Accredited Genealogist

Everyone wants to do genealogy work. However, few people enjoy the luxury of having sufficient time and resources at their disposal for skilled genealogy history work. Even those who do have the time and resources often lack the competent knowledge and qualified experience that make doing family history work efficient rather than overly taxing in time and money.

If you are one of the many who aren't able to expend the time or resources on doing family history work, your genealogy need not remain undone. There are many professional genealogists and professional genealogy research companies  such as Heirlines Family History and Genealogy that are willing to trace your ancestors. If you do decide to hire a professional, you want to be sure that he or she is an accredited genealogist.

What is an Accredited Genealogist?
In 1964, the Genealogical Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints established the Accreditation Program for genealogists, to credential genealogy researchers through comprehensive written and oral examinations that require the use of the highest professional genealogy standards and ethics. Administration of the program was transferred to an independent testing organization, the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen™), in 2000.

In order to become an accredited genealogist, a person must

• have at least 1000 hours of research experience in the specific geographical or subject area they wish to become accredited in,
• submit an extensive application which includes a complete research project detailing their findings covering the immediate families of four generations of a family lineage within the specific geographic region or ethnic group,
• agree to hold to high ethical and research standards and abide by a "code of ethics," and
• pass a rigorous exam.

Benefits of an Accredited Genealogist
As you can tell by the process a genealogist must go through to become accredited, it's not easy and only truly determined, passionate genealogists obtain accreditation. One of the most obvious benefits of employing an accredited genealogist is that you can know that he or she has real experience. You can also be confident that he or she is an adept researcher who can use a variety of records, and can properly identify and link persons into your genealogical tree.

Heirlines Family History and Genealogy
Heirlines is a professional genealogy research company that was founded by James Petty, AG, CGRS, BA (History), BS (Genealogy), an accredited genealogist who has more than 35 years of professional genealogy experience. In addition to founding and heading Heirlines, Petty is also the co-founder of Heritage Genealogy College where he mentors professional genealogy college degree-seeking students. As a Senior US Reference Librarian for the Genealogical Society of Utah/Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1970s, Petty assisted in preparing and administering the accredited genealogist exams for all parts of the United States.

Call Heirlines toll-free at 1-800-570-4049 for a free consultation and to get an accredited recommendation for tracing your family tree.