Eric Bourgoin, Généalogiste

There are thousands of Americans of French descent, especially in Louisiana, whose ancestral stories are waiting to be discovered in the various archives of France. Birth and death records, marriage contracts -- perhaps someday these may be available on the internet. But the most revealing records will never be found on the internet: a simple inventory of an estate can reveal volumes about an ancestor's day-to-day life: what books he read, what paintings hung on his walls, what furniture he owned, what socio-economic class he belonged to. These documents can only be found by an experienced researcher who knows where to go, and how to efficiently find such documents. This is my area of expertise, and I would be pleased to help you unlock some of your family stories.

Qualifications

Full-time professional genealogist and family historian since 1996. Former vice president (2000-2001) of the Chambre des Généalogistes Professionnels in France.

Services

Research performed in archives throughout France, especially in Burgundy, Champagne and Lorraine. Location of difficult-to-find documents; interpretation of old French documents (back to the 16th century); transcription and translation services; preparation of reports discussing the social, economic, and historical clues contained in documents, rendering a more complete picture of the ancestor or family under investigation.

Research Specialty: 17th Century; 18th Century; Paleography.

Related Services: Historian; Translator.

Fees

• One hour of research: 32,00 euros
• Half-day of research: 119,00 euros
• Full-day of research: 229,00 euros
• Travel expenses: 0,30 euros per kilometer
• Subsistence expenses for overnight travel: 70,00 euros
• Photocopies: 0,40 per page
• Digital photography: 5,00 euros per CD
• Preparation of historical research report: available upon request for an additional fee (free estimate afforded upon completion of the research)
• Transcription of handwritten documents: available upon request for an additional fee.
• Translation from French to English: available upon request for an additional fee.

For research

A free written proposal of research and an estimate is provided to the client after full discussion of the nature and goal of the desired research. Upon agreement, a 50% down payment is required to commence the research. The remainder of the fees and expenses is payable upon receipt of the research results.

After the research is concluded:

The client will receive a summary of the research results, and if requested, photocopies and/or a CD containing photographs of relevant documents. If the client is interested in additional services, such as transcription, translation, or an historical/explanatory report regarding the documents, a free estimate of such services will be provided.