1
The record.
I search the original U.S. census pages, 1900–1950, from the National Archives, and find the line where your ancestor was counted. Every print names its source, in this order: census year · county, state · sheet · line.
Holiday 2026 · Framed prints: order by 9 December · Unframed prints, towels & ornaments: order by 12 December · After that: Gift the Discovery
Descendant Stories
Your family's names in the real record: the original census page, found, transcribed and framed by hand.
By Nicole Gordon, Family Historian
Cape Cod, Massachusetts: printed and framed by hand, 2026.
Framed, with their name in gold foil, $149. Unframed print, $79. If I cannot find them, you pay nothing.
I
You order.
Your ancestor's name, roughly when they were born, and the state they lived in. Three details are enough to start.
II
I find them.
Within 3 days I search the census from 1900 to 1950 and confirm the page. If I can't find them, you pay nothing.
III
You approve the proof.
You see the design before anything is printed. Then I print, finish and ship it, ready to give.
From the archive to your wall
Found by a person. Made by hand.
2
The reading.
I read the census taker's handwriting word by word, type it out clearly, and write three plain lines about who they were that year. Nothing invented.
3
The making.
Printed on archival paper in my studio. For framed prints, their name is cut in gold or silver foil on the mat. You approve a proof before anything is printed.
No. 1 · The Ancestor Record Print
One ancestor. The day the census came to the door.
The Ancestor Record Print
11 × 14, archival paper.
The real page that proves they were here, made into something you can hang.
- I.Their line, enlarged. The original census page, with their household brought forward so you can read every word the census taker wrote.
- II.The transcription. Name, age, birthplace, work and household, typed clearly beneath the handwriting.
- III.Three lines on who they were. Written from the record itself. Nothing invented.
- IV.The source. Census year, town, page and line, so anyone in the family can find it again.
- V.Framed version. Their name cut in gold or silver foil on the mat, in a ready-to-hang frame.
$79Print, unframed
Framed, foil name on the mat$149
Digital PDF, print it yourself$39
ProofWithin 5 days of your order
ShipsWithin 3 days of your approval
GuaranteeNot found in the census: you pay nothing
No. 2 · The House History Print
One house. The families who lived there.
The House History Print
11 × 14, archival paper.
The people who lived in your house before you, from the real records.
- I.Your house. The address, and the year it was built where the records show it.
- II.Up to 3 households. Families who lived there, from the 1900–1950 census: names, ages, work.
- III.Your street, mapped. A historic map of your street from the Library of Congress, often a Sanborn fire insurance map that drew each house by hand (public domain).
- IV.A proof first. You see and approve it before I print.
$149Print, unframed
Framed$219
ProofWithin 7 days of your order
Works forTown and city street addresses
GuaranteeToo few records for your house: you pay nothing
House Prints need a numbered street address in a town or city, because that's how the census recorded where people lived. Rural routes and addresses without house numbers usually can't be traced this way. Historical research only: not a title search, title examination or real estate advice.
Small gifts · made on my heat press
Their handwriting, for every day.
Archival Tea Towel
A signature or a family recipe, on cotton.
An ancestor's real signature from a record I find, or your family's own handwritten recipe card, pressed onto a natural kitchen towel.
$29Signature · $34Recipe
Order a towelSignature Ornament
Their name, in their own hand.
An ancestor's real signature from a record, pressed onto a keepsake ornament. Add one to any print, or order it on its own.
$34Each
Order an ornamentSignatures come from records the person signed themselves, such as draft cards, marriage records and naturalization papers. If I can't find a signature, I'll tell you before you pay anything. For a recipe towel, you'll reply to my confirmation email with a clear photo of the card.
The holiday gift guide · by deadline
Choose by the day you need it.
Arrives framed
Order by 9 DecFramed Record Prints and framed House Prints, foil name on the mat, ready to hang.
Order framed →Arrives unframed
Order by 12 DecUnframed prints, tea towels and ornaments. Shipped by 17 December, USPS Ground Advantage.
Order unframed →Instant
Any dayGift the Discovery certificate, or the digital Record Print. Put it under the tree tonight.
