How do I start a tree?
On heirstory.org, choose Start your family tree and give your name and email address. We email you a link; nothing is made until you follow it and set your password, with your own date and place of birth.
Heirstory support
Need a hand with Heirstory?
The quickest place to ask a general question is the Itch.studio Discord, where the developer already is. Anything about your own family or account is better by email, and either way you reach the people who actually build Heirstory.
Getting in touch
Discord is the fastest way to get help, and a little detail goes a long way.
Ask in the Discord
The Itch.studio Discord is the preferred place for questions about how Heirstory works, ideas and problems with the site. Ask in #heirstory and you'll usually get the quickest answer, and other families get to see it too.
Email us
For your account, your tree or anyone on it, email us. It helps to include the address you sign in with, the browser and device you were using, and what you were doing when it happened. Screenshots are welcome, but please crop out relatives' details we don't need.
Keep your family private
The Discord is public. Please don't post names, dates, places or documents about living relatives there, or screenshots of your tree. Ask the question in general terms and we will take the details to email. We will never ask for your password.
By post or phone
Itch Studio Ltd
Suite RA01, 195-197 Wood Street
London, E17 3NU
United Kingdom
Itch Studio Ltd. is registered in England and Wales, company number 14729010.
Common questions
Answers to the things people ask us most.
I didn't get the email
Check your spam or junk folder for a message from heirstory.org. Links are limited per address for safety, so if you have asked a few times, wait a little before trying again, or email us.
I forgot my password
On the sign-in page, choose Set or reset your password. We send a link to the address on your account.
Why is someone shown as Undisclosed?
They, or the relatives who answer for them, have not chosen to share with you. You can ask about any Undisclosed box: the request goes to whoever answers for that person, and they decide. If they say not now, you are not told, and nothing is shown.
Why is a line dotted?
A dotted line is a link the evidence points to but has not proven. Tap its mark to read the case, what would settle it and where the evidence is. It stays dotted until a certificate or register entry settles it.
Something on the tree is wrong
Correct people you added yourself on the tree. For anyone else, add a correction: it goes to the relatives who answer for that family, and nothing changes until they have looked.
Free to use
Credits, payments and refunds.
Your tree, your records and your family are free. Only the AI features use credits. You earn 20 free credits for each person you add with their full name, year of birth and birthplace, up to eight people, and can buy more from £5 in your own currency. No subscriptions, and credits never expire.
Buying credits
Packs of 500, 1,000 and 2,000 credits cost 5, 10 and 20 in your own currency, paid once through Stripe's own checkout page. Your card details never reach Heirstory.
If credits you paid for have not appeared, email us with the address you sign in with and roughly when you paid.
Refunds
Email support@heirstory.org from the address on your account and tell us what happened. If something went wrong that led to the payment, tell us that too; we would rather fix the problem.
Privacy and terms
Your family's record is your family's.
Policies
Read the Heirstory privacy policy for exactly what we keep, why and who else handles it, and the Heirstory terms for the terms of using it.
What we can see
Nothing on Heirstory is public. Living relatives' details show only to those they choose, certificates are redacted before anyone sees them, and Heirstory's own admin tools never show anyone's tree, conversations or interviews.
Still stuck?
If your question isn't answered here, ask in the Discord or email us. We would rather hear from you than have you guessing.
Ideas are genuinely welcome too. Heirstory is being built with one family's records, and what other families need is exactly what we want to hear.