Some genealogy jobs are best left to the professionals. When you need a hand, consult our don’t-do-it-yourself guide.
As a young laborer, my husband, Jeremy, framed homes, ran electrical cable, hung drywall and laid floors. When it came time to remodel our house recently, he tackled the project with confidence and skill.
Despite his expertise, Jeremy quickly encountered several tasks he couldn’t—or didn’t want to—do himself. Like hooking up the electrical box (an explosive task if not done correctly) and plumbing, which he can’t do without yelling.
Many of us are like Jeremy when it comes to our genealogy. We’re skilled enough to DIY but occasionally we want—or need—expert help. So when do we call in the pros? What can they do for us? What do they charge and how do we find them? Find out in this handy don’t-do-it-yourself guide to genealogy.
Genealogical general contractors
Is there a brick wall on your father’s side you need to demolish? Newly unearthed Norwegian ancestry you don’t know how to research? Call in the general contractors of genealogy: professional researchers.
“We have a group of specialists who really can take on almost any research question or problem,” says Brenton Simons, president and CEO of the New England Historical Genealogical Society (
NEHGS). You can hire NEHGS researchers for $70 an hour ($50 for NEHGS members).
“We have the largest genealogical manuscript collection in the country: more than 200,000 printed volumes, tens of thousands of reels of films and 28 million manuscript items,” Simons continues. “We’ve been collecting since 1845. That forms a really amazing collection that our researchers can use.