The potential client needs to be advised and educated. As professional genealogists we have an obligation to educate our clients, or our own reputations can be damaged. There need be no fear of hurting anyone’s feelings by questioning their genealogy; that’s why they come to us.

Permit me to share a case involving a purported "accurate" Royal lineage found the Internet.

A client wanted to verify a lineage tracing his family line back to Edward IV, King of England, and the possibility of joining a lineage society. His information came from a questionable on-line database. I talked with him about his goals, and the reality of genealogy research, noting that membership in any society requires detailed documentation of every generation on a line, and the events of each generation. Even accurate genealogy is often impossible to fully document for such organizations. But more importantly, I told him that if he used, shared, published, or passed on a weak, incorrect, or possibly false genealogy lineage, it could damage his reputation, and perhaps eventually the family memory of him because that false pedigree might go out under his name.

He was still anxious to learn the truth about his lineage, and we agreed to evaluate the nineteen generations back to Edward IV, with the stipulation that we would work from both ends of the pedigree, because the likelihood of false information is most likely in the early generations, and the probability of undocumented ancestors is common in recent generations. We agreed, and all of our agreements were put in writing and signed, that if any aspects of the lineage were discredited, we would stop that search and explain why. Alternative goals were established regarding ancestors of interest in modern times, and research was to turn to those goals if the lineage goal failed. He gave us ten hours to find whatever we could.

In the first five hours we determined that generations 5-10 back from the client had been put together based on supposition and theory, but without any proper documentation. We also found that grandchildren had been credited to Edward IV’s lineage that were not historically accurate, and the lineage fell apart from there. We dropped the lineage evaluation after five hours, and devoted the remaining time to discovering details and family history about known recent ancestors. The client was thrilled with what was found, and understanding about learning the truth of his historical past. We made this into a win-win for both of us. We have a client who isn’t chasing dream clouds, and who has confidence in us as professionals in our field to come back for further assistance.

James W. Petty, AG®, CG (SM), B.A. (History), B.S. (Genealogy)
Ancestors are the People of History. Do you know who yours are?
Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES Family History & Genealogy find your Ancestry!
1-800-570-4049 ▪ www.heirlines.com ▪ PO Box 893 ▪ Salt Lake City, UT 84110
© 2009, Heirlines Family History & Genealogy, Inc. All rights reserved.

My Fellow Professional Genealogists,

I have a dream for 2020. I see a fully organized profession, Professional Genealogy, for career professional genealogy researchers complete with formal education, training, experience, qualified membership requirements, credentialing, competency, re-certification/re-accreditation, continuing education, compliance, and standardized ethics, methodology, and best practices. These are the hallmarks of a true profession. Here quality and accountability matter for the benefit of the profession, the practitioner and the consumer because competency is certified for trusted results by qualified professionals. Consumers need it. Professional Genealogists need it. The career occupation of professional genealogy research services needs it.

Forces in the marketplace are now aligning that are not all in the best interests of the profession, the practitioner, and the consumer. Are we as practitioners going to just let the tidal wave come or are we going to lead out and shape our own destiny? Most assuredly, today’s actions or inactivity, will affect the future growth and development of professional genealogy research services as a viable career and commercial enterprise, and have direct impact on the quality and accuracy of private and public domain family trees and family history. Clearly, there is a great need to professionalize the career of professional genealogy research services.

Where will Professional Genealogy be in 2020? Will professional genealogy research services be a career profession composed of qualified practitioners? Or will the term professional continue merely an adjective, with no basis in a profession? Is a profession possible?

To answer these questions, I am seeking fellow practitioners: #1 who want a profession organized for Professional Genealogy; and #2 are willing to commit time and effort to its institution on a formal basis. If you are interested in this future for the full-time career of professional genealogy researcher, please contact me, Mary E. Petty. Lets start building today for 2020.

Mary E. Petty
mary@heirlines.com
801.572.4049

Sincerely yours,

Mary E. Petty, B.A. (History), B.A. (Genealogy)
==============================================================
Ancestors are the People of History. Do you know who yours are?
Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry!
1-800-570-4049 ▪ www.heirlines.com ▪ PO Box 893 ▪ Salt Lake City, UT 84110

© 2009, Heirlines Family History & Genealogy, Inc. All rights reserved.

