Can I hire someone to do my genealogy research?

August 10, 2011 7:57 AM

Can I hire someone to do my genealogy research?

I'm vaguely curious about my family history and know nothing beyond my grandparents (born in the 1920s). I think we're a pretty typical American immigrant family. I'd like to know more but don't want to spend hours and hours learning how to do genealogy research. My brief forays into doing my own research didn't get very far; it's a common family name on my mother's side.

Is there some reputable place I can hire someone to do the genealogy research for me? I'd be glad to spend a few hundred bucks for a properly documented family history with pointers for me to go looking deeper if it interests me. I've seen a few ads for this kind of service online but they all seem to either be hucksters proving you're related to the Queen of England or else some random individual of dubious expertise.

posted by Nelson to society & culture (7 answers total)

Ancestry.com has a "Hire an Expert" section.
posted by Ideefixe at 8:07 AM on August 10, 2011

Much of the joy in doing family history is in discovering all kinds of interesting things by doing it yourself, getting stories from surviving family, visiting sites etc.

I would suggest contacting a local history or genealogy librarian who can show you the best resources so that it is a quicker process to at least get started. You'll be spending enough on paying for records soon enough anyway.

I just started doing my history, inspired by a trip to the village where my grandparents grew up.
posted by wingless_angel at 8:10 AM on August 10, 2011

There's this recent mfilter post in case you missed it.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 9:03 AM on August 10, 2011

The National Archives maintains a list of researchers in various subject areas. (They aren't Archives employees, but it's a start.)

Full disclosure: I do volunteer there.
posted by sperose at 9:08 AM on August 10, 2011

Here's another place to look.
posted by mareli at 10:03 AM on August 10, 2011

Oops, hit the wrong button, here.
posted by mareli at 10:04 AM on August 10, 2011

Sperose--I'm on that list,and genealogy never pays well. Most of us avoid that work. Hire a Mormon.
posted by Ideefixe at 8:06 PM on August 11, 2011