For some people, hiring a professional researcher to help with their research is a decision laced with questions and uncertainty. One of the first things people ask themselves is, "How can I be assured that the researcher will uncover the information I am looking for?" The fact is, you can't. There is never 100% certainty that the information you seek is available. Records are fraught with inaccuracies, occasionally events are not recorded; and many records are destroyed over time. However, if the information does exist, there are some things you can (and should) do to help ensure it gets uncovered in the quickest and most economical way.

Before you approach any professional, you need to do some homework yourself. Everyone's needs are different, but one of the most important things to be done is to identify 'exactly' what information you are trying to find. It can be as simple as finding your grandfather's birthplace, or as complex as compiling a full four-generation family tree complete with pictures, stories and multimedia content. The decision as to what the professional does is yours, and to ensure they do exactly what you're asking you have to be specific.

The second thing to do is compile all the information you have that may help in finding that vital piece of information you are seeking. In the case of your grandfather's birthplace, you should note details such as:

• his name was John Franklin Jones;
• he died in Portland, Maine on 26 Feb 1965 at age 79;
• he was buried at St. James Cemetery in Portland;
• he was of the Roman Catholic faith;
• he married Mary Jane Adams at Bangor, Maine on 17 Apr 1909; and
• they had one son, Frederick John Jones, born at Bangor on 21 Sep 1913.

Any of these records may lead to clues about your grandfather's birthplace. If you know the type of work he did for a living, or if he was a member of a social order such as the Knight's of Columbus, record it. All of these details are leads.

As important as recording each specific detail is the source, or sources, of each. For example, you could further state that the information on your grandfather's death is from his headstone inscription; and that the marriage details were extracted from a family bible. This additional depth of detail helps the professional researcher determine whether or not the information you have supplied is from a 'primary' or 'secondary' source.

A primary source (or record) is one that was created at the time a particular event occurred. A secondary source is one created 'after the fact' and is generally considered more prone to inaccuracies. A baptism or marriage record from a church is an example of a primary record. Compiled genealogies or online databases, as well as oral history are secondary records. Making the distinction between the two helps determine the probability of accuracy of a particular piece of information. In as much as possible, primary records are the ones that should be sought.

Other details that you should be telling a professional are the places or repositories where you didn't find anything. If, for example, you already checked the burial records at St. James Church but the years in question were missing from the books, this is important information to pass to the professional. Another example might be that you did not check to see if your grandfather had a will or not. Key information such as this will save the professional the time, and you the money, of doing work that was already completed. In the event that you did search a particular repository but are uncertain whether you did so accurately, you should mention this as well.

The key is to provide as much information as possible. You may feel as though you are doing all the work, but any related information that you provide the professional will help improve the odds of finding the information you are seeking at the most economical price.

John Holwell is the proprietor of genealogyPro.

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