It’s common to need help at times when doing family history research. Hiring a Professional Genealogist may be something you need to consider at some point during your research.
You have exhausted your time on the Internet, surfing the web for hours upon hours… you’ve gone to every courthouse imaginable, lifting all the heavy books and trying to find your way around to get the most information with the limited time you have there… you’ve taken trips out of state to walk through abandoned cemeteries full of weeds, mud, bugs, and snakes… you’ve met with every living relative or friend of the family and gone through all the family photographs… and you’re still not satisfied with your research findings. You just can’t find the piece or pieces of this puzzle you are looking for anywhere… it may be time to call in a professional.
The following are a few tips to consider when hiring a Professional Genealogist or Research person:
Is there a certain point at which to hire a professional?
There are many problems, issues, or circumstances that can lead you to the need of hiring a professional research person. One reason might be that you simply are not able to access records from a distant location. You may need to hire a professional if you have a particular problem and don’t have the time or expertise to solve it. You may simply want an experienced researcher to have another person review your work and give you new ideas or strategies. You may need help in discovering living relatives, as in the case of adoptions and birth parent searches. Whatever the reason you choose to hire a professional to help you, it is important that you contact the right person at the right time during your research and always be sure that you provide the most correct information possible to get all the solid information regarding your family. The more you can help the professional, the more they can help you.
How can a Professional help me?
Professional Genealogists can offer a variety of services. One of the most common services is helping people who are researching their family history, by tracing the family back further than you can seem to get, and/or finding that ancestors country of origin, creating a lineage, and/or helping to organize information. Some Professional Genealogists specialize in a particular geographic area, ethnic group, or time period. An experienced genealogist will be familiar with developing research strategies and evaluating records. Professional Genealogists are also sometimes hired by legal firms or financial institutions to establish legal heirs to an estate. Professional Genealogists may and independent employee, or they may work for a research company, or a library or genealogical society, an archive repository, or even a legal firm or financial institution.
Who to hire…
There is currently no law regarding licensing for Genealogists. One of the most important aspects to take into consideration is privacy issues when it comes to modern records. Since there is no law regarding licensing, Professional Genealogists may acquire their credentials from different organizations. In addition to these credentialing agencies, you should consider other criteria as you make hiring decision. A lot of Genealogists are self-taught, and many competent professionals do not seek credentials. Years of education, research experience, interests, and satisfactory service to clients may be just as important as credentials. To many people, hands-on experience and/or word-of-mouth is credential enough. And even though it seems important to have the proper certification, a person who has been doing very detailed research for many years could know much more than a person who has just gotten out of school and is certified.
You should research before hiring a professional. You should check out the experience they have, their professional affiliations, any organizations they are members of, and their location and ability to access the records you may need. You should make sure they have experience in finding any specific information you are in need of.
What to know about research fees…
Most Professional Researchers ask for an initial retainer. This is common. You should find out what their policy regarding continuing research beyond the retainer is going to be. You should be specific about how much research you are authorizing from the beginning. Paying someone to research for you can add up very quickly. As you probably already know from doing research, minutes turn into hours, and hours turn into days VERY quickly when you are in search of something important. It’s not really wise to allow a project unlimited research time because it can become VERY expensive, VERY quickly. You should request updates periodically regarding what the Professional finding and what the status of their research is. Then you can go from there as to whether you want or need them to continue. Reputable researchers will always get your approval before continuing to do additional research or racking up extra expenses. You should also be sure the professional you hire only charges you for the fees in which the repository they are extracting information from charges and not tacking on a lot of extra fees which they are not paying. You should be sure these things are in place and understood between the two of you before hiring the professional.
Most Professional Genealogists charge by the hour and also bill for out-of-pocket expenses. Out of pocket expenses can be such things as copies, parking meters, travel, any additional fees which have to be paid where they are researching if they apply, vital record fees, etc. Hourly rates vary from $15 to $120 depending on the research being requested, the qualifications, etc.
You should do what you can to limit or control your research expenses. You should be sure you and the professional you hire understand the agreements mentioned above. You should gather as much information regarding the research you are requesting and be sure to give all the information you have to the person who is working for you. You need to work together and share all findings between you in order not to duplicate work, and get a lot more done in less time. Be clear in requesting the goal of the project you are interested in them working on.
