Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of articles that focus on Michael John Neill's experiences
in hiring a professional to help him with a specific research problem.Part II and Part III are located in the Ancestry Library archives.
I was stuck. The problem centered on a 1910 era birth in Chicago, involved
several marriages, a divorce, and other information that was not fitting together.
While I have used lookup requests in the past, this problem was beyond a simple
lookup and was going to require the use of many records. I had done what I could
via mail. I had used listserves and bulletin boards effectively in my search
for information. However, in this case, given the relatively recent nature of
the problem and other factors, I decided not to post my search requests publicly.
While I live a little over two hours from Chicago, time did not allow me to
be there for several days during the week. I also knew that someone familiar
with the locality and the records could search them more efficiently than I
could.
I decided to hire someone to perform the research for me.
There were several things I needed to do before I actively sought out a researcher
and got the project underway.
1) Gather all the information I had on the family. Unfortunately, I was not
able to locate everything I needed immediately.
2) Determine a budget for the project.
3) Determine exactly what I wanted the researcher to try and prove/disprove.
The first step is critical for several reasons. The person I hire to research
for me needs to know what records I have already used and what those records
contained. There is no need to pay to duplicate searches that have already been
conducted. Those who cite their searches as they go are much better prepared
to hire someone to help them get "over the research hump" than those who do
not. The time period I searched and the name variants I used are also important
as well. In some cases it is necessary for the professional to know which version
of a published reference I was using as not all editions of printed materials
are created equally. Nor are two indexes to the same record exactly the same.
Additionally, gathering and organizing the material I had made me refocus on
the problem. I knew that I did not want to simply "dump" the information in
someone else's lap and say, "Here it is." This can be done, but it does pay
to be familiar with the research problem someone else is working on for you.
This helps me to be better informed about what the researcher I hire will actually
be doing.
The act of gathering what you have may cause you to notice leads that have
been left to wilt. You may be able to follow up on these clues yourself. You
may discover you have more information than originally thought and a quick lookup
may be sufficient to get the research going again. Sometimes re-organization
may make it clear that you don't need extra help. But a re-analysis of your
information may make it abundantly clear that the research is beyond your ability
or expertise.
I made copies of all the records I had for my problem. I then re-read and re-analyzed
all this material and typed up a synopsis. This was an excellent idea as there
were several key pieces of information I had not remembered accurately. I was
also able to obtain some material locally that had a direct bearing on the problem.
All of this must be done before the decision to hire a researcher has been made.
You should not be dribbling the information to the researcher as they are making
their research plan or conducting research for you (it must be noted that it
took me several e-mails to convey all the information to the researcher I hired).
When summarizing the information, it is important to make a clear distinction
between fact, opinion, and "thoughts from the gut." In my case there were several
unsubstantiated family stories that were pivotal to the case and I included
them in my summary as well, but I indicated that I was uncertain about the accuracy
of several of these items.
In my case I simply did not have the time it would take to do the research.
I felt that if the parentage could be reasonably determined then I could pursue
further information myself via a variety of means. There was my goal: discover
the parents of that person born in the 1910s.
You may need to hire a researcher:
When record language presents a research hindrance
When onsite research is necessary
When research requires special expertise or experience
When you do not have the time yourself
When you need help with writing or editing
Or any combination of these reasons
Of course, time and education may overcome many of these problems and learning
more about the records or the language may be helpful even if you decide to
hire a researcher. However, if you live hundreds of miles from the location,
it may take you a significant amount of time to become reasonably familiar with
the records you need to utilize. When you hire a genealogist to tackle a problem
for you, part of what you pay them for is experience in using and interpreting
the records in the geographic or ethnic areas in which they concentrate.
Budgeting
This is perhaps the touchiest part of the whole process. The fee researchers
charge will vary, but it likely is not going to be $5 an hour. This is especially
true if the person you hire supports themselves entirely by researching. There
are some who research "for fun" and just to "make extra cash" and frequently
these fees are lower. You may also encounter researchers who charge $100 per
hour. Likely what you will pay will be significantly less than $100 per hour,
but more than $5 per hour. The book Professional Genealogy (2001, edited
by Elizabeth Shown Mills), contains an excellent chapter by Sandra Luebking
entitled, "Setting Realistic Fees." This may provide some perspective on how
some genealogists set their fees for those who have never hired a genealogist.
A high fee is not necessarily indicative of high quality, just as a low fee
is not indicative of low-quality.
How much can you afford? That is a personal decision, but bear in mind that
you should continue making mortgage payments and feeding dependents who live
in your home if those items are currently your responsibility. Remember that
billable hours often include time spent organizing material and compiling a
summary report. If your material is organized when you send it to the researcher,
they will spend less time organizing it for you.
Why have a summary report? So you know what was researched and what it was
researched for and whether or not it contained information related to the case.
The researcher will also need to be reimbursed for copy expenses, document fees,
and postage. These fees are set by the agencies holding the records being utilized.
In some cases, parking fees, tolls, meals, and other expenses may also be incurred.
You may want to decide on a certain number of hours instead of a certain amount.
The researcher should (within limits) be able to provide you with a suggested
research plan based upon your constraints. Remember that some problems are not
easily or inexpensively solved. The researcher you hire should not guarantee
to solve your problem in a fixed number of hours or with a fixed amount of money.
You are paying him or her to search records and report results. Remember also
that you may not be able to solve your problem based upon your budget. In this
case you may wish to ask the researcher if they are willing to spend an hour
or two providing (for a fee) a consult on your problem. Perhaps it's just direction
that you need.
Not all researchers perform this service, nor do they have to. They know their
schedules and what services they feel comfortable performing. And they do have
a life outside genealogy (although some of them probably really wonder if this
statement is true).
What Do I Want Done?
On this you must be clear and specific. I told my researcher that I wanted to
determine (if possible) the parentage of a given person. The initial problem
should be focused and not cover an entire family or group of people. The focus
also allows the potential researcher to better assist you and determine if they
have access to materials likely to answer your question. Even if you have other
problems you would like the researcher to tackle for you, it is usually best
to start small so you don't over-obligate yourself.
In my case the problem required the searching of several records, but every
record fit into the overall goal: determining a parentage. In some cases research
may simply involve one type of record, basically a lookup for a fee. I have
also hired researchers to go through all the court cases in a certain county
for a certain time period for a certain individual and search them for genealogically
relevant information. The same can be done with other types of records. However,
before you go out and hire someone to research a series of records you should
gain a rough idea of what those records contain and determine if they are likely
to solve your problem.
In later installments of this series, we'll discuss:
Locating a professional
Making initial contact
Reaching an initial agreement
We'll also see how the research went on my project. Hopefully the results will
be positive and I'll have lots of new leads to follow. But I know that I'm not
paying for guaranteed names, I'm paying for research.
Note: Please don't send me offers to do lookups to solve this problem. The
research is already underway and I'm anxiously waiting for the results.
Michael John Neill, is the Course I Coordinator at the Genealogical Institute
of Mid America (GIMA) held annually in Springfield, Illinois, and is also on
the faculty of Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois. Michael is the
Web columnist for the FGS FORUM and is on the editorial board of the Illinois
State Genealogical Society Quarterly. He conducts seminars and lectures on a
wide variety of genealogical and computer topics and contributes to several
genealogical publications, including Ancestry and Genealogical Computing.
You can e-mail him at: mneill@asc.csc.cc.il.us
or visit his Web site at: www.rootdig.com
Copyright 2001, MyFamily.com.
Ancestry Daily News
