How much would i have to pay to use a genealogist or are they free?

Question

How much would i have to pay to use a genealogist or are they free?

Answer 1

you can search genealogy records at your local library or health department for free.

Answer 2

A professional geneaologist who has proper qualifications and accreditation would charge somewhere in the region of £15-£20 an hour for their services, plus any copying charges etc.  Ethusiastic amateurs will usually work for less, but may only have certain areas of expertise.  Many ordinary genealogists offer certain look-up exchange services for free depending on where they are and what records and repositories they have access to.  Depending on what you want depends on whether you'd want to hire anyone or not.

I've paid a guy before now to go to the National Archives in Kew for me for military records, mainly because of the expense in getting myself to London and hotel fees etc and he did it a lot cheaper than I could have.  Generally though, I try and visit these places myself, as that is half the fun.  If you're going to pay someone, then try and go through a local Family History group as they will have a list of who to use and recommend someone who does a good job and knows what they are doing.  As with any group of people, there are some cowboys out there who will take your money and do very little.

Answer 3

Hi,

A Genealogist is a term describing a professional occupation... much like other professionals  (such as lawyers, tax counsultants)..... a fee is charged because this is how a Genealogist makes a living.

As to how much you would pay depends on many variables... where you live (country, region, even city) and to what degree of family history you would like a genealogist to investigate.

Notice I used the term investigate?  That is because a Genealogist is an investigator and their work requires numerous hours of research and study to uncover factual information that is presented with evidential documents, such as birth, death and marriage records (these are the most common types of vital records).

In the USA, there are several umbrella organizations that require professional Genealogists to maintain ethical practices and standards of operation. If you contact me via e-mail:

[e-mail] I can send you Internet sites that list qualified genealogists in the USA.

If you are not in the USA, I suggest you contact your local library or historical society and ask about a local genealogical society. Contacting a local genealogical society can put you in contact with hobby genealogists who may be able to help you for free or for a much lower fee than a professional. Many professional genealogists began with a passion for this type of research as a hobby.  Really, if what you want is a beginning of a family tree, just to get an idea what your family history is, then someone who does genealogy as a hobby may be able to help you and give you tips.

Also, they may know of a professional Genealogist and hiring one through a personal reccomendation is better than just picking one out of a hat, so to speak.

I am a professional research genealogist and I teach a class. I take very few clients per year and then, I do so after I have had the chance to meet with a prospective client for a free consultation. I want to make sure that the client understands the many complicated issues that can arise in family tree research and that they are willing to work with me in an honest investigation.

I charge $35.00 per hour, plus additional if there is an unusual amount of photocopying/photography charges and I always give a prospective client a solid hard printed estimation. I work in piecemeal segments of a client's family tree, that way a client can decide which branch on the tree they want investigated and the client decides how far to go.

The only other advice I would give is that in hiring a professional genealogist, regardless of their qualifications, it is always a good idea to hire one that has personal experience in the type of family history that you have. I do not take on clients that need investigation into family histories that are American Indian, truthfully, that is a very specialized sector and I have very little exposure to it. On the other hand, since I have documented four Revolutionary War patriots in my family and am a member of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution ("D.A.R."), I am well experienced at family histories going back into America of the 1700s and 1600s. And I am experienced in filling out the official D.A.R. application as well as the S.A.R. application (in each case I have the official application programs and acid-free application paper)... I offer this service free to my clients who wish to join D.A.R. or S.A.R. Most of my clients have been women wanting to join the D.A.R.

I hope this helps.

Answer 4

If your local library has a genealogy department they should be free. It might cost money to make copies of death and birth records or things like that.

You might be able to take a class in tracing your family roots at a community college.

You might also look for books on genealogy for beginners.

Hope that information will be helpful.

Answer 5

Compare to a mechanic-

You might ask one to listen to that weird noise, and give a quick opinion on what it might be, for free.

If he says sounds like you blew a rod and the whole engine needs to be rebuilt.. your car will be in the shop for at least a week, and no, it WON'T be free. That is how he makes his living.

On the other hand, you have tutorials all over the net, on how to research your family, not to mention persons right here, who advise you on certain things.. sometimes  what the tools that they have to do quick lookups for you.  Keep in mind, a quick lookup is normally a single fact.. not finding your entire ancestry.  Done right, that takes months or even years. It is an ongoing process. Much of those facts will be findable online.. other facts will not be on the internet, and will involve either traveling to the location, or ordering a record.

http://www.cyndislist.com/beginner.htm

Here is one site with "how to" guides. This is one page only of a huge site, with thousands of excellent sources. Yes.. you DO need to invest some energy in understanding how to use them.

Many persons decide they don't have the time or interest to do the research.. no criticism on that, even though I find it fascinating.  But.. those who have the expertise, and hang out their "shingle" as a professional genealogist are not free, or even cheap.