Hiring a Professional Researcher

Hiring a Professional Genealogist Resource Guide

Hiring a professional genealogist is an excellent way to discover your family roots. If you encounter a challenging research problem, if you lack skills or the time to research, or if travel is a problem, you may benefit from the assistance of an experienced professional. These guidelines can help you find and employ a competent genealogist.

The keys to finding a good genealogist are the same as those for hiring other competent professionals. First, you need some general information about what genealogists do and the services they provide. This information can be found in Part I of this guide. Second, you need to know how to evaluate genealogists and select the right one to hire. This information is found in Part II and III.

Part I: General Information

Services Provided by Professional Genealogists

The services of professional genealogists fall into four major categories, with other minor services.

Tracing Ancestry. A professional genealogist can help you trace your ancestors. For example, a genealogist may be able to discover who your immigrant ancestors were and where they came from. Or, a genealogist can research one of your family lines back to a specific time period or individual. This is often helpful when people want to join a lineage society and must prove that one of their ancestors participated in a historical event such as the United States Revolutionary War.

Researching Descendants. A professional genealogist may help you in descendancy research by identifying people who descended from a particular individual. For example, you may be a descendant of Daniel Boone and want to start a family organization of his descendants to share genealogical information. A professional genealogist can help you identify the frontiersman's descendants so you can contact them.

Searching Records. To save time and avoid travel costs, you can employ a record searcher to find and review the records for you. Record searchers review only the records you instruct them to search.

Other Services. Genealogists also provide a range of other services that include the following­

• Consulting and counseling with you about how to solve a research problem.
• Deciphering handwriting on old records.
• Translating foreign records.
• Instructing and lecturing on genealogical topics.
• Computerizing genealogical information.
• Abstracting and publishing records.
• Finding missing people.

Methods of Professional Genealogists

Regardless of the type of research they perform, most professional genealogists follow a similar research process, which is outlined below. Understanding this process will help you know what to expect from the genealogist you hire.

Define the Research Problem. Good genealogists first review the information you already have. They discuss your research problem with you and make sure they clearly understand what you want them to accomplish.

Develop a Research Plan. Genealogists next develop a research plan that outlines what they will do to find the information you want. Most plans consist of a prioritized list of the records the genealogist will search. Research plans can be written or verbal. Your genealogist may share the plan with you.

Conduct the Research. As they follow their research plans, genealogists go to libraries, courthouses, archives, cemeteries, and other places to search for the information. As they search, they may photocopy pertinent records or acquire official copies.

Analyze the Findings. Genealogists regularly review their research and make conclusions about what they have found. They also compare their findings with other documents to confirm or disprove conclusions.

Report the Findings. Periodically, genealogists prepare reports about their research activities. The report should include photocopies or abstracts of important information. It may also include suggestions for continued research.

Prepare Forms. Genealogist can prepare forms such as pedigree charts, family group sheets, and applications to lineage societies. They can enter information into a genealogical computer program for you.

Share Results. Genealogists can help you share the results of your research. A genealogist can contribute the findings to genealogical databases such as Ancestral File, prepare articles or books, or submit names of ancestors to LDS temples.

Bill for Services. Genealogists bill for their services at agreed-upon intervals. Bills should clearly identify the time spent and expenses incurred on the project to date. Bills are often included with reports.

Genealogical Credentials

Genealogists are generally not required by law to be licensed or certified. However, they can receive credentials from several organizations. Each organization sets its own criteria for granting credentials. The reference section at the end of this guide includes two major organizations that grant credentials and offer arbitration if problems arise.

You should also consider other criteria as you make your hiring decision. Most genealogists are self-taught, and many competent genealogists do not seek credentials. Years of education, research experience, and satisfactory service to clients may be just as important as credentials.

How Genealogists Are Paid

Three things affect the rate a genealogist charges:

• Competence. Rates charged by genealogists vary widely. Genealogists who charge higher rates do not necessarily do better research. Many charge to afford the ongoing training neede to provide better service. Be aware that reputale genealogists should not guarantee to find the specific information you want; it may be missing, destroyed, or otherwise nonexistent.
• The nature of the work. The complexity of research jobs varies. For example, record search may be less complex than a consultation. Consequently, a record searcher may charge less than a genealogist. Some jobs are more time-consuming than others. For example, if the census taker missed your great-grandfather's house, even the best genealogist would not be able to find his name in the census, but the genealogist would have to search thoroughly to make sure.
• Market conditions. The area of expertise as well as the physical location of a professional genealogist may affect charges. For example, a researcher specializing in an area that not many researchers are competent in may charge more than researchers whose expertise is relatively common. Similarly, genealogists who are aware of the market rate for their type of work in the are where they lie may adjust their charges accordingly.
  

Fee Structures.Rates and fee structures can vary among genealogists. Some genealogists simply bill as they work. Others charge a daily rate or a flat fee per project. Most genealogists charge an hourly rate plus expenses.

Hourly Rates.Most genealogists base their hourly rate on their education, training, skill, experience, and credentials and what the market will bear. Rates may be as low as $10.00 per hour but could be over $100.00 per hour. The average rate charged by most competent genealogists ranges from $15.00 to $35.00 per hour. Record searchers often charge between $7.00 and $20.00 per hour.

Since rates vary, it is sometimes hard to know what warrants a higher rate. In general, genealogists may justifiably charge higher rates if they:

• Are experienced researchers in great demand.
• Have some unique research specialty, such as a knowledge of records in a foreign country or expertise concerning a particular set of records.
• Have credentials that reflect advanced skills.
• Have years of education and professional development.

Although the majority of genealogists work independently, you may find genealogical firms in areas where large repositories of records exist. Firms usually offer a wider variety of services and expertise.

Expenses. Most genealogists bill for the expenses they incur. Common expenses include:

• Costs of copies of records, certificates, and other documents.
• Fees paid to other researchers to search records in distant cities.
• Field travel (auto, meals, lodging).
• Admission fees paid to courthouses, repositories, and other record facilities.
• Administrative costs for items such as postage, supplies, and secretarial services.

Payment.Methods of payment vary, depending on the fee structure. Many genealogists ask their clients to pay a certain amount of money (a retainer) before work begins. The genealogist then works and bills against the retainer until it is spent. Then, another retainer is paid and work continues.

You can do the following to control your costs:

• Gather together as much information about your family as you reasonably can.
• Break a large project into smaller tasks and pay periodically.
• Request frequent reports and detailed billings to keep you informed.
• Clearly specify whether the genealogist can bill for additional services (cost overruns) and under what conditions it is appropriate to do so.
• Have other family members help pay costs.