Hire a Genealogist: Why, When, and How

Why would you hire a genealogist? Many people who are interested in finding out more about their family and ancestors find great joy in doing their own genealogical research. While the family history research journey can be quite thrilling, it can also be very frustrating and sometimes devastating.  Why devastating?. For those who are determined to find their family members, living or passed on, hiring a professional genealogist can bring back a sense of joy and peace of mind as you work with a team to accurately fill out your family tree one ancestor at a time.

WHY WOULD YOU HIRE A GENEALOGIST?

DEFINE YOUR GENEALOGY GOALS

Whenever you consider hiring a genealogist, you’ll want to have a clear goal in mind. If you simply want to fully complete your family tree, you’re not yet clear on your goal! Completing a family tree cannot be accomplished in one lifetime. But you can definitely create small goals of accurately documenting one ancestor at a time to help the coming generations continue the genealogical journey with confidence and joy.

Here are some questions you might ask yourself as you consider hiring a professional genealogist:

• Do I want depth or breadth? Would I rather know as much as possible (biographical details) about one specific ancestor, or would I prefer to accurately connect 3-4 generations?
• Do I want a family narrative or simply an accurate family diagram?
• Do I need help understanding my DNA test results? Do I want to prove a biological relationship, or am I confused about my ethnicity results?
• Do I have a blank spot in my family history that’s preventing me from moving on with my own genealogical research?
• Do I need help organizing all of my family history documents and records? 

These are great questions to bring to a genealogist. Of course, there are thousands of possibilities for your genealogy research, but starting with clear and simple objectives will produce the best results.

When you hire a genealogist at Legacy Tree Genealogists, you’re hiring a team of professionals who have seen hundreds of scenarios that give them insight into possible strategies and resources that you might not even know about. We also have access to a network of translators and onsite specialists in countries worldwide who can help achieve your genealogy goals.

WHEN WOULD YOU HIRE A GENEALOGIST?

Many people who begin their family history research are quickly overwhelmed, and want to verify what documentation they already have to ensure they continue down an accurate path. How do you know if you have all the information you need to verify your relationship with ancestors who have been gone for generations? As soon as you start to feel overwhelmed, that’s a very good time to hire a genealogist!

For those who are deeper into their family history research, they might find that there’s one or two generations that seem to “disappear,” and it’s difficult to find any official documentation on them for many reasons including: immigration, class status, or by simply being a woman there isn’t much written about them. 

In the genealogy world, we often refer to “brick walls”–those maddening mysteries in your family history that no one seems to know anything about. When you hit a brick wall, it’s time to hire a genealogist! Some brick walls you might experience:

LANGUAGE TRANSLATION OF GENEALOGICAL RECORDS, DOCUMENTS, LETTERS, ETC.

Many people hire a genealogist because they don’t know their ancestors’ language, and are struggling to accurately translate letters or vital records. Language evolves quickly, and if you’re reading through records from a few generations back, you could also struggle to understand a language that is easier to translate in modern usage. For example, German has evolved quite a bit in the last couple hundred years, and it takes an expert to translate older versions of the German language.

There’s also languages that don’t use western Roman lettering, such as Asian and Indigenous languages. Unless you take the time to learn Japanese, Chinese, or any character-based languages, you’ll need a professional genealogist to help you with translation. 

YOUR FAMILY’S VITAL RECORDS WERE LOST IN NATURAL DISASTERS OR WARTIME DESTRUCTION

There are countries that experienced natural disasters (floods, fires, etc.), or were bombarded by wartime aggressions that destroyed cultural artifacts, including vital records. This is the case for Ireland in the nineteenth century, and for records destroyed throughout Eastern Europe during World War II. When you’re looking for ancestors in these times and places, it’s not hopeless. It may be more difficult to find any documentation for them, but you’d be surprised what a professional can dig up!

DNA ANALYSIS FOR BIOLOGICAL FAMILY

If you were adopted, and want help finding and potentially contacting your biological family members, you’ll want to hire a professional genetic genealogist. They can help you put together your DNA test results as well as pursue traditional genealogical documentation that will help you find your bio family. It can also be an emotional roller-coaster, and having a professional genealogist guide you through the process is a game-changer. 

You can also use a genetic genealogist to help you use DNA evidence to accurately identify some of your ancestors a few generations back. Genetic genealogy often goes hand-in-hand with traditional genealogy, and it’s incredibly helpful to have someone who knows how to bring it all together in one clarifying package. 

HOW DO YOU HIRE A GENEALOGIST?

There are individual genealogists who work independently and have areas of expertise, and there are genealogy firms, like Legacy Tree Genealogists, who have experts all over the world and access to a professional network of onsite researchers to help when digital research hits a dead end. Whether you hire an individual or a genealogy firm, you’ll want to take the following steps:

VERIFY THEIR GENEALOGY CREDENTIALS

The two primary credentials for genealogists that you’ll come across are:

• AG: Accredited Genealogist®
• CG: Certified Genealogist®

An Accredited Genealogist (AG) is a professional who has passed several levels of testing through ICAPGen (The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists). This accreditation is geography-specific–meaning that someone with an AG after their name has tested for at least one region within the United States or another region in the world. Make sure to ask genealogists which region they are accredited for.

A Certified Genealogist (CG) requires similar expertise and testing, with a slightly different focus. CG’s are not geography-specific, but allows a genealogist to display their ability to interpret documents and resolve contradictory evidence. This interpretation skill is often what people hire a genealogist to help them do.

LEARN ABOUT THEIR PROCESS AND TIMELINES

Every genealogist has different timelines and capacities. An individual genealogist might have the specific expertise you’re looking for, but might not be able to communicate with you regularly or have your project complete within a few months. Ask how often they will communicate with you on their progress, when and how to ask questions and deliver more information, and when they will be able to complete your project.

A genealogy firm has one to multiple genealogy researchers working on your project as well as a project manager who communicates regularly with you, and ensures that the project stays on track and is finished within a reasonable timeline. 

SCHEDULE A QUOTE OR CONSULTATION 

Most individuals and firms will provide you with a free quote or consultation to answer any questions you might have as you describe your genealogy hopes and goals. 

INQUIRE ABOUT COSTS

Ask as many questions as you need to get a good idea of how they will spend their time researching and organizing your genealogy project. With individuals, it’s pretty straightforward as they either bill hourly or per project. A genealogy firm may cost  more, but you have an entire team working towards project completion to ensure timely reporting and full documentation of all research. 

WORKING WITH LEGACY TREE GENEALOGISTS

If you're curious about working with Legacy Tree Genealogists, you can fill out a form for a free quote and conversation with one of our experts to find out if we're a good fit!