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Family history research agency
"Archive Rats"

Hi! We are Ira and Katya.

Genealogy and history are our passion. We truly believe that knowing your family’s past matters — and that it can be genuinely fascinating. It brings people closer together and helps us better understand ourselves and one another. We want more families to discover their stories and preserve this memory for themselves and for future generations.

We know that researching family history on your own can be challenging — especially in the former USSR. That’s where we come in.

We don’t just “look up records.” Every family story is unique, and we go beyond the obvious — exploring lesser-known sources and finding creative ways to uncover the past. We reconstruct context and turn archival files into a living, breathing history of your family.

Ira and Katya Ira and Katya rats

We also create digital museums and work with digital heritage (you can see examples in the  "Projects" section).

If you have always wanted to untangle your family history, drop us a line, and we will help you make it happen.

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Have a specific task? If none of the services in our registry fit your needs, just message us on Telegram.

Rat Stamp
WITH LOVE FOR DETAILS AND RATS

// SERVICES
№SERVICE / DESCRIPTIONWHAT'S INCLUDEDTIMELINE / PRICING
01

Initial Search

Ideal if you want to study your family history but don't know where to start. We will conduct reconnaissance, assess chances, and give clear instructions.

  1. organizing and analyzing your family archive,
  2. search in open databases,
  3. written report with facts,
  4. detailed search plan,
  5. online consultation.
2 WEEKS70 €
02

Genealogical Research

Turnkey comprehensive work. We handle communication with archives, giving you the ready result.

  1. search depth up to 200 years,
  2. requests to state archives, Civil Registry, departmental institutions,
  3. interviews with relatives,
  4. document copies,
  5. structured tree,
  6. family history report.
FROM 6 MONTHSfrom 500 €
03

Family Book

A real hardbound book, laid out, designed and printed in a typography.

  1. literary editing,
  2. layout and design,
  3. drawing of maps, schemes,
  4. pre-print preparation,
  5. print run: from 1 copy.
2–3 MONTHSfrom 500 €
04

History Visualization

We will package your history in any format: from a website to a film.

  1. website: with history, documents and photos,
  2. film: chronicle editing and interviews,
  3. animation: cartoon about the family.
FROM 1 MONTHfrom 200 €
05

For Business

History of brands and companies for image, PR, and HR.

  1. history research (all possible sources),
  2. history packaging (book, site),
  3. special projects (exhibitions or films).
TIMELINE: INDIVIDUALON REQUEST
06

Non-standard Tasks

Historical detective story for your specific task.

  1. history of a house or village,
  2. checking legends,
  3. consultations for authors,
  4. any other question.
TIMELINE: INDIVIDUALON REQUEST

// SELECTED PROJECTS
001GENEALOGY

Avierino Family

Interactive longread. Large research on Greek migration.
002DATABASE

Project "Echelon 747"

Digital database of deported Volga Germans.
003RESEARCH

Unknown School

History of the Christian mission in Pyongyang.
004FAMILY BOOK

Smirnov Family Book

Printed edition.
005VIRTUAL EXHIBITION

Virtual Marathon Museum

Timeline and biographies.

006GENERATION REPORT

Search Report

Example report and family scheme.

// OUR APPROACH

Restoring Context

It's important for us not just to collect dry facts and dates, but to restore the living history of a person and their family. We recreate the context: what was around, what was happening in the country and their village. Without this, it is impossible to understand the motivation for ancestor's decisions.

creative approach

We find every available fact, we don't limit ourselves to birth records. Genealogy is creative work, and we approach every task with an individual plan.

We don't limit ourselves

A large part of our work is independent research. We do it ourselves or volunteering with other projects. The breadth of research topics allows us to understand the world a little better.

We believe in the power of history

You need to know history to draw conclusions. Especially — your own history. We are sure that every person's life has something to tell, and every person's name must be preserved.

// CLIENT REVIEWS

[TOTAL: 4]
DATE: OCTOBER 2025
My path in genealogy started practically from scratch. All I had were a few notes from my wise mother with sketchy information. I understood that I really needed a helper!!! I was incredibly lucky to meet Irina! She didn't just help — she burned with my searches, rejoicing at every clue found as if it were her own. Her enthusiasm was contagious! The result exceeded all expectations: in just three days, Irina found such a layer of information that would have taken me years to find on my own. Now I have a reliable base, a foundation for building a large family tree. I am happy that I was able to start this journey into family history precisely with Irina. This is the very luck that everyone who starts their search dreams of!
Olga P.
DATE: APRIL 2025
Being a historian by education does not mean that you can independently conduct genealogical research of your own family. For several generations, my family told a story about a Swedish great-great-grandmother, but I could not find her traces, full name, date, place of birth, and especially the date and cause of death at all. The clues were the death certificate of her son, my great-grandfather, and the fact that great-great's name was Alexandra. A few years ago, I wrote to the Finnish archives, where they informed me that the place of birth indicated in grandfather's documents does not exist and never existed. At some point, I gave up, but then real "archival rats" crossed my path )))) In general, in less than 3 days I learned that my great-great-grandmother's name was Hilda-Alexandra Forsblum, she was born in the current city of Porvoo, and died in Tavastehus, now Hämeenlinna, in 1911. I saw photos of the graves of my even earlier ancestors – Hilda-Alexandra's parents, and learned that my second cousin Maria lives in Helsinki (but she still hasn't answered my letters). I also learned that my great-grandfather, 2 years older, was also born in Tavastehus, was bilingual and was imprisoned 2 times, was mobilized, but never reached the front. How did this change my life? On the one hand, not at all, but on the other – absolutely. Firstly, some part of the puzzle fell into place and I stopped feeling that the family has "terrible" secrets that cannot be told to anyone because of executions, repressions, and similar transgenerational, not very pleasant experiences. I began to learn Swedish, because my own ancestors spoke it. And in general, I was able to answer questions for myself that I never had answers to before – for example, why I am constantly drawn to the north and a skerry is much more pleasant to me than a beach in the Maldives. In general, as we say in Sweden – tack så mycket.
Olga T.
DATE: AUGUST 2025
We ordered a family book as a gift for our parents for their anniversary. The quality of printing and layout is like that of an expensive album.
Elena and Dmitry
OCTOBER 2025
I really liked the consultation format. I was given a clear action plan so that I could start searching on my own.
Maria K.

// Q & A
We always assess chances beforehand. If the probability is low, we say so honestly, but experience shows: everyone can be found.
On average up to 8–10 generations (18th–19th centuries). It depends on your goal: whether we dig deep or collect stories.
Yes, we design beautiful gift certificates stylized as archival documents.
Absolutely. We do not publish cases or share data with third parties without your consent.
Whether to take a DNA test is your decision alone; we conduct research based on documents and information found in archives.