Not all genealogy experts are created equally and sometimes giving genealogical advice is more of a guess as not all families are the same, some people lived outside the lines, some of what you think you know may be incorrect, your explanation may not be as clear as you think it is, the expert might not really be listening to what you are saying, etc.
Sometimes the expert will accurately tell you something that you do not want to hear or will suggest a valid approach that seems initially to be “too much work.” There may be something about your ancestor that you really don’t want to know or don’t want to admit and it may be that the time period and location in which your ancestor lived requires a significant amount of work in order to be genealogically successful.
Sometimes it is worth getting a second genealogical opinion. They may tell you something different. They may also tell you pretty much what the first expert did. In that case, it’s probably time to listen.
The option is to brush up on your research skills, available records, etc. That will help you be a better researcher and need advice less often–and when you do need advice you’ll be better able to evaluate it.
One response
A few years ago I hired a researcher in Canada because that’s where my brick wall ends. She ran a report off of MY ancestry.com tree and gave that to me. $70 American. I won’t try that experiment again!