How to Find a Professional Genealogist: Part 3
In the previous two posts in this series, I talked about different types of genealogists and how to compare genealogists’ resumes. Hopefully after reading those, you have a pretty good picture of what sort of genealogist might be a good fit for you and your family history project. Today, I’m going to talk about where to find that person. Basically the whole point of this series.
Fair warning, some of the websites linked here aren’t very user-friendly. I’ve tried to offer some navigation tips, but truly all I can say is I am so, so sorry.
The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) Directory
If you’ve ever googled “professional genealogist,” one of the top results is always the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG). It’s a professional organization with an opt-in directory that lists the names and contact information for genealogists for hire.
As long as APG members pay their annual dues, they can be listed in the directory. Some genealogists are full-time, while others are part-time. Most are in the United States, but a growing number live abroad.
The APG directory has a ton of genealogists’ profiles, and it can be overwhelming to sort through them. This is where that rough sketch of what type of genealogist you need will come in handy. APG allows you to search by keyword, geographic specialty, research specialty like DNA, and even professional credentials. Just filter for those criteria on their search page.
Pro tips for searching the APG directory:
The keyword field is an exact search, so play around with your search terms. For example, if you’re looking for a genealogist in New Jersey, be sure to search both “New Jersey” and “NJ.”
Search on your computer, not your phone. The website hides the directory’s search fields on some mobile devices.
Once APG generates a list of genealogists that meet your criteria, use the tools from the second post in this series to compare and contrast: visit websites, compare hourly rates, and whittle down your list.
In pretty much all cases, it is best to hire an APG member if you’re hiring an independent genealogist. Even though anyone can be an APG member, there is a code of ethics that members must follow in order to maintain their membership. Consider APG to be a bit like your genealogical insurance policy: if something goes horribly wrong, you have recourse. (Sorry to get dark and scary for a moment there!)
Professional Credential Websites
If you know that you’re looking for a genealogist with a particular credential, you can head to that credential’s website:
For genealogists with the Certified Genealogist credential, you can head straight to the directory on the BCG website. I recommend using the “Advanced Search” option to filter by criteria like research specialty. Be sure to check off “accepts clients” because a lot of credentialed genealogists do not conduct paid research.
The ICAPGen directory lists genealogists with the Accredited Genealogist credential. Because ICAPGen is based in Salt Lake City, the majority of genealogists who hold this credential are located in that area.
If you’re looking for a forensic genealogist, definitely check out the Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy (CAFG) directory. They group associates by experience level. Note: There are qualified forensic genealogists who are not listed by CAFG, but it’s a good place to start.
Skip the Directories and Hire a Company
Big companies and a handful of genealogical societies offer research services. (Perhaps you’ve seen some of their commercials or Google ads.) This is a tough topic for me: I’m an independent professional genealogist, but I used to be an in-house genealogist at one of these organizations, so I’ve seen both sides of things.
Here is where I’ve landed:
The nice thing about hiring a company or society is that institutions provide a sense of security. I know plenty of folks who actually do the research at these places, I’ve seen their work, and you can get an excellent research product. If you have a particularly diverse project—say, one that spans three or more diverse geographic areas—a big company may be more likely to do your project justice because it’s rarer to find one person who can do a lot of diverse things. (Not impossible! Just rarer.)
On the other hand, one of the purposes of writing this blog series is to empower you, the consumer, to select the best genealogist for your family and project. Hiring a company or society means you don’t have to do any of that work. However, it also means that you don’t always know exactly who is working on your behalf. And just like people, companies and societies have some areas that they’re really good at, and others that they simply… aren’t. From the consumer side, it can be hard to tell which category your project falls into.
If you decide to go with a company or society, you can apply some of the same logic to choosing a company as you would to hiring an individual. For example, if your ancestors were Greek and the company you’re considering offers annual genealogy research trips to Greece, you can be assured that that company probably knows its way around Greek genealogy. That sort of thing.
Ask Around
Some libraries, societies, and repositories maintain lists of genealogists and professional researchers nearby. Here in New York City, however, some places have policies that preclude them from recommending specific individuals. If you ask your favorite librarian for a professional genealogist recommendation or list, just be sure to ask some follow-up questions, like:
“How did you choose the people on this list?”
“Have you vetted these researchers’ work, or do you know them personally?”
“Does your organization limit who can be on this list?” For example, some organizations require genealogists to pay a fee or purchase a membership in order to be listed.
And of course, if your project is related to one of my specialties, you can hire me for your family history project.
I hope this post has given you some good ideas about where to find the best professional genealogist for you. Due to the popularity of this post, I’m no longer able to respond to individual emails with follow-up questions.
If you’ve found this blog post helpful, please consider buying me a coffee to say thanks. Literally thousands of people just like you have gained assistance from this blog series, which is both free and ad-free, so I would be truly grateful if you could chip in a few bucks to keep it running and to support future posts. Many thanks!
This post was updated on 1 July 2021.
Full disclosure: I am a member of APG and hold the Certified Genealogist credential. I am listed in the directories for APG and BCG, their respective organizations. I occasionally do record retrievals as an independent contractor for a for-profit research company. Previously, I was the full-time genealogist for a genealogical society. Before that, I was a TV writer and a Pixar intern (not simultaneously), but that’s just trivia.