Brick Wall Breaker

A focused investigation into the ancestor, relationship or mystery that has brought your family history research to a halt

$595

Investigating the Mystery that Resists Solving

An ancestor disappears from the records. Two people share the same name, and you cannot establish which belongs in your tree. A parent’s identity remains uncertain despite years of searching. When a question keeps bringing your research to a halt, a fresh examination of the evidence can reveal possibilities that earlier searches have missed.

Brick Wall Breaker brings focused attention to that one unresolved question. Your existing research is the starting point: records are re-examined, assumptions tested and competing explanations investigated. The search extends beyond the individual to relatives, witnesses, neighbours and places that may hold the missing connection.

You receive a carefully presented investigation report explaining the findings and the evidence behind them, with supporting records and practical next steps. Whether the investigation establishes a connection, rules out a mistaken identity or narrows the remaining possibilities, you can see what the research supports and where to go next.

What your Investigation includes:

Your findings are brought together in a carefully written, beautifully presented report that makes a complex research problem easier to understand, revisit and share.

An Assessment of Your Existing Research
A clear account of what is already established, which connections need checking and where gaps or conflicting evidence have held up progress.

A Bound Investigation Report and Digital Copy
A carefully written, beautifully presented report, supplied as a bound copy in a presentation folder and as a digital file to keep and share. It explains the records examined, the possibilities tested and the conclusions reached, so you can follow the reasoning behind the findings.

Supporting Records and Source References
Copies of key records and clearly organised references connect the findings to their evidence, allowing you to examine the sources and build on the research.

An Elimination and Search Register
A structured record of the candidates, connections and explanations investigated, showing which have been ruled out, why they were excluded and which remain possible. Searches that produced no relevant result are also documented, so you can see what has already been checked without mistaking an unsuccessful search for proof against a connection.

Prioritised Recommendations
Practical next steps explain which leads deserve further attention, what evidence could resolve the remaining questions and where additional research is most likely to be useful.

Your Brick Wall Breaker Package

Up to 10 hours of research
$595

Your package concentrates on one agreed research problem, giving a difficult question the time and attention it needs. The investigation includes reviewing your existing research, locating and analysing relevant records, testing competing explanations and preparing your finished report.

Alongside the findings, your elimination and search register records the possibilities investigated, the evidence used to rule candidates out and the questions still open. This gives you a clear record of the ground covered and a practical basis for continuing the research.

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 a certificate or other paid record is needed to verify an important detail that these resources cannot establish, 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 builds or extends an agreed branch. Brick Wall Research focuses on one difficult question, such as identifying an unknown parent, distinguishing between people with the same name or resolving contradictory records.

    If you are unsure which service fits, share your question and the research already completed. The most suitable approach is discussed before you commit.

  • Send the question you want answered, relevant names, dates and places, and any records or previous research you hold. Source links, document copies and details of unsuccessful searches are particularly useful.

    Include your current theory and explain what makes you uncertain. You do not need to reorganise your entire collection before enquiring.

  • Previous work is reviewed to avoid unnecessary duplication. Sometimes an original record needs to be checked again to verify a transcription, examine its context or investigate an overlooked detail.

    The purpose is to build on your work while checking the evidence needed for a reliable conclusion.

  • The package includes up to 10 hours of research into one agreed problem, together with preparation of your investigation report, source references, key supporting record copies, elimination and search register, and prioritised recommendations.

    Research notes and progress updates are available through your client portal.

  • No. Some questions remain unresolved because essential records have not survived or the evidence cannot distinguish between competing possibilities.

    Your report explains what can be established, which explanations have been ruled out and what remains possible. You receive a documented investigation and clear reasoning, rather than simply being told that nothing was found.

  • It records the candidates, connections and explanations investigated, showing which were ruled out and the evidence behind each exclusion.

    It also records searches that produced no relevant result. These are kept distinct: failing to find a record does not, by itself, prove that a person or relationship is incorrect.

    The register helps you avoid repeating searches and concentrate future work on the possibilities still open.

  • If there is no promising route forward within the agreed scope, the findings and options are discussed with you. These may include following a different approach, waiting for further information or concluding the investigation.

    A significant change to the research question is agreed with you first. Research beyond the included allowance requires separate approval.

  • Research uses the libraries, genealogical societies, subscription services and reference resources available to Breadcrumbs, without requiring 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 before purchase. Additional records are charged at cost and purchased only with your approval.

  • This package focuses on documentary research. If DNA evidence could help address your question, its potential role can be discussed separately through the DNA Results Analysis service.

  • 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 research is delivered privately, and you decide how to share it.

  • Your investigation report is supplied digitally and as a bound report in a presentation folder. Your collection also includes source references, copies of key supporting records, your elimination and search register, 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 research.

  • Most projects take approximately 4–6 weeks from the agreed research start date. Your expected timeframe is confirmed before work begins.

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

  • If the available research avenues are exhausted and you choose to conclude rather than redirect the remaining time, your final charge is adjusted to reflect the research undertaken and the preparation and presentation supplied. Any excess payment is refunded.

    The calculation is explained in your research agreement before work starts. If the agreed question is successfully resolved in fewer than ten hours, the fixed package price remains unchanged.