With so many technological advances and record availability these days, one question we get fairly often is, “Why should I hire a professional genealogist? What can you do for me that I can’t do myself on [insert the name of any online genealogy site here]?”
There’s really no quick answer to these questions, but there are a lot of reasons people hire a professional. Some of them include the following:
Time. Learning more about your family tree can be extremely time-intensive. It’s not as easy as just clicking the little hint leaves on Ancestry.com. While those can be very helpful as a foundation, it’s important to have a primary source document that proves each piece of information (birth, marriage and death dates and places, parents, children, etc.) in your tree. These records are not all available online, nor are they always easy to find. A professional genealogist knows the most efficient and cost-effective ways of compiling all the sources you need to have an accurate family tree. Plus, if you have a special event coming up, like a birthday or anniversary of someone you love, a family reunion, or a trip overseas to the home of your ancestors…you might not have the time to do all the research on top of your already busy regular life!
Brick Walls. Most people who have spent time working on their genealogy have at least one line that seems to be at a complete dead end – known as a “brick wall” – that they need help breaking down. Professional genealogists have experience solving difficult genealogical problems, and have the knowledge and skills necessary to get past them. Many brick walls require in-depth research in land, tax and/or probate records, and most of those records are still not available online. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah houses the largest collection of genealogical records in the world, so a genealogist who has ready access to that facility, in addition to a network of researchers for record access worldwide, will be able to search many additional records that you may not have access to.
Language Barriers/Foreign Research. For those who live in the United States or Australia, and many who live in other parts of the world as well, it’s a fact that at some point your ancestors came from another location and spoke a language you may not know. You’ll also find that within one country you might have records written in a variety of languages. For example, one project we’ve worked on in Lithuania has involved records written in Polish, Russian, Lithuanian and Latin, all depending on who created the record and where the political boundaries were drawn at the time. Professional genealogy companies have team members who speak and read many different languages, so we can trace your ancestry beyond their immigration and into their country of origin. We also have onsite agents that we work with worldwide who can visit archives and libraries in other locations when needed, rather than you having to plan an expensive trip overseas to find that one record about your great-great-grandmother.
Lineage Societies. Many people are interested in joining lineage societies such as the Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution (SAR/DAR), Mayflower Society, etc. Each of these societies has different requirements for membership, but they all have fairly strict policies on documentation. A professional genealogist can help you collect the documentation you need to submit a successful application to whichever lineage society you might be interested in.
Team Approach. Sometimes when you’ve been working on your genealogy for a long time, all you need is a fresh set of eyes. Maybe there’s a clue in that death record you found 20 years ago, but you’ve looked at it so many times you just don’t see it. When you hire a professional genealogy company like Legacy Tree, not only will we review what you’ve done and assess what other options are out there, but we peer-review each other’s work, so your family tree is seen by at least 2-3 different professionals.
DNA Analysis. With DNA playing a bigger role in genealogy in recent years, many people approach us with questions about DNA testing. Some have taken the test but aren’t sure what the results mean. Others have heard that DNA testing might help them break down a brick wall, but they’re not sure which test would be best for their particular problem. Our team includes DNA specialists who can give advice on which test(s) would be most beneficial to you, and can analyze the results of your test(s) to determine what the next steps in your research should be.
Validation. Finally, you might want to hire a professional genealogist just to see if the research you’ve done on your own is right. Maybe you’ve inherited the work done by other family members, or maybe you’ve found quite a bit of information online that appears to be correct…but you’re just not sure. A professional genealogist can review your information, determine the quality of your sources, and help you fill in holes where things might be lacking. If we find an error in your tree, we can help you correct it before you spend the next 5 years researching the wrong line!
Your reason for hiring a professional genealogist might be one (or more) of the above, or it might be an entirely different reason not listed here. Whatever the reason, learning more about your family history can be a very rewarding experience.