Give the Discovery →For last-minute shoppers
Gift the Discovery. Give it tonight.
Digital certificate
Printable, the same day.
A certificate you print at home and put under the tree. They tell me whom to find; I deliver their Record Print as a digital PDF in January.
$39Includes the digital Record
CertificateEmailed within 24 hours
Upgrade laterPay the difference for a print or a frame
Luxury card kit
A certificate they can unwrap.
Heavy cardstock certificate with a gold foil name, in an envelope, ready to give. Includes the digital Record in January.
$49Card kit + digital Record
For ChristmasOrder by 17 December to mail · Cape Cod: local delivery until 22 December
Upgrade laterPay the difference for a print or a frame
Premium · Record Films
Films of your ancestors. Fixed prices, fixed delivery.
The Record Moment
One record. 45 seconds.
Your ancestor's single strongest record, made into a short film.
- I.The film. 45 seconds, in phone (9:16) and widescreen (16:9) sizes, with and without music.
- II.The record. The one that says the most about them: their signature, their handwriting, or the line that places them in a home, a ship or a regiment.
- III.The source sheet. What the record is, where it is kept, and how to find it yourself.
$249Everything included
Delivered7 days from payment
GuaranteeNo record that names them: full refund
UpgradeCounts $249 toward the Record Film
The Record Film
One life. 2 to 3 minutes.
Your ancestor's life told through at least three of their real records.
- I.The film. 2 to 3 minutes, phone and widescreen sizes, narration on screen, original or licensed music.
- II.The share cut. A 30-second version for Facebook, Instagram and family group chats.
- III.The Record Card. A two-page PDF timeline of their life, every record cited.
$695Everything included
Delivered14 days from payment
GuaranteeFewer than 3 records: a Record Moment and $446 back
Holiday12 places · order by 1 December, delivered by 15 December
Method
Original records. Every source cited.
Where do the records come from?
The U.S. federal census, 1900 to 1950, from National Archives copies, which are public records. Maps come from the Library of Congress. I never print images copied from subscription genealogy websites.
What if you can't find my ancestor?
You pay only after I confirm the record. Record Prints: if I can't find them in the census, you pay nothing. House Prints: if there are too few records for your address, you pay nothing. Films: the guarantees above apply.
Do you use AI?
Never for images, faces or the record itself. Every print shows the real page. Transcriptions and first drafts may be prepared with AI tools; I check every line against the original.
Do you research living people or DNA?
No. I research ancestors who have died. Lines naming people who may be living are blurred. Please don't send DNA files, passwords, or Social Security, license or account numbers.
Shipping
Within the U.S.: $8 for unframed prints, towels and ornaments; $18 for framed prints. Free local delivery or pickup on Cape Cod. Digital PDFs and certificates are sent by email.
Refunds and returns
You pay only after I confirm the record your order needs. Full refund if you cancel after paying but before I begin the design. Every print, towel and ornament is made for your family, so once you approve the proof it can't be returned. If something arrives damaged, send me a photo within 7 days and I'll remake it.
Can you prove my lineage society or citizenship application?
No. This is historical research, not legal, citizenship, immigration, lineage-society, title or real estate advice. Your print shows which record exists and where it's kept.
Taxes
Prices are before sales tax, where it applies.
The Descendant Stories promise
Real records. Nothing invented.
- Real pages only.Every print shows a real public record, with its source printed on it.
- No AI images.Never an AI-made face, scene or "restored" ancestor. What you see is what the archive holds.
- A person, not a program.I find, read and check every record myself, and make every piece by hand.
About
I started with my own family.
I'm Nicole Gordon. I was raised in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, and I work from Cape Cod. I traced my own family through colonial New England wills, probate books and town records, and through the original parish registers of Quebec.
Along the way I learned that the most moving thing in a family's history is rarely the legend. It's one line in a record: an age, a signature, a neighbor. Descendant Stories finds that line and makes it something you can hold.
Nicole Gordon · Family history researcher · Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Order
Whom should I find first?
Three details are enough. I confirm the record before any work goes ahead.
Thank you. Your order is in.
I'll email you within 3 days with what I found and your secure payment link.
Questions: nicolegordoncapecod@gmail.com