Family
History and Genealogy Online Research (specializing in United States ancestry)
Television shows like Who Do You Think You Are and Genealogy Roadshow
have led to an increase in the popularity of ancestral research over the last several
years. Everyone would like to know where
they came from, but many people don't know where to begin, or what resources
are even available to them, and most simply don't have the time it takes to do
the research. And hiring a family
history professional can cost anywhere from $40 - $100 per hour. Professionals at Ancestry.com, for example,
charge around $90/hr to research your family tree.
I have been successfully researching my own family tree for around 10
years. I never add anyone without being 95%
certain I have the right person, based on documentation I’ve found. As of March 2015, I have 1066 people in my
family tree and have traced a few lines as far back as the 1600s. I have also gotten in contact with very distant
living relatives who had pictures of some of our shared ancestors that I had
never seen before. There is much more to
researching genealogy than clicking a leaf on your family tree. It takes a lot of time and even more patience.
For only $12 an hour:
- I will search through, within the prearranged time period, all the websites and databases available to me, in order to answer your genealogical question.
- I will e-mail you an answer with attachments, if I find anything, in the form of PDFs or jpegs for images of records, and Word Documents for information without an image.
- I will e-mail you a list of my sources, whether or not results are found.
- Examples of the kinds of records I will check include: birth, marriage & death; military; census; immigration; etc.
- Price charged is for research time only. Time spent compiling info and corresponding back and forth with you via email is free of charge and does not count toward the paid for hour.
What I need from you:
- A question or starting point: What or whom are you trying to find? Do you have a specific goal (i.e. - Who were John Smith’s parents? When did Jane Smith’s parents arrive in America and where did they come from?), or is it a bit more open-ended (i.e. - I know who my grandparents are, now I want to see how far back I can trace their lines.)?
- As much information as you're able to give me. (For example, if you want to know who John Smith’s parents were, what was John’s place and date of birth and/or death? Who were his siblings, wife, and/or children? Where did he live? What did he do for a living? Was he a veteran?)
- If you've begun your own family history research, please let me know what records you already have and which sources you’ve already used. They may help me in furthering your research, but I don’t want to waste your time or money doing the work you’ve already done.
I am NOT a professional genealogist
in the sense that I do not have any certification, etc., but I DO have a passion
and a love for history. But, for me,
history never came alive quite like it did once I started researching my
own family tree. Now, I look at
absolutely everything in a different way: the landscape on a road trip, the old
crumbling building in town, historical events, etc. They all have a new meaning to me.
From researching my own genealogy, I
became obsessed, researching the families of friends and other family members. I have a BA in English with an emphasis on
professional writing, so I am quite used to my share of research. And, as I mentioned before, there is no point
in building your family tree, if you’re not willing to do the research. You may see hundreds of family trees on
Ancestry.com that have 1000s of people and go back to the dark ages, but
without proof (documentation), those people could be true ancestors, or not.
Genealogy can be a thrilling but painfully
frustrating hobby; even 10 years later I still get excited when I make a new
discovery, but I also continue to hit brick walls. It can be time-consuming; many
records exist, but have been transcribed incorrectly, making it difficult to
find the right one, occasionally, however, the records have been destroyed and no longer
exist.
The number one thing to remember is
that there are NO GUARANTEES in genealogy, and for this reason, I can NOT offer
refunds if no results are found. I will,
however, guarantee to do my very best. One exciting thing about family history research is that new records are being transcribed and indexed every day. What may not be available today, could very well be available tomorrow!
Lastly, as I live in the United
States, I am most familiar with American ancestry research and am happy to try and help you learn your own American history.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about me or my services. I am PayPal verified and that is the preferred method of payment.
