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GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH
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Genealogical Research
Description of Job • Research the ancestry and family history for a client. • Present a report with information and analysis based on your research.
The Need Who are we, and where did we come from? For most of us, what we know of our family history dates back only a generation or two. Our roots were lost when ancestors emigrated from foreign lands, moved around the country, or were buried with poorly maintained governmental, military, and religious records. The urge to trace personal history often begins with the innocent interest of youngsters and progresses to the more urgent inquiry of adults who see the glimmers of mortality. The professional genealogist uses traditional tools of library research, probate records, birth and death certificates, records of religious ceremonies, and marriage licenses. Some of the information exists in dusty paper records, but increasingly the bits and pieces of our lives are floating in cyberspace and accessible through the Internet. Even so, it requires some decent investigative skills and dogged determination to do the job properly.
Challenges You’ll need to understand the processes of genealogical research, have the determination and drive of a detective, and know how to work equally well with computer databases and old record books in musty vaults. You’ll also have to maintain a professional skepticism in pursuit of the truth. Your client may start out by telling you that he is descended from the royal family of Denmark, or that she is the great-great-grandaughter of a Civil War general. Your response, whether said aloud or kept to yourself, has to be: “We’ll see about that.” Though nearly all current personal information is available in electronic form, many modern laws are intended to protect the privacy of individuals. You may need to obtain permission from your clients to examine records, or it may be necessary for them to directly request the records and pass them along to you.