Hiring a professional genealogist is a partnership. The more you understand about how research works — and the better prepared you are — the more you will get from it. These notes are written for anyone considering a professional, not only for my own clients: apply them to whoever you intend to hire.
Start with yourself
A professional will suggest that you start with yourself and work backwards when first beginning your research. This is so you do not go astray and find yourself tracing the incorrect family lines. Every generation should rest on the one after it: you, your parents, their parents — and only then the ancestor you hope to reach.
Know what you want to discover
It is important to know what it is you wish the professional to do for you. Have well-organised questions set up so that there is no confusion as to what you are hiring the professional for. “Find my Italian family” is a hope; “find the birth record of my great-grandfather, born about 1880 near Salerno, and identify his parents” is a research goal.
Organise what you already know
A professional will suggest that you collect as much documentation and information from family and friends as possible. Share all that you have with the professional so that they can make an appropriate analysis and not duplicate efforts. Be prepared to send copies of any documentation for the professional to analyse.
At the same time, do not send an email with many attachments expecting the professional to analyse every record to see whether it is worth their time to help you. Downloading and reviewing this material is very time-consuming. If you are asked to send it as part of the paid job, that is different.
Be prepared for questions
Do not be put off by a professional who asks you many questions before taking on the job. They are doing their job by being responsible to you as a potential client. Expect to be asked:
- What it is you want answered
- What information you have collected on your own
- Where you found this information
Equally, do not expect the professional to spend a few hours of their time with you while you decide whether to hire them. If you are prepared ahead of time, you will know whether you want to hire them or not. Remember that the professional has obligations to other clients.
Understand research costs
Ask the professional their fees, and ask how many hours they feel you should start with. Be prepared to pay up front for a set number of hours. Many professionals offer packages with different hours depending on your needs, and a good professional will suggest which you may need. Six hours is not unusual to start with: it gives the professional time to analyse what you want and what you have provided, to come up with an initial research plan, and perhaps some research time depending on your request. This first allotment will give you a good idea of whether you wish to continue.
Expenses — photocopies, postage, parking and the like — are paid by you on top of the professional’s fee. Any large charge, for example travel out of town to do research, should be discussed with you in advance.
How this works with me: I work on an hourly fee plus expenses, with an estimate agreed before any work begins, a retainer to start and the balance before delivery. See Prices and the Procedure.
Understand that research has uncertainty
Costs apply to all research done, regardless of outcome. The professional still has to spend the time searching the documentation. There are many reasons an ancestor may not be where he should have been within various records. If, for example, he should have been found in a particular census in a certain area, perhaps he was missed by the enumerators; perhaps he was not staying at that address the night they came (enumerators could most often only record who was there that night); or perhaps his name was misspelled.
There is also no guarantee of proof for membership of any group or society, unless this is the specific agreement you have made with the professional.
Ask about experience
Ask the professional for background information on their experience and education. A good professional will tell you if they feel you should seek help from other professionals, and will tell you whether they feel comfortable working on your request.
Where to look for a professional:
- The website of a professional association, such as the APG
- Word of mouth from other people who have used the researcher
However you find someone, still apply these tips to anyone you intend to hire.
Understand research reports
A good professional will include a report with their research. This matters because it allows you to follow the research process without confusion, gives you the research documented with sources cited for future generations, and provides an efficient reference for continuing the research later. A good professional will also account for the time spent on the research, the analysis and the report.
Be patient
Patience with the research and report-writing process is important. Responses to letters written to archives, libraries, churches and other organisations take time — and the professional cannot make them arrive faster.
Unexpected discoveries
Unexpected findings regarding your research request may arise. The professional will use their discretion in reporting them: will it be costly to you, will this be hard to find again, do you really want this information? If something is reasonable, the professional may go ahead and report it. If it would entail many more hours of work or considerable cost, the professional should discuss it with you before going ahead.
A last word
Most professionals are very passionate about what they do. They have your best interests at heart. They will take on your quest as if it were their own family. They will rejoice in the findings with you — and feel the heartbreak and disappointment of not finding a thing.