Courtesy of Michael John Neill’s Tip of the Day post “Pretending You Were Paying for Help” dated 9-May-2025.
Even if you are not inclined to have a professional researcher help you with your genealogy problem, pretend that you were. What would you ask them? What would you share with them? Think about:
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- What is your specific problem?
- What sources have you already located (have citations)?
- What sources have you searched unsuccessfully (have citations, clearly indicate what it was you searched, what names were searched, what time period the records covered, any gaps in the record, etc.)
- Consider including transcriptions of the documents you have located.
- Summarize what the previously located documents tell you and what your conclusions are.
Those pieces of information will help the professional to help you.
Think of it as how you would prepare to get help from non-genealogy professionals. When I met a lawyer to do some estate planning, I thought about what I wanted done, had documentation of things I owned, had made a list of questions that were both general in nature and applied to my situation, When I had the plumber come to do some work in the kitchen I at the very least cleaned out the area where the work would be done so that I was not paying him to clean up things that I could clean up myself. In those two cases even after getting ready, I still needed the professional help.
Sometimes when you get all your information ready for a genealogy professional, you realize that you either don’t need help or have more work of your own to do before you ask for help.
Submitted by Robin McCarthy
