Using professional researchers

Has anyone ever utilised the help of a professional?

I am stuck stuck stuck on a few things and have put the feelers out to one person but am not willing to pay toooooo much money for it.

I gave him the queries and said please don't start anything till you tell me what you charge but he just said leave it with him so I guess he is having an initial nose for nothing.

What do they have access to that we can't do you suppose or is it just leg work?

I've not used a professional - not even considered it - but have been thinking about your questions.

I don't know that they do have access to any different information than us amateurs, although they may have a network of contacts who do look-ups for each other. But then so do we in our own fashion via look-up requests on FTF or RC. From what I've read there, there are even some peeps who seem to go to their County Records Office most days and just love a request for a look-up; or peeps who've bought CDs of the relevant PRs and who are more than willing to help.

Is your main problem, say, that the records you need are in Yorkshire, but you're not geographically close? And maybe you needs quite a few look-ups, but don't like to ask? Seems to me quite likely that someone who is close to the Yorkshire CRO, would love to get their teeth into it and help, if only you/one could find the right way of detailing what you want.

Have you tried us few (we merry few) here with the brick walls?

cheers

STG

You guys are my first port of call and RC (what's FTF?) but I don't like to keep putting the same queries on lest I get told off and loftily referred to previous answers (not talking about on here!)

I have no real clue what a records office contains, never visited one or know what to ask to be looked up to be honest. So yes you're right I am not geographically close to Yorkshire but even if I was I wouldn't know what I was doing

I want to know how people get so far back with any certainty as I am stuck with James & Sarah Hinchliffe 1790's.
I can find possible parents for them but how do I know which is correct with no BMD records?

My stuck one apart from that is George Hinchliffe who I have posted about before.
He might be the mad hatter who went to America with another mad hatter but how do I know he is my George?

I love doing this but sometimes it all gets a bit too difficult

> FTF

Family Tree Forum

> loftily referred to previous answers

Know what you mean. I posted a look-up request on the Worcs board at RC and some "helpful" person replied that the information would be available in the PRs at the Worcs CRO. Doh!

> I have no real clue what a records office contains ...

Well, amongst heaps of other stuff, they've got the PRs on microfiche which is brill if you know the exact parish, but not quite so brill if you only know that it was, e.g. Barnsley, because Barnsley could be made up of a dozen or more parishes. If it's a date post-census (i.e. after 1841), then the census can help with the parish, so if they were living in, say, St Luke's parish, Barnsley in 1851, 1861 and 1871, then if I was looking for them pre-1841 I'd start with St Luke's PRs, and if they weren't there, I'd work out from St Luke's to adjoining parishes. Pity your folk weren't village people (like mine). Only one parish church per village = only one place to look. If not there, try next village etc.

The earlier the records get, the less regular they are, so you're more dependent on the rector/vicar/curate as to how much information they give. If you're not that familiar with what earlier PRs look like, if you PM me your email address, I'll send you some examples. [Edited to say: If that last bit sounds patronising, it's not meant to.]

> I want to know how people get so far back with any certainty .... 1790s.

Well, it's a mute point about how certain they can be, without seeing their "evidence". They could have assumed that the John Smith who married Mary Jones were their John and Mary, or there might have been something in the PRs that leads naturally to that conclusion. The "problem" with your Hinchliffes, as I see it is that there are (a) a lot of them, so you'd need to track all of them to see if you could work out who's who/who's married to who etc and (b) they could well be recorded as Hinchcliffe or other variations.

> My one stuck ... George

Personally, if he wasn't in my direct line, but "merely" someone's brother, I'd settle for not knowing, but appreciate that not everyone take the same stance.



Not at all sure that my ramblings are helping.

STG

Thanks for that it all helps. I am the queen of rambling so never worry how much you write

I am far too inquisitive (nosey ) to settle for not knowing about brothers/sisters/the fate of the family pet etc.
Something happened to George and darn it I want to know what it was!

I think they may have started off more rural as Huddersfield itself only comes into it from c1830 onwards. The early baptisms I have were at Cumberworth where Sarah ends up with her second beau. So maybe that helps.

Pity James was only on the 1841 so no exact birthplace for him is known. There is mention of burk house Shepley as place of residence (on a baptism for one of the children) which is near said Cumberworth.

Also a pity I am so hooked on the Yorkshire stuff as the rest of my history is local to Wilts/Glos and probably easier but Thomas leaving Yorks and moving 200 miles away captured my interest and I have concentrated most on his family.

Thanks for the offer I would love to see some examples. Will send message then get to bed as am

If you wish to use a professional researcher I have used this firm.
London Research Service (established 1984)

e-mail: stephenwright@londonresearchservice.com
Website
www.LondonResearch.Service.com

siamese

Thanks for that siamese. The website link doesn't seem to go to a proper website

What kind of things did they find for you if you don't mind me asking?

I used him quite awhile ago. Ordering certificates before I had a computer.

siamese

Tourmie

When I look for your peeps I've tried Hinchliffe and Hinchcliffe, but today I've happened upon a Henchliffe and wonder if you've ever thrown that into the melting pot to see if that helps with George et al ?

Just a thort. Feel free to ignore me.

STG

To be honest I can't say I have specifically tried that spelling but hey I'll try anything to fill in the blanks

The researcher hasn't got back to me yet so perhaps he is struggling too. Will let you know if he finds anything.

Update - he hadn't even started looking yet

I chased him up as on 10 October he said would get back to me in 2 or 3 days.

Cut a long story short his charges are £25 per hour with a minimum of 4 hours to start with so £100.00

I think no thanks will be my answer to that. Not just for the cost but he said unlikely we will find any record of George (if he went abroad) as passenger lists this end were never kept until 1890 which I don't think is true.

George will pop up sooner or later if he wants to be found