Who does the research
Pedro Gil
I hold a master's-level university degree and came to genealogy out of passion. It began with a study of my own family: demanding work that took me through around 300 documents from the 16th to the 20th century, nine generations reconstructed in detail and a book that brings together the lives and episodes of those generations up to the present day.
Other studies followed, always with the same rigour. I work mainly with sources from Northern and Central Portugal, where access to the records and local archives is closest.
The work rests on documentary rigour and the reliability of sources. I search for every document across the widest range of sources, with resilience. Every study is properly substantiated, with the origin of each piece of information identified.
I believe every family deserves to know its history truthfully: with what the documents prove and with what is still to be discovered.
Pedro Gil
Method
We always separate what is proven from what is hypothesis
| Certainty level | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Primary document | Supported by a record, file or original document we have examined. |
| Secondary source | Stated in a study or reference work; may need confirming in the original. |
| Probable | Consistent with the documents as a whole, but the exact link is still to be confirmed. |
| Hypothesis | Family tradition or inference without sufficient proof yet. |
| Gap | Not enough information yet to fill in reliably. |
The sources
Parish and civil registers, the Torre do Tombo, district and municipal archives, university and court files, wills, old newspapers, maps and family memory.
Technology in the service of rigour
We use digital tools, including artificial intelligence, to organise information and to support reading and writing. Every conclusion is checked against the original documents. We never invent illegible names or fill gaps without proof.
Discretion
Your data and your family's are handled in confidence. Sensitive findings are shared with you first, with care.