries, and required documents. We estimate it after consultation, before starting work.

Start with what you know.

The ancestor's name, approximate years of life, and location are enough to get you started.
Before we start, we will tell you which archives to search in and which documents you can actually obtain.

Get a consultation