1. What can I expect after I purchase a 1-hour Family Research Consultation?
The FOREVER Family Research Team will contact you by email within two business days of your purchase to set up your 1-hour Family Research Consultation. The consultation will take place via phone or online video chat – whichever is most comfortable for you! Depending on the nature of your research needs, our in-depth, hour-long discussion can focus on specific genealogy records, recommended research approaches to make progress on your own, understanding the basics of DNA, or simply strategizing solutions for your unique family research needs!
2. What can I expect after I open a new FOREVER Family Research Project?
The FOREVER Family Research Team will contact you by email within two business days of your purchase to set up your Initial Project Meeting. All new Projects begin with this initial meeting, which is designed to discuss your research goals, determine what you already know and what you want to know about your family history, and access any existing family trees or research that you already have. From there, we will formulate a game plan for your Project. We will not waste time pulling records you already have! We will not do any work outside of the Project scope that is agreed to!
3. What can I expect at the end of each FOREVER Family Research Project research month?
In addition to FOREVER Family Tree Updates, each research month you will receive
- One Monthly Update: A virtual face-to-face meeting where a member of the FOREVER Family Research Team explains the new records found and the stories they tell
- One Printable Research Report: A monthly Research & Source Log
- All new records are added directly to your FOREVER Account for permanent preservation. (Sufficient permanent FOREVER cloud storage is required. See FAQ #8 for additional information.)
4. What is FOREVER Family Tree?
Each Family Research Project Plan includes the creation of a personal, private FOREVER Family Tree. FOREVER Family Tree is for FOREVER Family Research clients only! Your Family Tree will be populated with all your ancestors that we discover in our research. Any documents we discover will also be added and connected to those ancestors. Your FOREVER Family Tree will be linked right from your FOREVER Account. It’s fun and easy to explore your Family Tree and get to know your family history!
5. Who can see and access my FOREVER Family Tree?
Only you and the FOREVER Family Research Team Member you’re working with can see and access your FOREVER Family Tree. When we create your Family Tree, we will provide you with a link and personal login. If you choose, we can also create a separate guest login that you can share with anyone you want to have access to your Family Tree.
6. Can I add my own research and documents to my FOREVER Family Tree?
If you have an existing family tree, we can pre-populate your FOREVER Family Tree with individuals you have already identified. However, at this time, we can only add documents to your FOREVER Family Tree that our FOREVER Family Research Team finds during your Project.
7. Can I edit my FOREVER Family Tree?
Your FOREVER Family Tree is currently view-only and cannot be edited by anyone outside the FOREVER Family Research Team.
8. How are research documents added to my FOREVER® Account if I am a permanent FOREVER Cloud Storage Owner?
If you are a permanent FOREVER Cloud Storage Owner with sufficient storage space, we will upload all the records we locate directly into your permanent FOREVER Account for long-term preservation. The process is seamless: we will create a FOREVER Family Research Album in your Account, and each research month, a nested Album will be created and populated with all the research finds from that month. Please note that the documents we upload to your FOREVER Account count toward your permanent FOREVER cloud storage total. Sufficient storage space is required.
9. How are research documents added to my FOREVER® Account if I am not a permanent FOREVER Cloud Storage Owner?
If you are not a permanent FOREVER Cloud Storage Owner but have sufficient introductory storage space, we will upload all the records we locate directly into your introductory FOREVER Account. However, until you purchase permanent FOREVER cloud storage, your files are not guaranteed to be maintained and preserved for your lifetime plus 100 years. As soon as you purchase permanent FOREVER cloud storage, everything in your FOREVER Account will be preserved for generations! View permanent FOREVER cloud storage plans at forever.com/storage. Please note that the documents we upload to your FOREVER Account count toward your permanent FOREVER cloud storage total. Sufficient storage space is required.
10. Where will my documents be uploaded if I don’t have enough space to hold them in my FOREVER Account?
We always recommend that you add the additional permanent FOREVER cloud storage space required to preserve your documents and records in your FOREVER Account. If you do not have enough space in your FOREVER Account for your documents, you will still be able to view them in your FOREVER Family Tree. Just remember that if these documents are not saved in your permanent FOREVER Cloud Storage Account, they are not guaranteed to be maintained and preserved for your lifetime plus 100 years! View permanent FOREVER cloud storage plans at forever.com/storage.
11. Can I pay to receive more than 5 hours of research per month in a FOREVER Family Research Project?
Of course! Simply add multiple Projects to your cart to increase the number of hours of research you’ll receive each month. Two Projects = 10 hours per month, Three Projects = 15 hours per month, etc.
12. Can I pay to receive fewer than 5 hours of research per month in a FOREVER Family Research Project?
If you have a very limited and specific research goal, this may be an option. Let’s talk!
13. Can I start a new FOREVER Family Research Project mid-month?
You may purchase a Project at any time, however, the research will begin the following month. For example:
| Project Paid For On: | January 1st | January 31st |
| Research Begins | February | February |
| 1st Month Research Reporting | February 28th | February 28th |
| 2nd Month Billed | March 1st | March 1st |
| 2nd Month Research Reporting | March 31st | March 31st |
14. Can I extend my FOREVER Family Research Project Plan once it’s over?
Absolutely! During the final month of your Project Plan, you will receive an email from the FOREVER Family Research Team with the option to easily continue your Project. You can choose to continue with the same number of hours each month or add additional monthly hours so that your FOREVER Family Tree grows more rapidly!
15. Can I cancel my FOREVER Family Research Project Plan before it’s over?
Yes. However, once your Project month has begun, that month cannot be canceled or refunded. If you elect to cancel any future months included in your Project Plan, your Project will not continue, and you will not be auto-billed for those future months. Manage your recurring payments at forever.com/settings/subscriptions.
16. Can I use FOREVER Gift Certificates or FOREVER Club Dollars toward my Family Research Project?
Gift Certificates and FOREVER Club Dollars cannot be used for FOREVER Family Research Projects. However, FOREVER Club Members will save 5% on each FOREVER Family Research Project payment!
17. Are any discounts available?
Yes! 6 Month Plans receive a 5% per month discount and 12 Month Plans receive a 10% per month discount compared to 3 Month Plans. Plus, FOREVER Club Members save an additional 5% on all FOREVER Family Research Project payments!
18. Are there any additional charges for FOREVER Family Research beyond my monthly payment?
There are rarely any additional charges for FOREVER Family Research, but if an additional charge is needed, we will discuss with you before ANY work is done that does not fit within your initial research Project. If, and only if, you approve the extra expenses, your credit card on file will be charged in addition to your monthly Project Plan payment. An example of an additional charge would be if certain records are only available directly from a Town Hall which charges a fee for copies.
19. What is a “brick wall” ancestor?
All of us have them! A “brick wall” ancestor is someone who slid through history leaving little to no evidence that they existed. This person may be a great-grandmother whose maiden name isn’t known, an ancestor who just appeared from somewhere overseas, or a distant relative who vanished from the town never to be heard from again. Our experienced genealogists can break down those brick walls and find answers to those tough research dilemmas.
20. Can I take a month off during/in the middle of my FOREVER Family Research Project?
Yes, we can accommodate a skipped month of research, however we cannot pause the rolling, monthly billing during a Research Project. Monthly billing and fulfilled research will then be out of sync for the remaining months of the project.
Do you have other questions?
Contact the FOREVER Family Research Team at familyresearch@forever.com