My only secret is experience
Someone asked me recently whether I, as a professional genealogist, have access to records that she does not. She has done a bit of research on Ancestry.com in the past and hadn’t had a lot of luck.
The short answer? No. I have access to all the same records you have, provided you pay to belong to all the various sites that I do.
But there are over 30 billion records on Ancestry. [Source]. Do you handpick sources from that giant catalog to look through that aren’t suggested in your hints?
FamilySearch has almost 17 billion searchable records. [Source]. Do you know how to access the ones that you can’t view from a home computer? Do you skip the ones that aren’t indexed for you because you don’t know how to find what you need?
Do you know that a genealogical copy of a vital record from 1908 Buffalo, N.Y. should be requested in person and costs $22? Or that one from 1908 Cleveland, Ohio, can be emailed to you for $14? Or that you can download one from 1908 Staten Island for free?
When researching a new area, do you consult the FamilySearch Wiki, Red Book, local genealogical societies, and historical groups?
Do you have a bookshelf that looks like mine?
My genealogy reference library
Being a professional genealogist doesn’t mean I have a key to a secret vault that keeps your ancestors’ records hidden from hobbyists. It means that I’ve built up my research skills by taking courses through institutions like Boston University and the American Genealogical Society; by reading publications from American Ancestors and the North Carolina Genealogical Society; by visiting the National Archives in D.C. and the Registrar for the Town of Richland, N.Y. ; and through years and years of research. It means I know to look at the back or the next page of every record, and not to trust that the person who provided the information for their mother’s death certificate knew where their mother’s father was born.
Want to take your family history research to the next level? Contact me and let’s discuss how I can put my skills to work for you.
