"GENEALOGISTS", if you need help who do you ask, and how many of you are qualified "GENEALOGISTS", be honest.

Question

for efes_haz..., thank goodness I dont have to ask you to help me do my research, it seems to me you are the one with the attitude on here, theres nothing wrong with my question, it certainly wasn't meant to upset anyone! not even you.

Answer 1

Hey Fizzyhead,

I am qualified to be my own Genealogist as a hobby, by virtue of having taken courses. Certification is an excellent option for me, and there are several other people that answer questions here that could be certified (as Genealogists) if they wanted to.

Here are some sites that deal with Certification, and if you want some one that is certified, go to these sites. It will cost you a lot more than asking here, for information that you may be able to get from us hobbyists.

Answer 2

Perhaps you are hoping to distinguish qualified from certified. Here's my thoughts... if you have searched online for an ancestor with out luck.. no one else has already posted a "file", it isn't published in a book... and YOU personally find the records to answer your question... I think that qualifies you for a bit of something. I guarantee, that unless you have learned something about real records and how to find them, you will still have a brick wall. Some people do all the right things, and still have a brick wall after 20 yrs. That doesn't make them any less of a genealogist, since some lineages are always going to be a mystery.
I am not certified, meaning I have not taken any official tests. I have volunteered to help others at an LDS family history library... taught a few classes for beginners, "broken" a couple of ancestral brick walls of many years standing, and have done a few private research projects for others. I would not know a thing about French research, don't ask me about New England. Each researcher LEARNS from their own unique efforts. The beauty here is that you can have 10 answers here, and all will be of value.
MANY "newbies" (and we all were new to this at one time) want ONE STOP SHOPPING, and are very upset that they don't get what they want. Their lack of understanding of what it involves, means that they may cut themself off from success in their family history. If I need help, I ask AS MANY PEOPLE as possible. Aside from volunteers, I also wear out the paint on google. That's because it is important in genealogy, to know HOW to find the answer that no one else has.
Who do I ask? I don't mind asking anyone who may have a lead to what I need, and am grateful for all efforts.
Qualification is in the eye of the beholder.

Answer 3

I'm a librarian and I've done genealogy work. Don't know if there is a certification fo genealogists, so hard to say who gets to really call themselves genealogists.

A lot of the genealogy web sites are trying to get money, so its hard to know where to turn. The mormons have genealogy centers that are actually very helpful.

And what you want to find out can determine where you go.

Want a family tree? Start with older relatives. Find your family bible. It should all be there. Flesh it out by asking more relatives. Then use the US census data to get even more.

Military history? Lots of little bits of advice here. The US government won't have rosters of everyone who served in every war. For world wars one and two, each county and some cities kept gold star honor rolls, listing who died. Some churches kept them too. Each military unit keeps a unit history, and they print war histories after the big wars. Those are hard to find, but Carlisle Barracks should have them. (That's the army archives.)

Civil War? There's no real list of civil war vets but some states have records of pensioners. And the GAR (the union soldiers veterans group) helped with the 1900 census, and that census is as close as we'll ever get to a gar roster.

There are many, many genealogy groups in the yahoo boards. Check there, too.

Answer 4

Hi Fizzy,

I've been doing my own genealogy for about 14 years now. A lot of my information came from family, then I started posting on the Internet. There are a lot of wonderful resources on the net; however, it's hard to make sure they're legitimate unless you can view the actual documentation.

The main focus of my work is Native American Indian genealogy, which is rarely accurately documented. I invested in many of the roll books and end up talking to many Tribal Elders and requesting a peek at their tribal records (on occasion, my request is granted but more often than not, it is politely rebuffed).

I don't know that I'm qualified to be anything but my own geneaogist, but I do like to help others where I can. I never charge as it was a cousin who found me on the net and gave me the information that I have to get me started... a file with close to 60,000 entries. When I help someone, I simply ask that they return the favor and help someone else if they can.

Peace,

Beki

Answer 5

It might be your "be honest" that made people assume that you thought people would be passing themselves off as experts when they are not.

I believe everybody who does genealogy has learned a lot of things. There are website with family trees but you can't take it for granted what you see is always accurate, even if you see the same information over and over by many different people. There is a lot of copying going on. A lot of the information is not documented. They can be helfpul if used as clues.

You can hire a professional rather than do it yourself but it might be costly according to how long it takes them to get the information. I think a professional would know and most people who have done some searching know that it is good to have confirmation of a record by 3 sources. Remember what one person says and another person hears and records might not be the same thing. You will really see this is true if you get into census records.

Answer 6

I have done genealogy for over 25 years and have helped in the printing of two family genealogy books, but still don't consider myself a qualified genealogist.

These days when I need assistance I go to the ladies in the genealogy dept in our local library.

Answer 7

I guess it would depend on what they needed help with!!! I'm not a "qualified genealogist but there are plenty good resource books out there if you're thinking about it!

Answer 8

I'm not "qualified" so if I do have a question about something, I would probably post on a rootsweb.com message board.
But for the most part, I've had luck talking to family members about my genealogy.

Answer 9

We amateur Genealogists help when and where we can.
Also, if you ask a question in that tone, nobody should really be bothered replying.
So, work out your genealogy questions for yourself.