Sometimes Hiring a Professional Genealogist to Help is the Best Strategy

Some of you may be wondering why Cassi and I devoted so much time researching the Claudia S. Stuart letter that I wrote about earlier this week. In this case, the letter was in our holdings as part of an archival collection and for future reference we needed to be able to better describe it for potential customers. It's more by happenstance that Col. Baxley was reprising and updating the talk that he did for us at Bluffton Branch in February 2020 over the Summer for presentation now - which is when I started processing the Reeves Collection and discovered it. 

BDC staff is not able to dedicate so much time to unraveling the research issues and genealogical challenges of a customer's family history. If you had an issue such as the 7 George Cuthberts and at least 3 John Verdiers to choose from, we would guide you to sources and suggest strategies for you to use to unravel the knot yourself. 

To give you a better idea of the range of family history resources we provide for Research Room customers, please read yesterday's post "BDC Genealogy Services Primer (2021)." We help most folks by selecting sources in which they can do their own research work. Sometimes our experience with the sources available can help some folks a great deal. But sometimes what a customer needs is beyond our ability or mission to provide. When that happens, sometimes hiring a professional genealogist to help you is your best strategy. 

Let's say that you need more research assistance than BDC staff can provide - such as in those cases where your genealogical research points you to other states or countries of origin or you are not sure who should or should not be on your family tree. At that point, it may be time for you to consider hiring a professional to do the work - for a fee - on your behalf.  

You might want to try the Directory on the Association of Professional Genealogists website ; “Directory of Certified Genealogists” on the Board for Certification of Genealogists website ; International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists ; Ancestry ProGenealogists ; or their even more specific branch related to heirs research and/or use the links in the Family Search article “Hiring a Professional Researcher” to find someone who can help you more intensively than we can.