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How research works here

Four steps to your family's story

Each step surfaces something specific — a village, a ship, a living cousin — that becomes the input for the next step. Follow the sequence and the pieces connect.

  1. 1

    Step 1

    Start your anchor tree

    Add yourself, your parents, and at least one grandparent. Include the family surname and — if you know it — the ancestral village. The names of elders are what everything else matches against.

    You'll walk away with: A minimal tree with the surname + one village that lets Steps 2-3 score matches against your specific family, not generic hits.
  2. 2

    Step 2

    Find your ancestor in indenture records

    Search 400,000+ colonial-era indenture records (Mauritius, Fiji, South Africa, Trinidad, Guyana, Réunion, Suriname and more) by your surname. Match cards show confidence bands so you know which hits are worth investigating first.

    You'll walk away with: Your ancestor's arrival record — with their native village in Tamil Nadu, the ship they sailed on, the year, and their indenture number.
  3. 3

    Step 3

    Cross-reference voter rolls with that village

    Use the village name from Step 2 to search Tamil Nadu + Puducherry voter rolls (3M+ records). Households clustered at the same address with your surname are almost always living relatives — the descendants of ancestors who didn't emigrate.

    You'll walk away with: Voter households in the same village sharing your surname — the living relatives on the other side of your ancestor's departure.
  4. 4

    Step 4

    Compose and share your family story

    Pick people from your tree, write a few lines of context, and get a shareable link. Send it to your cousins on WhatsApp or print it for a family gathering — no account needed for recipients.

    You'll walk away with: A public link (or printable page) with your family's story that anyone can read — no signup required for family who receive it.

Start free — 60 seconds to your anchor tree

Free plan includes indenture search preview, voter roll search, and unlimited tree building. No card required to begin.

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