Biography Builder

Discover the story behind a person in your family tree. Explore their work, relationships, homes and experiences through a carefully researched account of their life.

$295

More Than Names and Dates

A family tree can tell you when someone was born, whom they married and when they died. A biography explores the life between those events: where they made a home, how they earned a living, the people around them and the changes they lived through.

Biography Builder focuses on one agreed person. Starting with the information you already hold, the investigation draws on historical records such as newspapers, directories, electoral rolls, military files and local histories to uncover details of their life and place them in context.

The findings become a carefully written and beautifully presented biography, connecting documented events into an engaging account your family can read and share. Source references show where the details come from, with broader historical context distinguished from what is known about your ancestor personally.

What your Ancestor Biography includes:

A Carefully Written Life Story
An engaging account of your ancestor’s life, bringing documented events, relationships and experiences together in a story your family can follow.

The Places and Times They Lived In
Relevant historical context helps explain the communities, occupations and circumstances surrounding your ancestor. The biography distinguishes their documented experiences from the wider history of the period.

A Timeline of Key Events
A clearly organised chronology brings together significant dates, places and life events, making it easy to follow their movements and see how the story unfolds.

Supporting Records and Source References
Copies of key records and clear references connect the biography to its evidence, allowing you to explore the sources and understand how details were established.

A Bound Biography and Digital Copy

Your biography is supplied as a beautifully presented bound copy in a presentation folder, alongside a digital file to keep and share. The writing, timeline and supporting material come together in a coordinated family record, ready to read, revisit and pass on.

Directions for Further Research
Unanswered questions and promising sources are identified, giving you practical options for developing the biography further.

Your Biography Builder Package

Up to 6 hours research
$295

Your package focuses on one agreed ancestor, with the period of their life and research priorities discussed before work begins. Existing family information provides the starting point for targeted research into the events, relationships and circumstances that shaped their life.

The work includes reviewing your material, locating and assessing historical records, and writing and presenting the biography. Relevant historical context helps explain the findings without filling gaps with imagined experiences or attributing thoughts and feelings the records cannot establish.

Research draws on libraries, genealogical societies, subscription services and an extensive collection of family and local history resources, with no subscriptions for you to purchase. If an important detail requires a certificate or other paid record that cannot be obtained through these resources, its purpose and cost are explained for your approval before purchase. Additional records are charged at cost.

Follow Your Research as it Happens

Your client portal gives you access to research notes and project updates throughout the investigation. Follow new leads, see which possibilities are being tested and understand how the evidence is narrowing the search.

Working theories are distinguished from supported conclusions. If the evidence points towards a significant change of direction, the options are discussed with you before proceeding. Any research beyond your included allowance or additional record purchases require your approval.

Your Questions, Answered

  • Family Tree Research establishes connections between generations. Ancestor Biography Research explores one person’s life, bringing together documented events, relationships, places and experiences into a readable account.

    If an uncertain identity or relationship needs resolving before a biography can be written, Brick Wall Research may be the more suitable starting point.

  • The package includes up to six hours of research, writing and preparation, focused on one ancestor or an agreed chapter of their life.

    You receive a carefully written biography, a timeline of key events, source references, copies of key supporting records and recommendations for further research. Research notes and project updates are available through your client portal.

  • Share the ancestor’s name, approximate dates and places, and what you already know about their life. Existing research, certificates, photographs, letters, diaries, newspaper clippings and family recollections can all provide useful starting material.

    Tell us what particularly interests you about this person. You do not need to organise everything before enquiring.

  • Yes. Existing research can give the biography a strong foundation and allow more of the package time to be spent developing the account.

    Supporting sources are reviewed before their details are treated as established facts. Please include references or document copies where you have them.

  • The package produces a concise, sourced biography rather than a full-length book. Its length and detail depend on the starting material, the records located and the agreed focus.

    Some projects suit an overview of a life; others benefit from concentrating on a particular period, occupation or experience. The approach is agreed before work begins.

  • The biography brings together the personal details that can be established and explains the relevant historical setting. Local histories, occupational sources and records of relatives or associates may help place a sparsely documented life in context.

    Broader history is clearly distinguished from your ancestor’s documented experiences. Gaps are acknowledged rather than filled with imagined events, thoughts or feelings.

  • Yes. Family recollections can add valuable perspective and identify events worth investigating.

    The biography distinguishes remembered accounts from information supported by records. If the evidence challenges a family story, the difference is explained respectfully.

  • Research uses the libraries, genealogical societies, subscription services and reference resources available to Breadcrumbs. You do not need subscriptions of your own.

    If an important detail cannot be verified through these resources, a certificate or other paid record may be recommended. Its purpose and cost are explained for your approval before purchase. Additional records are charged at cost.

  • Yes. Further research, a longer narrative or a more extensive publication can be discussed as a separate commission.

    Additional work is scoped and priced for your approval before it begins. Your source references and recommendations also support you in continuing the research independently.

  • Your information, documents and research are used for the agreed project and are not published or used for marketing without separate permission. Information about living people is handled with particular care.

    Your completed biography is delivered privately, and you decide how to share it.

  • Your biography is supplied digitally and as a bound copy in a presentation folder. Your collection includes the life story, timeline, source references, key supporting records and recommendations for further research.

    Postage is additional and confirmed before dispatch.

  • Work begins once your research scope is agreed, you have accepted the Terms and Conditions and paid a 50% deposit. The remaining balance is due before delivery of your completed biography.

  • Most projects take approximately 3-4 weeks from the agreed start date. Your expected timeframe is confirmed before work begins.

    Requested records or archive responses can affect completion. You will be kept informed, with research notes and project updates available through your client portal.