Terms and Conditions – we have all read bits and pieces of them over time.  Like many businesses, I also provide a copy of the T&C to each client for review before we begin a project.  The purpose of the document is not to bore them – but to inform.  I thought I would comment on a particular section of my personal T&C that quite often is commented on or is laughed about:

Outcomes for research projects are sometimes less-than-desirous for some clients to hear.  They may involve murder, rape, incest, insanity, disease, criminal activity, “illegitimacy”, non-paternal events and more.  Projects may result in complete reversal of a family legend, story or ethnicity.  As a professional, Ancestorstalker.com will relay all information to the client but will respect their wishes for privacy.  Ancestorstalker.com will not falsify information anywhere for any reason.

When one reads this, they may not feel anything from an ancestor who participated in a less-than-desirous activity a hundred and fifty years ago.  An example may be the family had a plantation and owned 50 slaves.  However, as the research comes closer and closer to the present time, the effects increase dramatically.  To discover a non-paternal event only within a generation or two can have far-reaching affects on the customer and the family.  It is important to realize what your objective may result in.

I still shrug my shoulders when I remember the client who received confirmed results proving their multi-great grandparents and being in a state of “shock”.  It is not that they did not believe the conclusions – they did – it is that they were not expecting ever having the proof after decades of research.

I work tirelessly to research your family lines, whether you want me to find the information on not!