The way things are today in professional genealogy research services is that professional genealogists get to define themselves and what they do. It truly is a buyer's beware marketplace, whether the so-called professional is doing genealogy personally, volunteering, pro bono publico, or commercially. Without the constraints of a profession, it is anything that is wanted and can be sold to the consumer.

As a practitioner in professional genealogy research services at Heirlines (www.heirlines.com), I have a commitment to formal professionalism and to the profession, to my fellow practitioners, to future practitioners, to the consumer, and to the public domain family tree. This is my standard. It is the philosophical motivation of my practice. I share my views on this list in anticipation of that future day when others will likewise desire a real formalized profession in genealogy research services. This is in the best interests of all stakeholders.

As a side note, in reviewing the website for the qualified members-only career organization for 150,000 psychologists, American Psychological Association www.apa.org , I found some very useful information in my study of professionalism. I learned about their eligibility requirements and the career focus of this professional organization. I look forward to the day when Professional Genealogy Research Services has a similar membership of 150,000 professional genealogists who are qualified to practice genealogy and thereby raise the quality of results on the private and public domain family tree. And as such, are authorized experts to educate, teach, write, speak, lecture, and talk to the public, the consumer, future practitioners, and their fellow practitioners about their career work in family history and genealogy: pro bono publico and commercially for a fee.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)

Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110

© 2009, Heirlines Family History & Genealogy, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ah - to have an answer to that question.

One must first understand the cheese associated with this term.

Traditionally, cheese refers to the commercial activities and in genealogy this would be work done by practitioners in Professional Genealogy Research Services. But in genealogy because it is so rooted in our very sense of self, this cheese has taken on personal, volunteer, pro bono publico definitions and uses in addition to the commercial applications. Hence, the wide scale nomenclature of the term genealogist. Currently, anyone can self designate as a genealogist and self define its meaning. Everybody seems to be climbing the family tree, talking about it, teaching it, writing about it, doing it. They are all genealogists or professional genealogists. The umbrella is very large because there is no profession of genealogy research services to set the needed definitions, standards, and ethics for the professional designation as genealogist or professional genealogist by education, methodologies, skills, training, continuing education, best practices, credentials, and competency in practice and commercial activities.

While Commercial Genealogy Research Services has not professionalized, attempts to use the adjective "professional" as a "noun" or "state of being" for the personal, volunteer, or pro bono publico aspects are taking place. These are and will shape the commercial enterprise and activities, and the growth and development of a formal profession in professional genealogy research services. I foresee the day when "genealogist" will have meaning as the profession of professional genealogy research services is formally organized and supports the "professional genealogist". And properly so, the personal, volunteer, pro bono publico and commercial cheese in genealogy will know what constitutes a genealogist and a professional genealogist.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)

Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110
© 2009, Heirlines Family History & Genealogy, Inc. All rights reserved.

Every profession has their own standards and adheres to their own version of the professional career path to qualify and establish the authorized practitioner in the industry of the profession. Journalism is currently being taken over by the citizen blogger and is not the professional model I would hope Professional Genealogy Research Services will follow. I encourage a higher degree of professionalization in professional genealogy research services along the lines of Cosmetology, Medicine, and Education - but without governmental regulation, if the profession can self-regulate as is done in pro golf.

Frankly, because of the sensitive nature and the legal, financial, scientific, and health consequences and repercussions of professional genealogy research services, I do not foresee a future in the profession without some regulation. It is my hope that the practitioners will take an active role and have a say in how that regulation is developed and applied. This will require the standardization of the formal educational template in genealogy research services used to school and train the practitioner who desires to qualify and be authorized to be a professional genealogist and take clients whether for a fee or pro bono and research, teach, speak, and write as experts in professional genealogy research services. The professional career model followed in cosmetology, medicine, and education includes such formal education as well as training, experience, ethics, standards, best business practices, and continuing education along with the attendant professionals-only credentialing of the practitioners. Use of this level of professionalism in professional genealogy research services is in the best interests of the profession, the practitioner, future professional genealogists, the consumer, and the public domain family tree.

Submitted by Mary E. Petty, BA (History), BA (Genealogy)

Ancestors are the People of History.● Do you know who yours are? ● Let the Professionals at HEIRLINES FAMILY HISTORY & GENEALOGY find your ancestry! ●1-800-570-4049 ● www.heirlines.com ● PO Box 893 ● Salt Lake City, UT 84110

© 2009, Heirlines Family History & Genealogy, Inc. All rights reserved.