- Call, e-mail or write to me. Tell me your genealogy problem and your research goals. We will discuss your time constraints and my hourly rates and reimbursement of expenses schedule. If we are both interested in proceeding, you should:
- Tell me what research has been completed on your ancestor. (so that I do not redo work that has already been done)
- In a paragraph or two, summarize what you would like me to find and how many hours of research you authorize. I usually require a five hour minimum and work in ten to fifteen hour increments.
- Mail me copies (no originals) of any information that will be helpful with your research.
- Send a deposit in the form of a check for 50% of the authorized hours.
- After analyzing your information and concluding the research, I will prepare a comprehensive report with all the documents that were obtained, a summary of the information researched, and an analysis of the data with suggestions for further research.
- The amount of time spent on research vs. analysis varies according to the complexity of your research problems. In an uncomplicated research report about 75-80% of my time would go to gathering the data. The other 20-25% of my time would be spent in preparing your report, analyzing the compiled data and ideas for further research.
- More complex reports would require more analysis.
- A list of all resources that have been reviewed is given in the report, even if the research turns up no information on your ancestor. Anyone who reads the report would know what records had been reviewed so those records would not need to be reviewed again.
- An analysis of the data clarifies what the documents mean to your family history.
- My suggestions for further research give you some ideas on the next steps to take in your research. There are usually many more resources that can be reviewed for further information.
Patricia "Trish" Hackett Nicola, CGSM
2908 - 27th Avenue West
Seattle, WA 98199-2853
(206) 284-5232
phn@familytraces.com or btnicola@earthlink.net
