Hi Delard,
Thank you so much for the interesting question. Just so that you know
my background, I am a professional genealogist living in the U.S. with
a good deal of experience with English research. I'm a member of the
Association of Professional Genealogists (http://www.apgen.org) and
have 20 years of research experience. In other words, the answer I'm
giving you is what I would look for if hiring someone to do my own
research (or if I was looking for a subcontractor for my own client
work).
In order of preference, given your requirements:
1) Bernard Welchman
Reasons for:
- Member of AGRA which only accepts well-qualified professional
researchers "who have been engaged as genealogists or researchers in
archives for a number of years" and have proved their experience to
the other members. Members of AGRA also agree to comply with a Code of
Practice and the organization will follow up on complaints if you ever
have a problem with a member. (http://www.agra.org.uk)
- Hourly rate of £10, which is more than reasonable (From his Web
site: "This, I am sure will agree, is very low rate for a professional
service, especially as I sometimes undertake research for solicitors
who charge up to £80.00 per hour for the information I give them! The
recommended rate for A.G.R.A. members is £18.00 per hour. I have found
that by giving a good service at a reasonable cost I have clients who
come back time after time and a majority of my research is now through
recommendation."
- Hourly rates are fully inclusive and you won't be charged additional
money for travel time and postage (though you will need to pay for
certificates, photocopies, etc.)
- He can produce a beautifully bound family history report with
timelines, photos (if available) and a several generation family
history for a reasonable fee.
Reasons against:
- Doesn't specialize in Chestershire (he does do research for all of
England, however, and appears to definitely have the experience to
handle your query).
- Not certified, but membership in AGRA does indicate a good level of experience
http://www.bdwfh.com/
2) Gene O'Reilly
Reasons for:
- member of the Society of Genealogists and the Association of
Professional Genealogists
- Lives in Hertfordshire with easy access to all London repositories
and archives (which offer access to a large number of records from all
over England and Wales)
- BA in history; a knowledge of and love for history is very important
for a genealogist
- £15.00 per hour is a reasonable research charge. I like that she
doesn't add a surcharge for certificates and photocopies - only
charges what the copies cost her and will provide copies of all
receipts
- Obviously willing to work with her clients ("Payments may be made as
and when the client can afford them. Research will then be undertaken
a little at a time. The client is in control of the amount spent and I
will not go on searching any longer than my clients wish")
- I really liked her Web site and the attitude it portrayed
Reasons Against:
- Doesn't live in Cheshire (but personally, I don't think that will be an issue)
- Not certified, nor a member of AGRA (but is a member of APG which is
similar although not quite as exclusive)
- Hourly rate is a bit higher than the other two.
http://gene-the-genealogist.com/
3) Christine Bullock
Reasons for:
- lives in Cheshire, which means she will have easy access to parish
records (necessary if you wish to take your family tree back further
than 1837 when civil registration commenced).
- £12.00 per hour or £100 for 10 hrs is a very reasonable price,
probably better than you will get from a more experienced researcher
- seems fairly experienced
- member of Society of Genealogists
Reasons against
- Not certified as a genealogist, nor a member of an association that
requires a code of conduct from its members (AGRA, APG, etc.). This
doesn't mean that she is not an excellent genealogist, but is
something to take into account.
- Web site seems to indicate that report binders will include only a
family tree and copies of all documents. If I was hiring a
genealogist, I would expect a well-written research report, with
discussion of all connections, assumptions and sources. She may
provide this, but it isn't something indicated on her site. Definitely
something to ask about.
- Some of her listed services, namely the 1881 England Census and IGI
can be researched online for free. On the other hand, her prices are a
bit lower for these services so you are basically paying for her
search time, and it is reasonable for people who don't have the time
or knowledge to undertake such a search themselves.
- Although your grandparents were from Chester, you may find that your
great-grandparents were not. You may find a genealogist in London with
easier access to records from all over England and Wales to be a
better choice in this situation.
- Without seeing her research I can't evaluate her experience level
personally, but she seems less experienced than the other two
individuals.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/relativeresearch/services.htm
Finally, to save some money, you may wish to consider beginning with
the services of a genealogist who does not necessarily reside in
England. One who will be able to search the online sources for you,
including census records, civil registration records, etc. The
Cheshire Family History Society also provides access to a lot of
records on their Web site. It is actually fairly easy to trace a
family back to 1837 in England with a little guideance. Then for any
further research, you can employ a genealogist who lives in the area.
For more general information on hiring a professional genealogist, you
may also wish to look at this answer that I provided to another Google
Answers questioner a few weeks ago:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=375973
Best of luck in your search for a professional genealogist. If you are
looking for further specific information that I haven't provided,
please let me know.
Regards,
-inquisitive-ga |
Clarification of Answer by
inquisitive-ga
on
17 Aug 2004 12:10 PDT
Hi Delard,
I'm so glad that you found my answer helpful.
With regards to your question about my final comment. Exploring online
sources is something you can do yourself if you feel up to the task,
but will take you a bit of time learning about genealogy and what to
look for. Alternatively, you can hire someone to do some of these
lookups for you. Yes, I do research myself and would love to be able
to help you with your project. As a Google Answers researcher,
however, I am not allowed to post my personal contact information and
it would be unprofessional of me to refer you to my own services
anyway.
If you're interested in pursuing this further, then there are two
options that I can think of:
1) Post the details on your grandparents as another question and I'd
be happy to do some basic research for you. Price the question as you
feel appropriate and be sure to specify what you expect for the
amount. If I cannot find the information that you seek, I will let you
know in an answer clarification, so that you won't be charged for
information that I can't find. This option isn't a good one if your
grandparents are still living (it wouldn't be correct to post their
information on a public Web site in this case), or if you feel
uncomfortable posting such information in a public forum.
2) You could try contacting Google Answers directly and explain the
situation. They may be willing to put you in contact with me (you have
my permission for this). answers-editors@google.com
Do you have details on the birth dates, etc. of your grandparents? Are
they still living or are their any other family members who could help
you with more information? If you do know their birth dates then the
best first step that you can take is to request a copy of their birth
certificates.
Researching Civil Registration Records (Birth, Marriage & Death) in England & Wales
http://genealogy.about.com/library/weekly/aa062100a.htm
Obtaining Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates from England
http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/research/obtainingcertificates/waystoapply.asp
Obtaining a birth certificate will be easier if you have the GRO
reference. This can be obtained at http://www.1837online.com for a
small fee if you know the date and name involved. Alternatively, you
can just pay a bit more and send the details, plus dates to the
General Record Office (the prior link).
If you don't know their birth dates, then the next question would be:
were they were living in 1901? If so, then you may be able to find
them listed in the 1901 census.
http://www.1901census.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
If they were born after 1901 and you don't have their birth dates,
then the research will be a bit more involved. Requiring a search for
marriage certificate, obituary, etc. in order to obtain their birth
dates. Then the birth certificate will provide the parents names,
including the mother's maiden name.
If you're not very familiar with genealogy research, you may find
you'll save money by having a professional do these online searches
for you, especially since many of the searches charge a fee per page
and a professional will probably be able to find what you are looking
for more quickly.
I hope this has been of help.
--inquisitivega
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