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What's inside
- Six reader situations, from an Italian ancestor's hometown for citizenship to a brick wall built on family stories: what a genealogist does, what to look for, what to ask and what you get.
- The six steps: write the goal, find candidates you can check, judge the work, ask the questions, compare how the money works, get it in writing.
- Nine red flags to walk away from, and the questions people ask most.
- Two sheets to print: a one-page hiring checklist, and a “questions to ask before you pay” sheet with room for the answers.
- My own quote, run through the same checklist, with my real packages and prices at the back.
Written by someone you might be vetting
It's a guide to hiring anyone, not a brochure. I'm James Duncan, and I run Skeleton Files from Spring, Texas: family history worked from original records, with every person tied to the document that proves them. I am a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (membership, not a certification), and I am not certified by the Board for Certification of Genealogists. I hold myself to both groups' published codes, as my ethics page sets out, and the guide says where I stand before it asks you to check anyone else.
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It's used to email you the link to the guide, sent through Resend, an email service in the United States. It's never sold or shared for advertising, and I delete the request automatically 90 days after the guide goes out (sooner if you ask). You get the newsletter only if you tick the box; otherwise you get the guide and nothing else. The details are in the privacy policy, and you can write to hello@skeletonfiles.com to have your address deleted.
A PDF of about 20 pages, US Letter, in English. Version 1.0, October 2026.