Welcome to The Gene Poole

Understandable genealogy services

OK, so The Gene Poole is a play on words. My name is Thom Poole, and I have the genealogy bug. In my research, for my complex family tree, I feel that I have come across many of the pitfalls and uncovered many of the unusual sources of information that will benefit you and your genealogy.

My service encompasses all aspects of genealogical research and will go as far as your interest and budget will take you. There are always dead-ends, blind alleys and red herrings. No one can claim to be immune from them, but with experience, you can question them and avoid the simple ones.

Every project is different, and no genealogist can predict the outcome of research with any certainty, so our fees are based on the length of time we spend on research. If you are not certain which programme to choose, use our Free Assessment service for advice, with no obligation to proceed.

Your family history

So you want to have your family tree researched? Well done, you're on the road to discovering the past and to invest in your future, the generations to come will be so glad you did. I was lucky as my great uncle was interested and helped uncover some possible pitfalls I could have fallen into (although he also introduced some red herrings!).

What are you going to get if you decide to have your ancestors traced and order a family tree package? I offer a flexible approach to tracing your family history - this can be part of our package offer, or bespoke.

OK, what are you going to get for your money? I prepare the following for you:

• A book of the research, including your family tree.
• Original copies of any birth, marriage and death certificates used*, and copies of census returns and parish records where applicable.
• A full references report listing all the sources I have used/found.
• A 'narrative' Family Tree listing your ancestors' relationship to one another.
• Listing of Places – all the places found in the research.
• Listing of Occupations, with explanations where appropriate.
• Suggestions for further research on your family history.
• On multiple bloodline research, you will receive all the above for each surname.
• In addition, you will get a cloud storage account, containing the Gedcom file, all your researched documents, including a PDF version of the book in full colour.

* where applicable, and at an extra cost per certificate.

If you want a bespoke service to help you with your research, or just want me to create and publish a book of your research, then contact me.