Should I Hire a Professional Genealogist?
Hello readers! I was thinking about what I should write about today. I have written a lot about the practical side of doing genealogy. I decided to take a break from that on this post and focus instead on some stories and concerns that people might have about hiring a genealogist.
First, I want to share a story with you about my own genealogy research. I think many people have a misconception about professional researchers. They may think that we have all of the answers and know where to find every record no matter how difficult. While it’s true that we do have more resources to go to than the average family historian, yet we still have searches that lead to nothing and we have to tell the client that we found nothing. The record just can’t be found at this time for many different reasons.
For example, I’m researching Johanna Krogh’s sister, Synnove Endresen and Synnove’s daughter Kristine. I have found them in indexes on FamilySearch.org. Because of those indexes, I know the original records for Synnove’s marriage and her daughter’s birth record are out there. That’s what indexes do, they pull the original information out and put it onto a searchable database online. In this case, FamilySearch had it on microfilm and they put all of that microfilm into a searchable index.
I head over to the Norwegian National Archives or Norwegian Digital Archives to find these two documents. I found Synnove’s marriage record fairly soon; however, I couldn’t find her daughter’s birth record. The index gave me her name, her parent’s names, her birth date and her birthplace. I searched that clerical district with it’s three parishes listed in it and still came up with nothing. The point is that her birth record is out there because an index record was made from it. That means that even this seasoned genealogist has trouble finding records. The search will still go on because that is what gets my detective blood going and I get excited for the mystery. But I still have those records that are hard to find. So that’s my story in a nutshell. Even when I have the information figuratively handed to me on a silver platter, I still have trouble finding the original record.
So now let’s talk about concerns you might have in hiring a genealogist.
Concern #1 Why hire a genealogist when I can do it myself?
I believe this concern is very prevalent here in Idaho where I live. We are a very Do It Yourself kind of state. We are big believers in self-reliance and if we are interested in finding our family, then we’ll figure it out on our own. I say great to that! If that’s important to you then go for it. However, consider the season of your life right now and how interested you are in doing the work. Do you have a lot of time on your hands? Can you put aside even a little money to get someone else to do the research for you? Maybe research is not your thing, but you want to know the stories. Maybe you only want a little help from a genealogist. Maybe the more you think about it, the more it bores you to do the genealogy work. Consider the pros and cons of hiring a professional. Not all professionals are expensive. Each professional sets his or her own fees so shop around and see who will fit for you. Find a friend who will do the work for you in exchange for babysitting or a homemade dinner.
Concern #2 Hiring a professional genealogist is expensive and hard to find.
Yes, there are professionals out there who charge at least a $100/hr for a minimum of 4 hours research. They also specialize by region and by era. They can do this because they’ve proven themselves reliable, respectful, hardworking, and result getting. In other words, they’ve earned that price tag!
Because genealogy problems come in all different shapes and sizes that means the professional genealogist has to come in all different shapes and sizes as well. There is a site called the Association of Professional Genealogists that has consolidated many professionals in one place online. These people specialize in a variety of topics such as Adoption, Black Heritage, Jewish, German, Scandinavian, etc. They also have a wide variety of services such as translating, travel and tours, web design, photography, etc. Here’s a couple more online sites that have professional genealogists Ancestry.com, and Legacy Tree Genealogists. FamilySearch.org also provides help, but they do it with articles written by professional genealogists instead of one on one consulting. Check out all of these sites to learn more for yourself and see if one is right for you. Also, check your local area for help. Trust me there’s a professional out there that is the right fit for you so keep looking and don’t give up.
Concern #3 Is it worth it to hire a genealogist?
Well it depends on what you mean by worth it. Usually with most genealogists, you get a lot more value back for the money you pay out. You get a professionally written report on the document findings, all digital and paper copies of documents, pedigree charts, family group sheets, maps, historical background, and much more. These professionals go above and beyond to get you results because they care about you and your family. They wouldn’t be doing this if they didn’t. They usually started genealogy as a hobby before making it their business. In addition, their reputations are important for their business. Shoddy work equals unhappy clients. It ultimately comes down to the experience you make with the person you hire.
So whatever you choose, just make sure you’re comfortable with your decision. The professionals will still be there when you decide you need them.
Good luck and happy hunting!
Tiffany
