4 Signs It’s Time to Get Help from a Professional Genealogy Researcher

 

People might start digging through their past and looking for their distant relatives for a plethora of reasons. Some do it for practical reasons, like claiming their inheritance, and some do it for medical purposes. Then there are those who do it for emotional reasons, as they feel lonely, incomplete or plain curious about their family’s past. The internet has enabled us to do a huge chunk of this research on our own. However, what we do mostly comes down to Googling names, places and dates, which can often be insufficient. If you feel as if you’ve exhausted all your options in searching for an ancestor or an estranged family member, you might want to stop and consider your next step carefully and tactically. You might simply put more effort into it, but some cases require some additional, expert help. Here are some of the signs you should hire a professional genealogy researcher.

 

You’re stuck

When you first started inquiring about your relatives or your family’s past, you didn’t know it would be so complicated. Now, you’ve done all you could do and you came across obstacles you don’t know how to overcome. For instance, you’ve located an important document, but it can’t be obtained online and you’d have to go to a small town on another continent to reach it, or the document you found is in a language you can’t even recognize. Perhaps you need the DNA of somebody who’s too far from you or doesn’t want to cooperate with you. Some people receive documents as proof of being related to a person across the globe, but don’t know how to verify the validity of the signature on it. In all of these cases, the solution is a genealogist who’ll do his or her job thoroughly and, in the meantime, you won’t have to feel tired and frustrated from working hard without a result.

You need more in-depth information

If you’ve found loads of information, but aren’t sure how to interpret all of it or if it’s even enough, you’ll benefit from hiring somebody who’s trained to recognize and comprehend things you just don’t. A professional will conduct an exhaustive genealogy research faster and with more understanding of the data they find. Also, you’ll find their work priceless when you’ve only managed to find all of your family records in the country you live in, but can’t find those from your parents’ homeland. Similarly, you might want to learn things that aren’t in any official records, but don’t know who to ask or how to begin looking for those things. An experienced genealogist will know how to approach the issue methodologically and will be more efficient than you, no matter how eager you are.

You don’t have the resources

Another problem that might slow you down or even make you quit investigating your ancestry or seeking your relatives is the lack of funds. Let’s face it, when the home-based online research has given you all it could, you’ll need to go further and that can cost a lot, especially if you aren’t truly sure what it is you should be doing. In this case, you might end up in a trial-and-error scenario, in which every error further empties your bank account. Instead of risking losing large amounts of money on something you don’t know will work for you, you can set a budget and find a genealogy researcher who’ll make the best of what you can spare. Bear in mind that these people are highly efficient and know where and how to spend each dime you give them in order to find out exactly what you want to know. By spending a reasonable amount of money on the right thing, you’ll end up saving a lot of it in the long run.

You lack time

When your quest for your long-lost cousins or your origins gets a life of its own, you could end up spending all of your free time on it, and sometimes not even that will be enough. Situations like these will simply demand you to change course and seek assistance from somebody who’ll be more productive than you. This is beyond important, as you don’t want your research to damage your existing relationships. If you’re spending numerous hours on your computer or your phone, in pursue of somebody or something you can’t be 100% positive you’ll find, you’re missing out on quality time with your children, partner, friends or even pets. By involving a competent genealogist, you’ll prevent your search from affecting your personal life and increase the chances of finding who or what you’re looking for. The job will be done more rapidly and probably more successfully, while you’ll get to devote your attention to those who need it more urgently.

Not having to do all the difficult work on your own can be a blessing, so don’t hesitate asking for help when you need it. It’s not a sign of laziness or weakness, but a smart move you’ll be grateful for in the future.