Getting Started: Information for Students, Boy Scouts and Other Beginners
By Natalie Cottrill, BA and Kory Meyerink, MLS, AG, FUGA

Thank you for visiting our website and learning about our professional genealogical services. We really appreciate your interest in genealogical research, and hope you will find many of the answers you seek in this article. Since we are working professionals, it simply isn't possible for us to provide students and other beginners with individually crafted free research advice. So, we thought this page would be a good place to provide some general answers for youngsters or "newbies" who are just getting started with their family history.

Many young people, including school students, boy scouts and others, are being encouraged by their teachers and troop leaders to learn about their family history. It is very gratifying to us to see these activities occurring! However, as a professional and Internet-based business, you need to understand that we should not be corresponding with minors (those under age 18) who contact us through the Internet. (For those of you are are simply seeking answers to some specific “interview” style questions for your school report, please see the list of questions later in this article.)

Also, as I’m sure you understand, it would not be right by our valued clients if we were to take time away from our very busy research day to provide to you, free, the services for which our clients have already paid. Our families would be quite upset with us, too, since they depend upon us to bring home income from our professional research services in order to provide them housing and sustenance!

On the other hand, we are happy to help young people learn more about genealogy research so that they can have some success in conducting research on their own. To that end, we invite you to read the rest of this message, as it will provide several ways you can pursue some research on your own. In fact, we have posted dozens of instructional articles on our website where you will find more information about varied topics of genealogical research. You can begin at our “Articles” page, http://www.progenealogists.com/articles.htm 

As professional researchers and dedicated genealogists, we are grateful for the increased interest that continues to develop in the field of family history. We encourage that interest to grow further as students and others investigate their own family history. The following paragraphs will provide you some excellent approaches to conducting your own research.

Getting Started

Genealogy is a wonderful activity that can reach across generations to bond families closer together, and provide a solid emotional foundation for individuals in an increasingly complex and difficult society. This is why it has become one of the fastest growing leisure activities today. To get you started, allow us to recommend the following free activities:

First, read this article on beginning genealogy, on our website.

Second, visit your local public library and check out a book or two on how to begin your genealogical quest. There are dozens of excellent books that will help you begin. We have created links to a few great titles on our website.

Third, locate your local genealogical society. Such societies exist in almost every county and most major cities in North America, and in many other countries. They consist mostly of family historians such as yourself, who mutually help each other learn how to find family links. An excellent place to begin seeking such groups is Society Hall, sponsored by the Federation of Genealogical Societies, at http://www.familyhistory.com/societyhall/main.asp 

Next, visit your local Family History Center. These not-for-profit, community-oriented centers, operated by the owners of the famous Family History Library, are miniature genealogy libraries staffed by volunteers who can help you with your research. There is a list of such centers and their locations at http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHC/frameset_fhc.asp 

Our own company website has many free resources that will help you with your search. Many people bookmark our sleuth page, since it links to dozens of data-rich sites. View it at http://www.progenealogists.com/genealogysleuthb.htm. Also on our site, you'll find many other research aids identified at http://www.progenealogists.com/resources.htm. Should you need more information about the services that professional genealogists can offer, we recommend spending some additional time at our expansive web site, and specifically read the article about research expectations, at http://www.progenealogists.com/realitygap.htm. 

The Nature of Genealogical Research

Next, please allow us to share some useful observations about genealogy research:

Lineages of most Americans can be traced back to the immigrant who first came to North America, and often further back in the ancestral country. Tracing most families back to the 1600s is quite common, given sufficient research time.

Locating lost, but living relatives can be extremely challenging, or quite easy. Much depends on what is known about the lost person, and the time period and places involved in the search. Of course, the difficulty of any task is actually determined by the knowledge base and experience of the person performing that task. Hence, for professionals, such pursuits are much easier than they would be for someone untrained and inexperienced in that realm.

The amount of research time it takes to develop a "family tree" varies considerably for each different situation. There are at least three related questions: How far does someone want to trace the family? How much knowledge and experience to they have in the research process? How available are the necessary records for the requested research. All of these questions have a wide range of answers. The question is really like asking a lawyer how long it will take to win a case. The answer, depending on all the variables, can range from ten or twenty hours, to thousands of hours of research.

