One of the medical professionals that people don’t know much about is a genealogist. It isn’t a new profession and has been in existence for a couple of years now. This profession is quite useful when you are looking at tracking your family history.
You can expect several services when you visit a genealogist to help you track your family history. Of course, you’ll also need to know how to find the right one before you can hire. Here are some tips to help you find the right genealogist and what service you can expect from one.
Services Provided by a Genealogist
There are several services that a genealogist can provide. They are divided into these categories:
● Researching Descendants
If you are looking to determine if you come from a certain individual, you need to hire a genealogist to help you with the research. This can be used when you start to share some genealogical info with other descendants of the individual.
The genealogist you hire will have the capabilities to help you find the frontiersman’s descendants.
● DNA Analysis
When you go to a DNA testing company, you only get testing as part of their package. If you want to get an analysis from a professional, you need to employ the services of a genealogist. They can also help you track candidates for DNA testing – they also help interpret the results.
● Search records
The other service that you can expect when you hire a genealogist is to help you search records. This can save you the time and money you’d have used to travel to get the records.
They will, however, only review the records you allow them to review.
● Tracing Ancestry
A genealogist’s main job is to trace ancestry; it is the main reason you would want to hire one. A professional genealogist will help you discover your immigrant ancestors. You can use this if you’re going to join a lineage society.
The genealogist can also help you research your family lines to a specific time.
Tips to Hire the Right Genealogist
Before you can hire a genealogist, you need first to find the right one. To find a genealogist, you need to know where exactly to look. Several online sources can help you find one.
That, though, doesn’t assure you will find the right one to help you trace your family. To eliminate the chances of getting disappointed, you need to employ certain tricks. Here are some tips you can use to ensure you find the right genealogist.
● Work Samples
You need to review a few work samples of a genealogist to hire the right person for the job. With that, you can understand what you will expect from them. It would help to look at what info they add to your family tree – this is their core area.
The information should be communicated based on your genealogy report. After looking at the samples, you need to look at two things to help you evaluate the genealogist—first, the Genealogical Proof Standard and the time effectiveness. Research, when it takes longer, can be a costly affair.
● Public Reviews
The next thing you need to look at is the public reviews. Like any other thing, you need to look at their public reviews when you need to hire a service provider. Today, with the help of the internet, this is information that you can easily find.
Most people today are looking to hire or have already hired a genealogist. You will likely find someone who has been through the process and can pick their brains.
● Different Types of Genealogist
You need to then look at the different types of genealogists when you are looking to hire one; there are other things you need to look at when comparing:
- Is the person you want to hire a member of the Association of Professional Genealogist
- Are you required to sign a contract? With a professional genealogist, you need to sign a working agreement.
- Full-time or part-time. When looking to hire a genealogist for a huge family project, you need to hire a full-time professional.
- Final product
- The promise of a positive outcome. Anyone who gives you a promise for a positive result is lying to you.
- Not enough info about their own family on the website.
When you want to hire a genealogist, you need to figure out the right ways to get one. They will help you avoid red flags in some of the industry’s evil people. You also get to find out some of the services that these professionals offer.
