How to Know When You Need a Genealogist
It’s not easy to know when you need the help of a genealogist for your ancestor research. There are many factors that go into making that decision. So I’m here to share some clues and situations that might inspire you to hire out your genealogy research.
First of all, let’s clear up a misconception we all have when wanting to hire a genealogist. Hiring help is not weakness! Many of you probably don’t actively think that, but it’s probably somewhere in your subconscious. Hiring research help doesn’t mean you have failed in your research.
It means that you know where you want to spend your time, you know your energy levels, or you know how to make a win-win situation. You need the help and genealogists need the money. That’s a win-win situation in my book.
When You Don’t Have the Time/Energy/Patience for Research
This is a big one because you may love different things about genealogy, but you don’t love the research part. Or if you do, then you don’t have the time or energy for it. This is where a genealogist can be flexible with you about how much or how little you want them to help. You can specify your goals for a certain research project. You may also be stuck on a certain ancestor and don’t want to spend the time breaking down that brick wall.
When You’ve Reached the End of Your Knowledge and Skill
You can learn what you don’t know, but you can also get research help that may prove faster and more reliable. Genealogists also use this reason when they run up against a part of their research that they honestly don’t know. That’s why they have colleagues who specialize in certain areas or cultures that they contract with to get the desired results. This is networking among genealogists. So even professionals use this clue to know when they need to hire out for a part of the research.
When It’s Foreign Research
A no brainer situation is foreign research! Yes, you can do it on your own. Yes, there are tons of online help and records that are within easy reach for this area. However, not all online places have original records for your ancestor. That’s where a genealogist’s knowledge of where records are kept other than FamilySearch or Ancestry is valuable. Also, it frees up more of your time to focus on other genealogy projects that you want to do.
When You Want to do a Project on a deadline
Let’s talk Christmas…I know it’s not December, it’s July, but if you want to do a major genealogy project for Christmas, then now is a good time to consider hiring it out. Or a family reunion is coming up and you want to present a part of your family history to them. Or the project is just too big or too detailed for your time right now and you want to focus elsewhere.
When you Want to Join a Lineage Society
Lineage societies are like joining a club. You get to belong to a group of like minded people and contribute for a good cause. However, it takes effort to gather all of the right documents and make sure everything is proven and correct. This is where a genealogist can gather all of those documents for you and then you can finish the application process. If you have an especially difficult ancestor that is hard to prove family relations, then a genealogist can help you here as well.
When you want to do a family history vacation
Hello, anyone going to their ancestral homelands in the near future? Again, you are welcome to research this yourself. But a genealogist can take all of that stress off you and give you a satisfying vacation because they’ve done the legwork! All you need to do is go to each of the places laid out for you. There’s even genealogists that specialize in travel. They know what they’re doing! Now this all depends on if everything is open due to COVID or not, but when you’re ready for that vacation, then you’ve got other options.
When you want to do it yourself, but you want a Coach
I love this one! This means that you don’t have to hand over all of your research if you don’t want to. Hiring a genealogist to help you over a bump is exactly what they do. And you again can control how often or how little they coach you. If you want one-on-one coaching, then that’s doable. Or if you want to be part of a community with monthly or weekly coaching, then that’s available as well. So there are options.
Conclusion
There are many clues that will help you know when you need to hire a genealogist. These are just a few of them. The main clue is if you are feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, or stuck in any part of your genealogy. That’s the first clue, then you can evaluate your situation and next week I will share how to find those genealogists that are right for you.
In the meantime…good luck and happy hunting!
Tiffany
P.S. And don’t forget that I’m ready to help find your American and Scandinavian ancestors when you’re ready. Just contact me to get a free consultation.
P.P.S. Related Reads…
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