Call In The Experts

As our Q&A pages prove, even the best of us sometimes need expert help. Simon Fowler explains how you can make sure you get value for money

Make sure you choose the best genealogist for the job

There will come a time in your family history research when you need some guidance, or a copy of a vital piece of evidence you just can’t seem to source yourself. Or you might want a tree drawn up going back as far in history as it is possible to go, perhaps as a gift for a relation. Or if you live in an old house, you might like to commission a history of the building and the people who lived there before you – as well as providing fascinating information, such histories can really enhance the value of a property.

In all of these cases, the best way forward is to recruit a professional researcher. But there are plenty out there, so how do you choose?

It’s not easy. Many family historians have enjoyed researching their own tree, so think that they can do it for others and earn some money on top. The fact that their research was rubbish doesn’t matter, unless their clients discover their incompetence.

So when you’re looking for a researcher, you need to satisfy yourself about each candidate’s ability.

How a researcher replies to your enquiry is a good indicator – do they sound knowledgeable? Do they suggest record sources, and explain what they are likely (and not likely) to find? Does their response seem professional, or is it dashedoff and full of grammatical and spelling errors?

You may want to get several quotes before selecting the person you feel happiest with. Happy is the right word, because you are going to have an ongoing relationship with the researcher, and need to have confidence in their professionalism, knowledge and research skills.

Also, although wordof-mouth is often the best way of finding somebody, remember that researchers specialise in particular fields. Don’t ask me to prepare a tree, or research the history of a house. I’m happiest when I’m trawling through War Diaries and muster rolls, which most of my colleagues just aren’t interested in.

Once you find somebody you are happy with, it is important to be clear what you want, and make that clear when you hire the researcher so that they know what you are expecting. Sometimes it is easy – just check for a name in a particular record. Sometimes less so – particularly when you want to find everything out about

‘Researchers specialise in particular a house’ fields – don’task me to research

a specified family going back many generations. It is also true that you might not know exactly what you’re looking for at first, and will need the researcher to tell you what is and what isn’t possible.

In addition, you should discuss how the results will be delivered. Most researchers prepare reports, suggest further avenues to pursue, and send copies of documents, but it’s best to agree such things upfront.

Finding A Researcher

There are several groups of professional genealogists in the British Isles. Which one you choose is up to you. They all provide lists of members on their website with their specialisms. The Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) is the field’s professional association in England and Wales. To become a member, applicants have to demonstrate both genealogical knowledge and their competence to run a business. The association also has a complaints procedure for the rare cases that clients run into problems. In addition, the recently created organisation the Register of Qualified Genealogists (RQG) is dominated by researchers in Wales or England. Further north there is the Association of Scottish Genealogists and Researchers in Archives, or ASGRA, while Ireland has the Accredited Genealogists of Ireland (AGI). Outside of industry groups, The National Archives in Kew maintains a list of independent researchers in all aspects of history ( bit.ly/ tna-researchers). The featured experts may be willing to research in archives across London and elsewhere. Other archives may have their own lists of local researchers.

There is also Achievements ( family-history.co.uk), a longestablished company that specialises in drawing up trees or pedigrees, plus the genealogists featured in the Classified section of this magazine (see page 89).

In terms of fees, most researchers will either quote an all-in figure, or estimate the number of hours that the research will take; they might put a going rate on their website, too. Working out the fee for a difficult piece of research will be a matter of negotiation. Hiring a professional researcher may seem a luxury, when so many records are available online. But £50 or £100 wisely spent might make all the difference to your brick wall.

Finally, if you are thinking of turning your hobby into paid work, the Society of Genealogists runs regular half-day events or take a course ( see right) and gain a formal qualification.

SIMON FOWLER is a member of AGRA. He specialises in researching the world wars and records of central government