10 Things to Know When Hiring a Professional Genealogist

Working with a genealogist can be a rewarding experience, but it's important to ensure that everyone is on the same page when we begin! After over a decade of professional genealogist research experience with clients, I believe that shared understanding of expectations is critical. Here are a few things you should know.

1. Specific results cannot be guaranteed. Every family is different and every place, ethnic group, and time period is subject to variable record availability and other historical challenges. It is rare that a case is totally unsolvable, but it might require significant investment or the expertise of a particular specialist (as with DNA). No serious genealogist can promise a number of new generations, ancestors, or page count ahead of time within a set block of purchased time, though I will work to be transparent as possible about a case's prognosis as early on as possible.

2. TV is TV. :) While we all love Dr. Henry Louis Gates’ “Finding Your Roots” and other programs like it, please understand that popular genealogy reality TV shows usually involve multiple researchers, hundreds of hours over the course of many months, an enormous budget, and a very selective display of results to the audience.

3. In general, the further back in time research goes, the harder it gets and the less likely there will be detailed records. In particular, when researching women, people of color, ancestors who experienced poverty, and other historically marginalized groups, expect that the process may be more difficult and yield fewer results. The unfortunate reality is that certain people were simply not documented as consistently and thoroughly in the past as others. (For example, many historical government records were created to document property--money, land, inheritance, and legal rights were the priority. As a result, in the 19th century, deeds, wills, tax lists, and censuses are the most common resources genealogists use. If your ancestor did not have property or certain legal rights, they are less likely to be documented in records that survive.) The laws and culture of our ancestors' time largely dictate what is available to find today and what questions can be answered.

4. Research conclusions are often based on circumstantial evidence, which is a major reason I provide my clients with thorough reports! (And why omitting the report is not really something I usually offer clients.) It is very common that no one single historical record--no "smoking gun"--exists that directly answers a question. As a result, professional genealogists often build proof arguments based on multiple pieces of evidence and often rely on written summaries to explain how we arrived at an answer. Think of us as detectives!

5. Quality research takes time. If you don't hear from me for a little while, expect that my head is down working on your project and that things are proceeding as they should! If you have a hard deadline--an upcoming family reunion, ancestral trip, or a birthday, perhaps--please notify your genealogist up front when purchasing the project, and make sure you do so proactively. I strongly recommend purchasing birthday or holiday gift projects at least three months in advance.

6. Family history research frequently uncovers surprises, both positive and negative, large and small. A few of the kinds of things I've encountered over the years that have taken clients by surprise:

   1. A different ethnicity or national origin than expected

   2. Family members clients didn't know about ("grandma had an older sister?!")

   3. A different ancestor is newly discovered, disproving family lore or published sources and correcting the family tree.

   4. ...Many other details like occupations, medical issues, military service, addresses, divorces and previous spouses, religion, changed names, children born out of wedlock, legal trouble, participation in historic events--you name it! We can't learn everything about every ancestor, but we can learn a lot!

7. DNA testing in particular can overturn “paper trail” research. And it's more common than you might think! For example, the person identified in a historical record (like a birth certificate) as a child's father may not be, biologically. While I do not take on DNA cases, I may refer you to a genetic genealogist if I feel your family mystery would be best solved using those methods.

8. You, the client, are part of the team. Genealogists cannot know what you already know unless you tell us! It's critical when hiring a genealogist that you share all the information you already have up front--trees, important documents pertaining to your ancestor of interest, and even family lore can be helpful. That said, be aware: a good genealogist takes time to look over and analyze the records you already have to ensure nothing important was missed. There will be discussion in your report of documents you already have and what they say, because they're connected to the research as a whole and the new answers I hope to be able to present.

   1. It's also so important that you are clear with your genealogist about your exact goals. Are you trying to solve a specific mystery? Or just curious about who your ancestors were? (And which family lines?)

9. You benefit from my professional connections! Parts of research may be subcontracted to other specialists as needed. This could involve translations, record lookups at archives, and other similar situations.

   
   

   What might I find for you? Drop me an email: katybodenhorn@gmail.com.