When you are choosing a professional to work with, it’s important that you feel confident and comfortable with their knowledge and skills, and make sure they’re the right fit for you. You’ll want to find out things like how long they’ve been in business, what kinds of certifications or accreditations they have, and what kind of reviews they have received from other clients.
Along those lines, here are a few facts about Legacy Tree Genealogists:
- Legacy Tree Genealogists was founded in 2004 and is the highest rated genealogy research company in the world.
- We’re based in Salt Lake City, Utah and have ready access to the Family History Library and its vast collections of microfilm, fiche, and books.
- With contacts all over the globe, Legacy Tree regularly accesses records worldwide through onsite agents.
- Each member of our core team has a degree in Family History/Genealogy or Genetics, 10+ years of genealogy experience, and/or is professionally accredited in genealogy. We also hold our team to a high standard of research, writing and analysis skills.
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Terra - Legacy Tree Genealogists Operations Manager
Latest posts by Terra - Legacy Tree Genealogists Operations Manager (see all)
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You neglected to tell us if Terra was able to go back farther than her great, great, great grandfather. Please don’t leave us hanging.
Hi Willene – First, thanks for taking the time to read my bio! After searching a LOT of sources and spending probably hundreds of hours, I found a marriage date and location, and birth date and place for my g-g-g-grandfather, and also the countries of birth for his parents (they were immigrants from England and Wales in the 1820s, it seems), but I still haven’t been able to identify their names. I’m currently in the process of doing some DNA testing to help solve this one, so cross your fingers and we’ll see how it goes. Now I see why the professionals my grandma used 20-30 years ago had such a hard time, but with the advances in technology and increased availability of sources now, I’m very hopeful that I can find them!
How much does it cost to have one name traced? Who do check with?
Hi James – Nearly all genealogists (our firm included) will charge based on their time, so tracing one name would mean that all of their time would be dedicated to that one goal. Our rates are located here: https://www.legacytree.com/ready-discover-story/
I hit a brick wall years ago, I cannot find anything on my great grandfather in Ireland or any relatives, I hired a researcher who came up with nothing, but I don’t think he did much of a search.
I am wondering which DNA test would help?
Yes, a DNA test could definitely help. Your success will depend on whether cousins (currently unknown to you) have also tested and if you can combine information to discover your shared ancestor. As more and more people test the success rate will continue to grow. Ancestry just launched DNA testing in Ireland, so that’s great news for people in your situation, as you likely have cousins still in that country. http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2015/01/30/get-ready-to-meet-your-european-cousins-with-ancestrydna/
Legacy Tree’s genetic genealogists can be very helpful in analyzing DNA test results and combining that analysis with genealogy research so that “brick walls” can finally be resolved.
Im working three trees and need some help. How do I contact a professional and how much does it cost?
Hi Pamela! We can be contacted at info@legacytree.com. Information about our rates is at: https://www.legacytree.com/ready-discover-story/. Best!
Thank you for pointing out how professional genealogists are trained to work in various aspects of the industry, providing clients with polished and thorough research, well worth the financial investment.
Am interested in becoming a professional genealogist
I like to know do you have anyone that can do I.T. for me during 1900?
thank you ! gwen
Hi Gwen, please email us more details at info@legacytree.com and we’ll see what we can do. Best!
1. Do you have much information on South African geneology.
2. Do you have any information on men of Scottish origin fighting in the Boer War in /
South Africa?
Hi Sheron, We work both for clients who reside in South Africa and for clients who live elsewhere but have South African ancestry. We work with excellent onsite researchers there who can access any records our main Salt Lake City team can’t access. We would be happy to explore details regarding what we can do for your Scottish ancestors who spent time in South Africa. Contact us directly at info@legacytree.com. Best wishes!
If I hire professional help, what happens with all the work I have already achieved.
It seems such a waste of effort and time.
Hi Sheron! Many people hire us after spending years working on a brick wall. Though it does take time to go over their previous work and make sure we thoroughly understand it, it then serves as a great jumping off point for us, and is definitely not wasted. Great question!
Am interested in becoming a professional genealogist