Professional, records-based Iowa genealogy research at a flat price — we trace your family line and deliver it as a written history, not just a report.
Iowa is our home ground. We research Iowa families from the public record — census, vital, church, land, probate, cemetery, and newspaper — and deliver the result as a written family history you keep, not a stack of photocopies.
Why Iowa research has its own rules
Iowa began requiring statewide birth, death, and marriage registration in July 1880, and the records live in two places: the county recorder holds the county copy, and the State Historical Society of Iowa holds the statewide historic collection. Knowing which office holds which year is most of the job.
Before 1880 the trail runs through the federal census, county land and probate files, church registers, and newspapers. Iowa also took its own state census from 1836 to 1925 — and the 1925 edition is unusual and valuable, because it lists each person's parents, including the mother's maiden name. For a family that was in Iowa in 1925, that single record often jumps a generation on its own.
What we deliver
| Package | What it is | Flat price |
|---|---|---|
| Bring Your Own Tree | You already have the research. We format and produce it as a custom family-history book (PDF) plus an organized digital archive. | $495 |
| Keepsake | We do the research. Custom-written family history with full source citations, an interactive family site, the GEDCOM and document archive, and future-research notes — all digital. | $1,295 |
| The Heirloom | Everything in Keepsake, plus one hardcover print edition and the engraved keepsake USB. | $1,995 |
No hourly meter, no surprise invoice. You know the number and the deliverable up front.
See the packages →Where we work
We're based in central Iowa and research statewide — Polk, Dallas, Story, Warren, and Madison counties are our closest turf, and we work the rest of the state and the surrounding Midwest from the same record sets. You do not need to live in Iowa to hire us; most of the record work is done from the archives and repositories directly.
Free county starting points: Polk County · the full Iowa guide · free Midwest death records.
Search 26,984,545 documented Midwestern ancestors. No account, no card.
Search the database →Frequently asked questions
How much does an Iowa genealogist cost?
We work at a flat price agreed before the project starts: $495 to produce a book from research you already have, $1,295 for full research delivered digitally, and $1,995 for the Heirloom package with a hardcover edition. There is no hourly meter.
Do I need to live in Iowa to hire an Iowa genealogist?
No. Most Iowa records are worked through the State Historical Society of Iowa, county offices, and digitized collections, so we research Iowa families for clients living anywhere.
When did Iowa start recording births and deaths?
Statewide registration began in July 1880. Before that, the trail runs through federal and Iowa state census records, county land and probate files, church registers, and newspapers.
What makes the 1925 Iowa state census useful?
The 1925 Iowa state census lists each person's parents, including the mother's maiden name. For families in Iowa that year it frequently establishes a generation that no other single record proves.