The Process of Genealogical research, ancestry search, family rsearch and research in general and how we work

With the advent of today's computer technology, the process of
genealogical research has changed dramatically. What used to take
weeks, months, and even years, can now be accomplished online in a
fraction of that time.

I begin by analyzing the material I receive from the client, and determine
the direction they wish the project to take. Identifying the direction is
important.

Genealogical research can become the proverbial "tail that wags the
dog" if you allow yourself to pursue the most interesting or most
productive line rather than what the client actually wanted.
There might be a plethora of information on the mother's line,
but the client wants to know about the father who left when he was just
a toddler. Others want to find ALL their long-lost cousins.

While I commit to four hours of research, I may not do all of that in one
day. It usually spans several days, so that I can take time to analyze
what I have found and document it to make sure it is factual. During the
initial steps, I will be in frequent contact with the client, sharing and
verifying what I have found and make sure I am on the right track.

When the four hours have been used up, I will present all the dat with
my recommendations on how to proceed and if I feel it would be
worthwhile to proceed. If the client desires to continue, we do so in two
(2) hour increments if they prefer.

It is not unusual for me to become interested in some particular facet of
your project and to pursue it long after our contractual agreement has
ended. If I do find something interesting or worthwhile, I would present
it, but at no charge to the client. I might ask for the costs of acquiring
legal documents, postage, etc. but the client is under no legal obligation
to pay for anything beyond their contractural agreement(s).

Limitations
It should be clearly understood that I am most proficient in United States
research covering the period from the mid 1600's to current time.

If your ancestors jumped the pond (immigrated) recently, I may need to
refer you to someone else.