FAQs

What are your privacy policies?

We take your privacy very seriously. We know it is important to you, and it is important to us. Under the Privacy tab at the top of our home page you can read both a summary of our privacy practices and our full privacy policy.

Why do you make books? Why not just genealogical information? Or why not something more high tech?

Books carry with them the power of story.

Genealogical data alone gives information, but has difficulty conveying feelings. Some people can imagine the feelings on their own, but most of us respond more deeply when we have help envisioning what our earlier family members experienced, and every one of us can learn a great deal from those who have gone before us.

Higher tech media have the advantage of being able to show us many things in a compelling manner. This is good. However, technology platforms change so quickly that there is no guarantee that in 5 years that we will have a device that will play what we create today. Imagine how hard it would be for our family to access today’s high-tech creations a generation or two from now.

Books are timeless. We still read what was written in books thousands of years ago. Books are low tech. They can be picked up easily by anyone of any age. They can be accessed by anyone at any time. They store easily and indefinitely. Their stories, as told in word and image, can lend fresh strength and insight to those who encounter them in ways that are unique to each person.

A book is a gift to every generation.

Why do you make books only for people with Jewish roots?

There are many different subspecialties within genealogical and location research. It takes a different knowledge and skill set to track down information about each unique combination of time, place, and culture. Furthermore, historically, Jews have tended to move across national borders much more often than many other groups. Our expertise is in Jewish history and culture.

Why do you call the Initial and 360 Diagnostic Searches “diagnostic”?

A Diagnostic Search is an exploratory search that we do prior to doing any additional research for you (with the exception of a Holocaust Archive Inquiry). It can focus on either genealogical or location information and may verify, support, or extend the information that you bring us. It may also confirm that the desired records are not currently available online (additional records are posted daily), or that they must be searched in person in microfilm format or on location. It may also suggest that the desired records do not exist at all. We call it “diagnostic,” because it identifies what we are or are not likely to find in further research.

What is the difference between an Initial Diagnostic Search and a 360 Diagnostic Search?

Please explore a detailed description of their differences in the A la Carte Services section at the bottom of our Products page. Clicking on the bottom navigation button on the right side of the Products Page will also take you directly there.

Why do you do location research?

Location information is what allows us to make a book about the places where your family has lived. Without it, we have no book. We invite you to read more about Location Research in our Glossary.

What is the difference between genealogical and location research?

A broad definition of genealogical research would include most elements of location research. However, we use the term Genealogical Research for research that focuses primarily on finding names, dates, and other information about your family. We use the term Location Research when we search out information about the locations and context in which your family lived. Please see Genealogical Research and Location Research in our Glossary for more detailed information.

Why do you require so much specific information for BYOI locations?

A real-life example should make the reason clear. We were given a family town name of Slatina in the Czech Republic. It needed to be very near a town with the English phonetic spelling of Bitchkof. We found 13 Slatinas in Czechia, but none that were near a Bytchkof. There are over 36 Slatinas in that part of Europe. There are also quite a few phonetic possibilities for Bitchkof, but none in the Czech Republic. Eventually, we found some Slatinas and Bitchkofs in the 1918-1939 boundaries of Czechoslovakia, currently in Ukraine. However, there were two Bitchkofs within 6 miles of each other, near more than one Slatina. Furthermore, each of these towns was known by 5-10 different names due to local usage and being under the jurisdiction of 6 countries during the past century. And to confuse matters further, the nationalities of the people from the smae family in the actual ancestral town were listed as Czech, Hungarian, and Ukrainian.
Thus, we are only half joking when we ask if you have the exact longitude and latitude of a location, down to the minute and second, and the name in at least five languages!

May I just talk with you about some ideas I have, even if I’m not sure if I want you to make a book or do research for me?

Absolutely! We offer a free 45-minute consultation where you can brainstorm ideas with us. We’d love to hear what you have in mind. Please contact us and we will set up a time to talk over your ideas. It is always helpful to browse our website before we talk so you can become familiar with what we have to offer and we can make the best use of your time.

I think I want you to do just research for me, not a book. What do I do next?

Great! Please contact us to set up your free 45-minute consultation so we can talk about what you want to find.

It is always helpful to sketch out a summary for yourself of what you want to find out, and list the information you already have. It is also helpful to browse our website before we talk so you can become familiar with what we have to offer. Doing these things allows us to use your time most effectively when we talk.

But, don’t worry—we are happy to talk with you whether or not you have done these things beforehand. We look forward to hearing from you.

I think I want you to make a book for me. What do I do next?

Wonderful! Start by contacting us to set up your free 45-minute consultation so you can help us understand what is most important to you about your book.

It is always helpful to sketch out your priorities before we talk and to browse our website so you can become familiar with what we have to offer. Doing these things allows us to use your time most effectively when we talk.

But, don’t worry. We’d love to hear from you whether you have done these things beforehand, or not. We are looking forward to talking with you.

I want you to make me a book. What does the whole process look like?

That is a very good question, and the answer is worth a whole web page of its own. So, we invite you to go to our Creating Your Book page under "About Us" and get an overview of the process, from beginning to end.

