Ancestry com
Should you hire a professional ancestry researcher?
We all know that researching your family history can be great fun and that there is great satisfaction in solving those inevitable mysteries yourself. However, it's also true that discovering your ancestry is a time-consuming process and is often painfully slow. You need the patience of a saint, the skills of a detective, a sense of perspective and a good dollop of humour.
While some of the basics. such as tracking BMD's and census information can be done increasingly online, sooner or later a visit to a record office or local history library is going to become necessary. if only to backup the evidence obtained online or to check parish records. However it isn't always practical to visit these places, due to disability, age, lack of time, finances or even domestic commitments. If this is your case then maybe it's time to think about hiring a professional researcher to help you out.
Hiring a researcher
These services need not be expensive, especially when compared to the cost of visiting record offices such as travel and at least overnight accommodation. But how do you know which agent or researcher to choose? Family history magazines and society journals often carry advertisements and may well live and work in the area in which you are interested in. If they are are worth their salt they will probably belong to the Association of Genealogists and Record Agents and will mention it in there advert, though bear in mind that this will often be reflected in the price.
Researchers and record agents, like every other aspect of life vary enormously in their skill and expertise. While the vast majority probably have many years of experience behind them, there could be those who think that just because they have done their own family history research. are equally competent to undertake research on behalf of others and make a few bob while they are at it. It goes without saying that you should ascertain the agents experience before making a decision. It also helps know exactly what you want from the exercise before you begin and state this clearly, preferably in writing. Your own research and giving sources eliminates the possibility of the agent covering the ground you have covered. which you would then have to pay for.
Final Results
You will come up against brick walls from time to time, so what then? In these cases an experienced researcher may well be able to help. He will examine what you have done so far and give you a quote before closing any work. Most charge a minimum of two hours per session.
You may find they do at least turn up one census entry that you were unable to find as they are a fresh pair of eyes in the worst case scenario. The best case of course is they discover a past full of treasures and excitement they go far beyond the cost of hiring.
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