A simplified birthplace screen
Was a parent born there?
No.
Was a grandparent born there?
No.
End of that screening branch.
Useful for some straightforward cases. It cannot by itself reconstruct a complicated family history.
The difficult cases / Evidence-first research
Your family does
not fit a checkbox.
That is the point.
Missing records. Distant ancestors. A nationality rule that changed before anyone in your family was born. We research the difficult question instead of pretending that a birthplace quiz is the whole answer.
$500 Nationality Eligibility Scan · Start with the names you know.
Family history / Evidence firstResearch illustration
Research worksheetJ&S
What happened between the dates?
BirthFind the record
MigrationFollow the dates
The missing pieceA research question
Test the whole chainThe detail can change the question.
Illustration of our research approach. Not a client result.
No automatic two-generation cutoffFollow the relevant route, not a generic limit.
Missing proof is visibleDistinguish unknown from established.
No promise of a rescueA difficult case can still end in no route.
The difference is the depth of the question
A screening answer
is not always a researched answer.
This is an illustrative comparison of approaches, not a claim about a particular competitor.
A nationality research question
Who held which status,
and when?
Birth abroadNaturalisation dateHistoric discriminationRegistrationLater remedies
A route to test. Or an obstacle to explain.
The point of deeper research is a better-supported answer, not an automatic yes.
A simple illustration of a complex problem
One date.
A different research question.
Move the year of an ancestor's foreign naturalisation. This is a fictional research illustration, not a citizenship calculator.
Nationality research depends on the sequence of events. A birth record and a naturalisation record can tell a different story depending on which came first.
The example deliberately stops short of a legal result. You still need to know the original nationality, the rule in force, whether any loss occurred, the parent-child relationship and any exception or remedy.
Country rules differ. Examples of acquisition and remedies: source ↗ source ↗ source ↗
Illustrative family timeline
Child born1920
Ancestor naturalised1922
After the child was born
The sequence may leave a transmission question worth testing. It does not establish a nationality result.
Where the work gets interesting
The gaps are not
all the same kind of gap.
Not locatedSearch plan
A record has not been found.
An absent document is not automatically proof that an event never happened. We identify where the record might exist and which sources could establish the fact.
ThenCheck today
The rule changed.
A family story may reflect an older rule or an earlier refusal. Specific modern provisions can change the research question, as in Canadian descent reforms or British unfairness registration. source ↗source ↗
ObstacleTest, do not assume
The obvious route is blocked.
A blocked descent line is not a reason to invent an exception. We check whether an actual restoration or declaration provision fits the facts, or explain why it does not. source ↗source ↗
What an honest finding looks like
Known.
Unproven.
Not supported.
Those are different conclusions. We do not hide an unknown behind a confident answer, and we do not turn “we have not found it” into “it never happened”.
The output is a research position.
What the evidence establishes. What remains uncertain. Which missing record would matter. Whether further work is justified.
SourceFindingGapNext step
A negative result can be the correct result. You are paying us to test the route, not to manufacture one.
The Jackson & Schwab approach
You bring the names.
We do the research.
The initial scan identifies the relevant line and the work needed. A deep archival case is not unlimited research for $500. Specialised case work starts at $2,500, with the scope, evidence priorities and deliverables agreed separately.
- 01
Start with what you know.
Names, approximate dates, places, family stories or existing records. Gaps are part of the work.
- 02
Follow the evidence.
We trace the relevant line and the events that could affect nationality. Evidence gaps stay visible.
- 03
Get a written next step.
A route assessment, the obstacles, missing proof and priorities for any further work.
Before you begin
Good questions.
Clear answers.
Do you guarantee you can find an exception?
No. An exception or remedy must actually exist and fit the evidence. Sometimes the answer is that the line does not support a route.
Do you accept a case after a quiz says no?
A quiz result is not an authority's decision. We can research the facts within an agreed scope, but we do not presume that the quiz was wrong.
What about an official refusal?
An official refusal is different. Its reasons, the evidence submitted and any relevant deadline need careful review. Legal appeals and representation require an appropriately authorised professional.
Does the $500 scan include years of archive work?
No. It is a defined initial research and assessment service. Extensive retrieval, unusually deep family lines or specialised historical cases need a separately agreed scope and fee.
Will you use my family as a public success story?
No real client story or outcome is used on this page. The diagrams and adjustable timeline are fictional teaching illustrations, not testimonials or evidence of a success rate.
Your family history may have more to tell you
Bring the complicated story.
Start with the evidence.
You do not need to solve the exception, find the missing certificate or know which ancestor matters before you ask us to research it.
Start with research. Make the next decision with evidence.
Keep exploring