Lineage
$2,400
One line, six generations
- Single surname line, six generations deep
- 8–12 verified documents, scanned & cited
- One 160-page bound volume
- Fold-out family tree
Family history, commissioned
Every family keeps a record. We write it down.
Tracestory pairs archival researchers with bookbinders to turn scattered documents, half-remembered names, and attic-box photographs into a verified lineage — and a hand-bound volume your grandchildren will hold.
- Est.
- 2012
- Volumes bound
- 640+
- Archives worked
- 94
National Archives Parish Registers Census Ledgers Ships' Manifests Land Deeds Oral Histories Military Records Newspaper Archives
My mother cried at page nine — the photograph of the farm she thought had burned in the fifties. That page alone was worth the whole commission.
The method
Four steps, no shortcuts
A commission runs twelve to sixteen weeks. You see every document we find; you correct every story before it is set in type.
- Step 01
The intake conversation
Ninety minutes with a researcher — names, places, the stories half-remembered at kitchen tables. We leave with a research plan and a list of what to hunt.
- Step 02
Archival research
Six to eight weeks in parish registers, census ledgers, ships' manifests and land deeds. Every find is scanned, transcribed, and sent to you as it surfaces.
- Step 03
Verification & writing
A genealogist cross-checks each lineage claim against two independent sources. An editor writes the narrative; you read the full draft before it goes to press.
- Step 04
Binding & delivery
Letterpress cover, sewn signatures, tipped-in reproductions of original documents. Two volumes arrive in an oxblood slipcase, with the research file on acid-free stock.
The artifact
Built to be handed down
Not a PDF. Not a printout. A sewn, cloth-bound volume with every claim footnoted to its source — the kind of object that survives a house move, a custody dispute, a century.
- I. 160–240 pages, letterpress cover, sewn signatures
- II. Reproductions of every original document, tipped in by hand
- III. Fold-out family tree, six generations deep
- IV. Archive file on acid-free stock, delivered with the volume
Commissions
Priced like the craft it is
A third of each fee reserves your researcher's calendar. The balance is due on proof approval, before binding. Payment plans available.
Most commissioned
$4,900
Full narrative history
- Everything in Lineage
- Paternal & maternal lines, four generations each
- 220-page narrative volume, edited & proofread
- Two recorded oral-history sessions
Estate
From $9,800
Multi-branch estates & trusts
- Unlimited branches, every living generation
- Document translation in twelve languages
- Multiple volumes & custom slipcase
- Dedicated two-person research team
Questions
Asked before every commission
How far back can you actually trace?
It depends on the region and records survival, not effort. In Ireland and Italy, parish registers routinely reach the 1780s; in the American South, courthouse fires often cap lines near 1850. We tell you the honest ceiling at intake — before you pay.
What if you find something uncomfortable?
Families contain adoptions, name changes, incarcerations, and affairs. We report what the documents say, flag anything sensitive, and you decide what enters the volume. Nothing is published beyond your family.
Do I own the research file?
Entirely. Every scan, transcript, and citation is delivered on acid-free stock and as digital files. If you later want a second edition or a new volume for a sibling, any bindery can work from your file.
Can I commission this as a gift?
A third of commissions are gifts. We schedule the intake conversation so the recipient is interviewed without knowing the source, and can hold delivery to a birthday or anniversary date.
Begin
Tell us the names you know
A researcher reads every enquiry and replies within two working days with an honest read on what the records will give up. No obligation, no automated sequence.
- Enquiries
- hello@tracestory.com
- Studio
- Dublin · Boston