Need this as a last minute gift? We can send you a digital voucher and guide. Just tell us in your order notes.

For an online versions of this experience see Absolute Beginner's Online Experience.

Getting Started With Your Family Tree Gift Experience

You/gift recipient are invited to London to learn the first steps of researching your family tree. You will be accompanied by your own personal genealogist, who will guide you through the process of collecting information from family, arranging information, searching for relatives online, using databases, and search methods. You will look at documents and learn how to interpret information from them, revealing small details about your family.

Finally, get ready for a practical search session where we may even be able to find your ancestors in the public records!

Does it cover overseas research?
No, however we can give some general advice about how tackle overseas research.

This Gift Experience is suitable for gift recipients researching in Britain, it does not include overseas research including British citizens born overseas.

If you or the gift recipient has Scottish origins then you will need to purchase credits at ScotlandsPeople in advance of the day.

This is because the Scottish government do not licence their records to third parties and therefore their records cannot be accessed for free at English archives or at other repositories outside of Scotland.

On the Day
The day starts with chat over a tea/coffee/cake about records available to family historians. The second session gives the gift recipient an opportunity to play a fun practical game of genealogy problem solving. The third session discusses and maps the gift recipient's family tree using oral history. Then it's time to begin searching the family tree, looking at websites available, and exploring the best methods for researching a tree accurately.

Entry Level

Beginners - those who have never undertaken family tree research. This gift experience starts with the gift recipient and works back through their parents and then their grandparents etc.

It covers the elementary foundations of genealogy and it is not suitable for those with some knowledge of methods or who have been given a family tree by another member of their family.

Those with some genealogy experience may wish to try our Research Day.

Details of day
Day starts at 10:30 am and finishes at 3:00 pm. 

• The experiences take place in CENTRAL LONDON and can be booked Mon-Friday.
• Because we use several venues across London and they are subject to availability, the exact meeting point will be sent to the gift recipient ONE WEEK before the genealogy experience.

Itinerary:
Morning: one-to-one discussion and chat over a coffee/tea/cake: discuss aims and objects of research.
Lunch.
Afternoon of research looking at available resources.

Inclusions:
One-to-one discussion with a genealogist,
Morning Coffee and cake,
Archive/Venue fees.

Exclusions:
Travel expenses,
Hotel fees,
Lunch and dinner.

Maximum Number of People
This day is designed for one person. If the gift recipient wishes for someone to keep them company, choose Optional Second Person (£30) from the Options above. If the experience takes place at an archive, there are other floors within the buildings for the Optional Second Person to visit should over-crowding in the research area be an issue. 

Where no Optional Second Person has been purchased, anyone travelling with the gift recipient will be required to leave them at the meeting point. 

No more than two people at a time.

Not for individuals under 16.

What to bring

• You may need to bring lunch, we will let you know when we confirm the meeting point.
• Pencils, but leave your pens and erasers at home in case we meet at an archive.
• Blank paper/pad.
• Details of your family. We suggest mapping out your family tree on a piece of paper, writing down the information you know about each relative.
• Leave any valuables at home.
• Laptop/Tablet

If Genealogy Experience is at an Archive - Guidelines for entering Archives
Most record offices have rules. You/gift recipient may be entering a record office on the day - please respect its rules:

• No food and drink in the library only in the eating area
• No pens only pencils allowed in the library
• No mobile phones in the library
• No rucksacks or large bags
• Bags are not allowed in the library and must be placed in a locker

IMPORTANT - You/Gift Recipient and optional accompanying friend or family member will need to bring the following:

A photo ID
Proof of address

Once gift recipient has booked, we will inform them in an email if this is necessary. It is only necessary when entering an archive.

Making Your Payment
To order, pay by credit/debit card using the following options:

a. Direct from our site. We do not capture or keep any of your card details on our servers.

b. By PayPal. Please note it is not necessary to be a member of PayPal to use it. Please select PayPal as your payment option, complete the Checkout process, and enter your credit/debit card details on the PayPal payment page.

What happens after you place an order
We will send you a Gift Voucher Presentation Pack with a 12 month voucher. This is usually sent out within 72 hours (excluding weekends and bank holidays).

Booking the day
After you have placed your order, you or the gift recipient can book the day online by visiting Book Your Gift Experience. Please note October, November, December are often fully booked, please plan and book well in advance.

Gift Voucher Terms and Conditions
Our contract is with you the buyer and not with the attendee if you are buying for someone else. The Gift Voucher for this experience is valid for 12 months (unless stated differently above) after the purchase. Gift Experiences must be booked and completed before the expiry date. 

We will not fulfil the Gift Experience after the voucher has expired under any circumstances.

The buyer is responsible for making sure the gift recipient is aware of:

• The Expire Date printed on the voucher and that the gift experience expires on the expiry date.
• That Family History Gifts is not legally obliged to provide the gift experience once the voucher has expired.
• That they will need to be flexible about days available due to venue opening hours.
• That you will be agreeing to Terms & Conditions on their behalf and they must abide by them. (We recommend you print the T&C for them).

Refunds and Cancellations of Gift Experiences
If you wish to cancel an order for a Gift Experience you are required to do so within 14 days of purchase. To cancel within the 14 day period simply inform us in writing. Please allow 7 days for us to process your refund.

We cannot cancel or refund orders after 14 days or if you have booked a date for the gift experience within the 14 day period.

Rescheduling Your Booking

If you wish to reschedule your Genealogy Experience, you will need to inform us more than 21 days before the date you booked. If less than 21 days you will be required to pay a £30 rescheduling fee.

Cancellations by us
In the unfortunate event of illness or unforeseen circumstances, we reserve the right to reschedule any gift experience. Family History Gifts is unable to reimburse any expenses you may have occurred in relation to the cancelled event.