The amount of information researchers can find depends greatly on the time allotted for research, the time period of the research, the education and ability of the researcher, and the nature of the available records. For North Americans, experienced, trained researchers can generally learn an exact or approximate date and place of birth, death, and marriage, as well as the names of parents, spouses, and most children. Additional biographical material, including military service, naturalization, immigration, racial background, occupation, religion, political preference, community service, and other information, also often comes to light in the research process.

Good genealogists follow sound scientific research principles. They include careful analysis of known information, selection of research goals, choosing, locating and searching the most appropriate records for achieving the goals, and detailed analysis of the information found in those records. A variety of sub-processes exist, dependent on the nature of access to the necessary information.

The length and difficulty of the process depends greatly on the nature of the goals, and the access to the most useful records. Some problems are readily solved with one or two records. Others take careful analysis of dozens of records.

Education and training are necessary to be successful. Many genealogists are self-trained, using a variety of methods including reading instructional books, attending conferences and seminars, taking college classes (where available) and mentoring with experienced, professional genealogists. Studies in history and related fields (demographics, social studies, etc.) are a good preparation, as are other social science research-oriented arenas. There are a few colleges that offer family history and genealogy classes.

Professional genealogical research is typically sold on a hourly research fee basis. Each project will take a different amount of time, but we usually suggest spending ten to thirty hours at a time on a project. That will complete some projects, while others will require additional increments of time. For more information on specific fees, you may visit our web site, at http://www.progenealogists.com/compare.htm. 

Finally, for those who prefer to conduct the research themselves, we offer a consultation service that easily fits into a smaller budget. Our consultation services are designed for people who have been conducting their own research (or who wish to), but are not certain where to turn next, or which records to search. With consultations we generally spend one to two hours working with the researcher, either in person, by phone, or e-mail, to identify the best sources, and their locations, for further research. You can learn more on our website at http://www.progenealogists.com/consultation.htm. Our researchers' collective experience and expertise will allow us to examine any of your possible ancestral questions, regardless of the geographic area or time period.

Further Questions about Being a Genealogist

While the above comments will answer most questions about genealogical research, some students and others have posed questions about what it is like to be a genealogist. We have tried to answer most such questions below. Should you need more information about the services that professional genealogists offer, please review the page of articles cited above. You may also want to visit the web site for the Association of Professional Genealogists, where additional information about hiring a genealogist can be found, http://www.apgen.org. 

Using our website search page, you can also find further articles and answers to your questions. It is at http://www.progenealogists.com/search.htm 

Now, as to some specific questions:

How long have you been employed in the genealogical field?

Our staff and researchers at ProGenealogists have a varied history in the profession, but the principles of the company have been involved in genealogy from 18 to 30 years. For more information on the excellent people we work with, please visit our “About Us” page at http://www.progenealogists.com/aboutus.htm.  

What made you decide to become a genealogist?

While this answer varies for each of our researchers, generally we immensely enjoy the nature of research, and seeking to learn what others have not yet learned. The challenge of exploring the unknown lies in the heart of most genealogists.

Do you know your own family's history?

This is a quite open-ended, but common, question. Yes, each of us knows our family's history, but there is always more to find. Since each of our ancestors had two parents, every time we find a new ancestor, there are two more ancestors to find. Hence, most of us will never find out about everyone we could trace, and there is so much biographical and historical information we could pursue, we must choose what we want to learn.

How far back does your average client ask you to trace?

Each of our clients has different reasons for asking for our assistance. Some simply need a professional to solve a particular problem, while others turn over their entire research to us. Much depends on their own time and financial situations. Many customers like to have us trace their family as far back as we can.

What tests are available to measure the quality of a genealogist?

Two organizations test the competency of experienced genealogists. They also offer some helpful guidelines regarding the work of professionals. You can find them at http://www.icapgen.org/ and http://www.bcgcertification.org/. 

Well, it's time for us to get back to researching for our valued clients. We appreciate this opportunity to share some thought with you about our work, and how you can get involved in this wonderful activity. We encourage you to learn more about your own family, and begin conducting some research into your own history. Soon, you can become the expert on your own family.