In search of free land
Sale of land in Kopeynoye, Igumen uyezd; move to Laby, Minsk uyezd; purchase of a holding for all sons of a large family.
Heritavia Research
From one question to a full family history
A public price list with clear inclusions and exclusions. Start small and continue when new documents and hypotheses appear.
Where the search begins
Sometimes the problem is not that the ancestor is missing.
The problem is that the record is not where you expect to find it.
Parish registers did not survive.
The surname changes from document to document.
Only a name, a village and an approximate year of birth are known.
The ancestor was “probably from Lithuania or Belarus,” but there is no proof.
Someone already searched the archive and found nothing.
FamilySearch and other databases return too few answers.
How we search
One document rarely tells the whole story.
So we do not stop at one database or one parish entry. We gather evidence from multiple sources.
01
Archives
Parish books, revision lists, censuses, court, land and military files.
02
Documents
Records of relatives, marriages, children, places of residence and family moves.
03
Maps
Old maps and shifting administrative borders help explain the geography of a family.
04
DNA & data
Genetic matches, databases, relationship analysis and cross-checking large datasets.
What you get
Not just a list of names found.
Our job is to turn scattered documents into a clear family story you can keep researching.
Research deliverables
- archival documents and extracts;
- documented relationships;
- geography of family residence;
- event chronology;
- research log;
- hypotheses and next search directions;
- Living Report Heritavia.
And most importantly
You understand not only who your ancestor was, but where they lived, what the family did, how it moved, and which events shaped its history.
Sometimes a single document changes the whole picture of a family line.
Belarus & Eastern Europe
Were your ancestors from Belarus?
We specialise in genealogical research for Belarus and neighbouring historical territories — Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and Latvia.
Cases where borders, administrative affiliation and place names changed more than once are especially relevant.
That is why a modern search by today’s village name sometimes leads to the wrong place entirely.
What the result looks like
Research becomes a living history.
Not a dry table of names — documents, maps, relationships, events and family story.
Map of family movements
Living Report
Vazhnik · line and stories
- 1810 Drichin → Kopeyno (Pukhovichi) family
- 1914 Kopeyno → Laby (Volozhin) family
- early 1950s Laby → Minsk family
Left — 1864 parish entry (Khoruzhko / Oles). Centre — Vazhnik path: Drichin → Kopeyno (1810) → Laby (1914) → Minsk (early 1950s). Right — report fragment: horizon, timeline, story.
Research formats
From one question to a full family history.
Start with a small task and continue when new documents and hypotheses appear.
Step 1
Family history review
€100
A prepaid consultation. We assess the facts you already have, the sources that may survive, and the risks.
Paid in advance. Archive research and a Living Report are not included.
BookStep 2 · strategy
Research plan
€300
Specific search lines, archives, documents, limits, a budget and the criteria for finishing the stage.
You see what you are paying for and which decision comes next.
Order the planStep 3
Full research
from €1 500
Archive work, a reconstruction of kinship, and a Living Report with sources, chronology and the geography of the family.
The budget is fixed after the plan. Archive fees are billed separately.
Discuss the researchWhy does full research say “from”?
The review and the plan are fixed fees. Archive volume depends on region, period, record survival and the number of lines. After step 2 there is a concrete budget and a criterion for when the stage is finished.
First cohort: −20% for two projects ↔ detailed feedback + an anonymised case study.
FAQ
Before you start
What if parish registers did not survive?
That is not the end. We use indirect sources: revision lists, censuses, court and land files, relatives’ papers, military and other fonds. See also the article on missing parish books.
Do I need an exact birth date?
No. A name, approximate year, place and a few known relatives are often enough.
What if the surname is spelled differently?
Common in historical records. We account for spelling variants, document language, parish practice and period.
Where do I start if the scope is still unclear?
With a family history review (€100, paid in advance). Next is the research plan (€300): it shows what the full research would cost and where to stop.
Can I order research if I live abroad?
Yes. Most work is remote; deliverables are digital (report, documents, research log).
Start research
Tell us who you are looking for.
You do not need to know the archive, fond or exact surname spelling in advance. Send everything known, and we will help define the next step.
Discuss my family history