Genealogy Research Services
Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to dig deeper into a particular line, Treehouse Genealogy offers expert research services rooted in Scottish and UK records — with a global reach.
At Treehouse Genealogy, we believe in flexible, transparent genealogy services — not confusing or rigid research packages. That’s why we offer our research at a simple hourly rate of £25, so you can tailor your project to your needs, no matter how large or small.
Whether you're looking to build an entire family tree, investigate one particular ancestor or family group, or to find out more about an ancestor's military service, we’re here to help.
We offer a free initial consultation to assess whether enough information exists to begin your project. If so, we’ll send you a personalised research proposal outlining what’s possible and estimating the number of hours needed.
At the end of each research period, you’ll receive:
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A detailed research report
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A family tree chart (where applicable)
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Recommendations for further research options
Our services include:
Family Tree Research
Our ancestral research draws on a wide range of Scottish, English, Welsh, and Irish records, including:
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Statutory Birth, Marriage & Death Records (Scotland post-1855; England/Wales post-1837; Ireland post-1864)
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Census Returns (1841–1921 UK)
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Old Parish Registers (pre-1855 Scotland; parish records for other UK nations)
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Wills & Testaments
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Directories and Electoral Rolls
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Burial Records & Monumental Inscriptions
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Trade, Guild & Apprenticeship Records
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Poor Law Applications
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Newspapers & Court Records
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Military Records — including service files, pensions, and wartime casualty lists
We also offer single-document lookups and record retrieval services if you just need help accessing a specific file.
Already researching your own tree stuck at a dead end? Our Brick Wall Research service is designed to help you move forward. Get in touch and we’ll discuss how we can assist — even if you’ve already spent years researching.
🎁 A Thoughtful Gift Option!
Why not give the gift of ancestry? We can present your research in a beautiful printed report with a folder and tree chart — a perfect present for a birthday, retirement, or family reunion.
Emigration & Overseas Research
Following in the footsteps of those who left Britain behind
Millions of people from Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales left home to begin new lives overseas. Many of them left behind records that still survive today; these clues can help you reconnect with your family's past.
At Treehouse Genealogy, we help trace the journeys of ancestors who emigrated from the UK to places like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States and other parts of the world.
Whether you live in Britain and want to know what became of relatives who moved abroad, or you are based overseas and looking to explore your British or Scottish roots, we can help you uncover the story.
What We Can Help With
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Pinpoint where your emigrant ancestor came from in Scotland or the wider UK
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Find departure details, passenger lists, and immigration records
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Trace families through international and Commonwealth sources
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Research patterns of chain migration and settlement overseas
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Link British records to births, marriages and deaths abroad
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Locate naturalisation files or wartime service records
We are experienced in working from both ends, helping clients in the UK trace relatives who moved overseas and supporting clients abroad as they explore their British or Scottish roots.
Supporting Clients Around the World
We regularly work with clients based in:
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Australia
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Canada
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New Zealand
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United States
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South Africa
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Ireland and across Europe
Every project includes a detailed, easy-to-follow research report, and we can also provide your family tree in a clear chart or digital format. Our research is always shaped around your goals, whether that’s solving a long-standing mystery, building a fuller picture of your heritage, or preparing for a meaningful family history trip.
Planning a Visit?
If you are travelling to the UK to explore where your ancestors once lived, we can carry out research before your trip or help plan an ancestral journey. We will work with you to identify birthplaces, family homes, burial grounds and other key locations to include in your visit.
Document Lookups & Record Retrieval
Quick, reliable access to Scottish and UK historical records.
Do you need a copy of a specific birth, marriage, death, census, or military record but can’t access it yourself?
Whether you're building your own family tree or verifying a fact, our document lookup service is here to help.
We can retrieve digital or physical records from a wide range of UK and Scottish archives, saving you time, travel, and guesswork.
New Register House, Edinburgh
Archives & Locations we can access:-
We have access to both online and in-person archives, including:
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ScotlandsPeople Centre (Edinburgh)
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National Records of Scotland
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Historic Environment Scotland
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Mitchell Library (Glasgow)
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National Library of Scotland
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Local Archives & Council Libraries across the Central Belt of Scotland
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British Newspaper Archive / FindMyPast / Ancestry / TheGenealogist / FamilySearch / Fold3 / My Heritage
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission
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National Archives (Kew)
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Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
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General Register Office for England, Wales, and Ireland
If you're not sure where the record might be held, we can help determine the most likely source and retrieve it on your behalf.
Need a Single Record?
No problem! Whether it's just one document or several, we offer affordable lookup rates with quick turnaround. Perfect for amateur researchers, authors, or family historians who need help from someone on the ground.
Contact us today with your request, and we’ll let you know what’s possible.
Military Research
Honour a Relative’s Military Service and Learn More About Their Story
Do you have a family member who served in the British or Commonwealth forces?
At Treehouse Genealogy, we will help you uncover what their service involved, where they were posted, and how their time in the military shaped their life.
Whether your ancestor fought in the First or Second World War or was involved in earlier military campaigns, we use a wide mix of records to piece together their story. These may include service files, medal records, unit histories, war diaries and more.