But, in summary, the process boils down to two things. First, it is your family story that we are telling, not ours, and second, we will be right with you every step of the way, from beginning to end.

We look forward to taking the journey with you.

I’d like a book (or research), but I’m not ready to order at this time. What do you suggest?

That is an excellent question. We suggest contacting us to arrange a free 45-minute consultation so we can help you explore what you can do to feel fully ready to go when you decide to go ahead with your order. We would love to chat with you. With that said, we strongly suggest that anyone who has family members who were caught up in the Shoa submit an inquiry to the major Holocaust archives several months prior to beginning their project with us, if time permits. You may submit the inquiries yourself through the various archive portals, or you may have us submit them for you.

What makes your books so special? Or, some might ask, why do they cost so much?

The books we make for you are made uniquely for you. They involve the kind of research, design, and publishing that is done for a regular, commercial book, but it is all done for you. We invite you to read more about the research, design, and production of our books on our Home page, in our Glossary, and especially in our Design Details Gallery.

Why do the Smyth Sewn books in the Oak and Cedar Packages cost so much more than the hardbound books that are in the Fir Package?

Smyth Sewn books cost more because our printer sets up an entire top-quality bound book just for you. Publishers make their money by selling books in large quantities. These books involve all of the professional care that is put into setting up production of a top-quality book, except that all of that work is done just for you.

What are your payment terms?

Payment terms for each product are found at the bottom of its detailed description page. These links are provided for your convenience: Fir Book Package, Oak Book Package, Cedar Book Package, all other products and services.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept personal or certified checks, Zelle, Venmo, or Apple Pay.

Can you make a book if I don’t know anything about my family?

Don’t be discouraged. First, you probably know more than you think. The family stories that you have heard, and perhaps not thought too much about, often contain clues that can lead to fascinating discoveries. Second, there is probably more information to be found than you realize. Every day more records become available. It is always worth looking. That is why we start each Oak and Cedar book package with a diagnostic search. You might be surprised at what we can find.

What if we still can’t find any information about my family, even after your diagnostic search?

We call it a “diagnostic” search because its purpose is to see if we can find any additional information within the scope of that search. Sometimes we cannot add to the information that you already have.

If this is the case, we go back to the information that you do have, which is usually much richer than you realize. If you do not have an exact town of origin, you may know the region your family is from. And if you do not know their region, you may have heard about a country, or national identity, or language spoken. Perhaps you have heard something about their migrations from place to place.

By combining these tidbits with historical context, we can help you get a feel for the kinds of landscapes and situations they were likely to encounter. In fact, even with the most scant information we have discovered surprising connections.

We suspect that you cannot tell by the quality of the page, which pages in our galleries are based on information gleaned from family stories, and which are based on formally documented evidence. We invite you to browse the Sephardim Pages in our Research and Design Gallery to see an example of what we could do solely with information that was gathered from family lore, and for which we could find no formal documentation. However, as you browse the Sephardim Pages, notice how much circumstantial evidence there is to confirm that this location really was the family's ancestral home. You might be surprised at how much can be done with the little information that you have.

Your book can be rich, even if you do not have the luxury of full documentation for each person’s life. Let’s work together to see what we can find.

How do you handle difficult stories?

You always have the final say about which stories are or are not included in your book, and which details you do or do not wish to include in those stories. This is your book.

Many lives have been marred by profound tragedy. We acknowledge such tragedies in the books we create. Some examples of how we do this are in our German gallery page. Yet, most of the same people who suffered those tragedies experienced joys, as well. Life is not simple.

The value of a life is not determined by the circumstances in which it was lived. However, our understanding of the value of that life, and the nature of its impact on our own, can be greatly enhanced by coming to understand the circumstances in which it was lived. Increased understanding of the difficulties as well as the pleasantries of the lives of those who came before us can help us see them in three dimensions and color. This reduces our risk of seeing them as a black-and-white, cardboard characters who are entirely defined by a very few positive or negative events.

Life is complex. We try to be true to its complexity, while always holding out the candle of hope. "A little bit of light pushes away a lot of darkness."

Are these books appropriate for children?

When telling difficult stories in the body of the book, we tell them in ways that are appropriate for most children. Adults can use the book as a picture book with young children and tell the stories in a way suitable for that particular child. Text in the body of the book is appropriate for most children who are old enough to read the text on their own. We write the more difficult details in the research notes in the back of the book. The research notes are written in a more academic style and are less attractive to children, both in terms of writing style and visual appeal. Through this approach, we hope to make the book authentic and accessible to every age, without burdening children with too much difficult detail.

Why do you do this work?

We first became engrossed in family history work because of the feeling of kinship and connection that came to us when we listened to our own family stories and then searched out our own roots. However, our desire to do this work became unstoppable when we saw how deeply other people were touched by feeling connections with their families through discovering things that they never expected to find. The most satisfying part of this work, for us, is to help people not only know about their families, but also to come to know their families a little bit better.

What if I don't find my topic in these FAQ answers?

Please, browse our Glossary, as well. We explain terms on that page in ways that may answer your questions. And, if you can't find a satisfactory answer to your question on our website, please contact us so we can help you find out what you want to know.