Is this normal for a Professional......

[Dorset Girl]

Genealogist?? - We've had a bit of an upset in OH's tree with a "new" ancestor addition that has popped up and caused almighty chaos!! In the hunt for him I found a private tree on A******* with the right name, birth year and area. Contacted the owner with some details and a reply came back saying " "Our" tree has xx as father and xx as mother - does this tie up with "your" tree? ".
Thinking I had found the Holy Grail I shot an answer back - only to find out this person had been doing paid research for our cousin in the UK and has no relationship to the tree themselves.
I just wondered if anyone knew if this was usual practice with professional genealogists and if it was just one way of either gleaning information or hoping to find new clients?
Marion

[Peter Goodey]

If he constructed the tree he can do what he likes with it, I would have thought.

[raineshoe]

On the one hand I agree with Peter that yes he/she can do what they like with the information they've researched.

However, on the other side of the coin it may appear a little unprofessional to then plaster a tree that someone has paid for to be researched all over the web.

There may be something in the contract/agreement that your relative had with this researcher which does cover this and is something probably to consider these days with the advent of the WWW when employing a researcher ie if you don't want your info to go any further it should be put in writing in an agreement if that is at all possible.

[Kerrywood]

If he constructed the tree he can do what he likes with it, I would have thought.

Call me old-fashioned if you like, but I believe a degree of confidentiality should be observed in professional family history research. Best practice dictates that a researcher should only make public the results of his/her research with the client's knowledge and permission.

In this case the researcher may have had permission to upload the tree, but in any event I would expect him/her initially to refer enquiries directly to the client, rather than respond on their behalf. Just my view

Kerrywood

[Astoria]

Isn't there something in the A*** rules about sharing information for profit, I don't think they would be very pleased at all.

[Dorset Girl]

I think I was just a little surprised as the responded intimated that this was "their" tree and I had found a relation. I hadn't come across anyone doing that before - every other person I have contacted in the past has been "related" to the tree involved. Just curious. Thanks,
Marion

[Lizzy9]

Anyone can offer a genealogical research service for a fee, no qualifications are necessary - I don't think there is a 'professional' qualification for genealogy. I suspect most people who employ a genealogist do so because either they don't have time to do their own legwork, are housebound or don't want to invest the time necessary. My opinion is: qualified Librarians or Historical Researchers would be more thorough than someone who has adopted genealogy as a hobby and then thinks of themselves as a genealogy expert. I have met people who've employed so called professional genealogists, and frankly I could have provided the information paid for. That said, I'm sure some who offer a genealogical research service do as thorough a job as possible for the amount a customer wants to outlay, but folks can probably get the information they require from forums such as B-G who have many members with years of research experience. Infact, I imagine some of the 'professional' genealogists use the forums here to glean info.

[Colin Rowledge]

In fact, I imagine some of the 'professional' genealogists use the forums here to glean info.

Very true when I view Who's On-Line and the guests outnumber the members

[Procat]

In fact, I imagine some of the 'professional' genealogists use the forums here to glean info.

And conversely I know of several who freely provide assistance on the forum without advertising the fact that they are professional researchers.

[Mary Anne]

Anyone can offer a genealogical research service for a fee, no qualifications are necessary - I don't think there is a 'professional' qualification for genealogy.

The International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists sets standards for the genealogical community through comprehensive written and oral examinations. There are a number of associations worldwide that have Codes of Ethics, and require certain standards of their members: the Association of Professional Genealogists, the Australasian Association of Genealogists and Record Agents (AAGRA); AGRA as Bo Peep has mentioned, etc... There is a Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) and the US National Genealogical Society has described a set of Genealogical Standards that people offering genealogical research services can be measured against. There are also educational organizations like the National Institute for Genealogical Studies, that offer courses toward certification.

While I haven't read all of the standards, I would suggest that misleading a person into believing the researched tree "belongs" to the genealogist, possibly in order to get more information, would likely qualify as being beyond the pale.

And for those of us hiring researchers, it is a question of "buyer beware" as in any other marketplace...


Mary Anne