Genealogy in Essex: what are the benefits involved with hiring a professional? Laura Richardson’s latest article explains how hiring a professional genealogist can help you to find out more about your family history . . .

Genealogy in Essex can seem an overwhelming task with no clear starting point, but there is a broad deluge of information, websites, and online records available! Thankfully a professional genealogist can take the hassle out of tracing your ancestors, here’s how:

Experience

A professional genealogist will be able to use their experience from working on many different ancestral lines to know their way beyond many “brick walls” and lead you to the next step of your ancestral journey, saving you both time and effort. A professional genealogist will also be emotionally detached enough to be able to advise you when a dead end is probably not worth pursuing.

Knowledge

Many amateur genealogists will uncover historical records that they cannot work with. For example, sources recorded in Latin, or old English, which is almost incomprehensible compared to today’s language! A professional genealogist will be able to translate these sources, enabling you to continue your journey.

Resources

Subscribing to online records costs money and not every record can be obtained from every online database, meaning that you usually need to subscribe to more than one database to be able to complete each step of your research. A professional genealogist will usually already have access to the broadest range of sources possible, and furthermore they know exactly where to look for information to complete the next piece of your ancestral puzzle, saving you a great deal of time and effort!

Validation

Even if you have already begun work on your own family tree, it can be very helpful to have a professional eye cast over your findings, especially if you have unanswered questions or are uncertain about some of your sources. A professional will be able to validate your efforts, or point out areas where you may need further research. You can then continue to research safe in the knowledge that you aren’t tracing a completely unrelated bloodline!

Whether you are just setting out on your ancestral journey of discovery, or whether you have been compiling your family tree for some time, Andrew Douglas Wills & Legal Services would be happy to discuss professionally assisting you with genealogy in Essex! We offer a variety of payment options to suit your individual requirements, so why not call today to see what we can reveal about your ancestors, whether in Essex or across the UK!

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