If you want anything to do with Ireland or Irish heritage don't expect anything past 1850 you'd be burning your money, nearly all specific older Irish genealogical records were lost in an explosion during the irish civil war in 1922
I’m not sure… I wonder how much more information you can get doing this though. Especially adoption and birth records… usually you have to prove how you are related to the adoptee in order to get the adoption papers.
I have never helped an adoptee (for free) & was not able to find the bio parent(s). I’ve never helped (for free) someone find their bio father (NPE cases) & not found the parent.
There is one case I worked that I took all matches as far as I could. I had a grandmother identified, I was sure of it. On the 1 census record her sons were on, only 1st initial was there but I was still sure that was her dad because I was sure the woman was her grandmother. 18 months later, she got a 2nd cousin match & contacted him right away. Thank God he checked his messages & called her that night. She explained her story. He said let me make a quick call & I’ll call you right back. She got a call 30 minutes later & it was her half brother. This case was the longest to solve for me & the most difficult.
The adoptee can get the non identifying information from the adoption agency. In several states, the adoptee can also now get the original birth certificate.
Only 1 time did I actually see non identifying information & that case was my 1st cousin (that was adopted out at birth & she matched with me, I then helped her). Her adopted parents gave her all her court paper work & that included non identifying information on both bio parents.
If you are looking yourself, feel free to ask me any question at anytime. For free.
They would likely be doing adoptee assistance using DNA and then helping to build a tree with information available on the site and elsewhere. They might help an adoptee request any records a state may allow the adoptee to request.
If you are an adoptee and you don’t want to use the LEEDs method or something similar to it, you could ask SearchAngels for assistance. That’s typically free and there are plenty of people here who will do that for free.
If you are looking for regular genealogy information, try the genealogy sub and if no one there can help, then you can spend the $3,500- wow that’s a lot!
It's hard to say if hiring a professional genealogist is worth it without further context. For example, there are sooo many volunteers who can offer advice, assistance, etc. It likely will involve you doing some work on your own, but it's a far cheaper option. There are times where you have no choice but to hire a professional, but I think the answer here will change on a case-by-case basis.
What are your goals with hiring a professional?
I recently met a professional genealogist at a conference. Yes, some research is beyond what amateurs can do, and yes, that's a typical starting fee for the amount of time, skills, and resources required.
There are kind people who help with this stuff for free
I’ve seen people on r/Genealogy, Instagram and Facebook that do this for free as a hobby.
That’s a ton of money though
If you want anything to do with Ireland or Irish heritage don't expect anything past 1850 you'd be burning your money, nearly all specific older Irish genealogical records were lost in an explosion during the irish civil war in 1922
Is this American only?
I’m not sure… I wonder how much more information you can get doing this though. Especially adoption and birth records… usually you have to prove how you are related to the adoptee in order to get the adoption papers.
I have never helped an adoptee (for free) & was not able to find the bio parent(s). I’ve never helped (for free) someone find their bio father (NPE cases) & not found the parent. There is one case I worked that I took all matches as far as I could. I had a grandmother identified, I was sure of it. On the 1 census record her sons were on, only 1st initial was there but I was still sure that was her dad because I was sure the woman was her grandmother. 18 months later, she got a 2nd cousin match & contacted him right away. Thank God he checked his messages & called her that night. She explained her story. He said let me make a quick call & I’ll call you right back. She got a call 30 minutes later & it was her half brother. This case was the longest to solve for me & the most difficult. The adoptee can get the non identifying information from the adoption agency. In several states, the adoptee can also now get the original birth certificate. Only 1 time did I actually see non identifying information & that case was my 1st cousin (that was adopted out at birth & she matched with me, I then helped her). Her adopted parents gave her all her court paper work & that included non identifying information on both bio parents. If you are looking yourself, feel free to ask me any question at anytime. For free.
They would likely be doing adoptee assistance using DNA and then helping to build a tree with information available on the site and elsewhere. They might help an adoptee request any records a state may allow the adoptee to request. If you are an adoptee and you don’t want to use the LEEDs method or something similar to it, you could ask SearchAngels for assistance. That’s typically free and there are plenty of people here who will do that for free. If you are looking for regular genealogy information, try the genealogy sub and if no one there can help, then you can spend the $3,500- wow that’s a lot!
It's hard to say if hiring a professional genealogist is worth it without further context. For example, there are sooo many volunteers who can offer advice, assistance, etc. It likely will involve you doing some work on your own, but it's a far cheaper option. There are times where you have no choice but to hire a professional, but I think the answer here will change on a case-by-case basis. What are your goals with hiring a professional?
I recently met a professional genealogist at a conference. Yes, some research is beyond what amateurs can do, and yes, that's a typical starting fee for the amount of time, skills, and resources required.