Every family has a story to tell — we’re here to help you find and preserve yours.
What Military Records Can Reveal
Our military research can include:
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Birth, Marriage & Death Records (to verify service identities)
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Census Returns (pre-1911, to trace servicemen before enlistment)
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Service and Pension Records (including WWI and some pre-WWII)
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Medal Index Cards and Medal Rolls
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War Diaries & Unit Records
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Casualty Lists & Roll of Honour Entries
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Newspaper Articles (mentions, obituaries, letters from the front)
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Commonwealth War Graves Records
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Photographic archives and regimental histories
WW2 and Post-1945 Records
Due to privacy restrictions, not all WW2 service records are publicly available. However, we can:
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Help determine what records do exist
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Assist in applying for WW2 or post-1945 service records via official channels
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Guide you in obtaining unclaimed service and campaign medals for family members who never received them
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Help interpret official military paperwork or discharge documents
Specialist Service – Allied Air Force Research
We also run a dedicated website for RAF and Allied Air Force genealogy, focusing on:
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RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF airmen
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Crash site research and memorials
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WW2 operational records
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Service files and loss investigations
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Family support in understanding air force service and loss during wartime
Visit: Allied Air Force Research
Ideal for descendants of Commonwealth airmen or those researching specific squadrons or aircraft losses.
🎁 Gift a Military Research Package
Military research also makes a thoughtful gift. We can present your findings in a printed report detailing your relatives service timeline — perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, or Remembrance occasions.
Ancestral Tours
Visit the Places Your Ancestors Once Knew
Have you ever thought about standing in the same spot your ancestors once did? Maybe walking down a village lane they would have known or stepping into the church where they were married?
At Treehouse Genealogy, we can help you plan a trip that brings those stories to life. Rather than just names on a page, you get to see the places they lived, worked, and are buried — places that are still here, just waiting to be found.
We’ll research your family’s locations and put together a route you can follow. It might take you to a rural parish in Perthshire, an old mining village, or a quiet coastal town your ancestors left behind when they sailed abroad. Every journey is different — and it’s yours to explore.
What Your Ancestral Tour Pack Might Include
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A personalised route showing the key places connected to your family
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Notes explaining how each spot fits into your story
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Recommendations for churches, cemeteries, old schools, mills, coal mines or workplaces linked to your ancestors.
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Tips on local museums, heritage centres and social history exhibits that bring your family’s world to life, adding extra meaning to your visit
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A clear research report along with your family tree
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Suggestions for further research you might like to explore
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We can provide your plan in a printed folder, making it easy to follow as you travel.
Perfect for Visitors from Overseas
This service is especially popular with clients from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States and Europe who want to explore their Scottish heritage in person.
We also offer extras such as advice on accommodation, help with arranging travel and coordination with local heritage centres or guides.
House & Place Histories
Explore the stories behind the places your family once called home
Whether it’s the cottage your ancestors lived in, the school they attended, or the village where generations of your family worked and worshipped, every place has a story to tell.
At Treehouse Genealogy, we offer a bespoke House and Place History service that uncovers the hidden past of the locations most important to your family story.
House Histories
We can dig into the story behind your home — whether it’s the one you live in now or a family property from years gone by.
That could be a house, farm, or cottage your ancestors called home, or even churches, schools, pubs or businesses connected to your family.
We look for past owners, tenants and builders. We’ll try to find property sales, valuations, old photos, maps, deeds and newspaper clippings. We also check directories, electoral rolls, poor law records and court documents where possible.
At the end, you’ll get a write-up with all the details we find including who lived there, how the place was used over time, and why it matters. This is a way to bring the history of the building or site alive for you.
Place Histories
Want to know more about the street, town or village your family came from?
We can explore what life was like there — the trades and industries, the communities, how the place changed over the years, and its social and economic background.
Visits — In Person or Virtual
If you’re overseas or can’t make it yourself, we offer two options:
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We can visit in person and take photos of streets, houses, churches, schools, graveyards and local memorials for you
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Or we can do a virtual visit, sending you detailed images, maps and commentary on the area
This works well whether you’re planning a future trip or simply want to feel connected to a place from a distance.
Eulogy & Life Story Writing
Helping You Say Goodbye with Words That Matter
Saying goodbye to someone you love is never easy. Finding the right words to sum up their life can be even harder.
At Treehouse Genealogy, we’re here to help you tell their story in a way that feels right for you and honours who they were as a person.
We’re Here to Listen and Help
We’ll chat with you, or someone close to you, and hear about:
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Memories that mean a lot
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Big moments in their life
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What they liked to do and who they were
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Things they achieved
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Any special messages you want to share
Then, we’ll put those thoughts into a eulogy that feels personal and honest. A Celebrant or family member can then read it at the service.
We’ll give you the finished words in a folder too, so you can keep it safe with photos or other mementoes if you want.
Want to Write Your Own?
Some people like to write their own eulogy before the time comes. That way, they know their story will be told how they want it to be told.
If that sounds right for you, we can help you find the right words at your own pace.
If you want to talk about this in confidence, just get in touch. We’re here for you, whenever you’re ready.