Research Your Roots
Experience the joy of discovering your ancestors!
Let me help you research your roots
and unearth your family history
through genelogy seminars, research, and writing.
Why hire a professional genealogist?
Yes, most people who study their family history (genealogy research) do it as a hobby, for a wide range of personal reasons, whether to honor one’s ancestors or for the joy of solving historical puzzles. That’s how I started; I learned to love family history through watching my mother’s lifelong quest for her ancestors. But there comes a time in every hobby or personal journey where you need advice, a how-to tutorial, or expert guidance to get through a tricky section.
That’s where hiring a professional genealogist comes in. We learn best practices, codified in the Genealogical Proof Standard. We subscribe to a code of ethics to promise, among other things, to clearly document what we find (or don’t find). We continually seek new genealogical education and skills to provide the best advice and results for clients.
My name is Sarah Busse Spencer. I have been around genealogy all my life. I even wrote an essay for a high school history class summarizing what my mother knew about her ancestors. After graduating from Harvard College, I chose an academic profession and got a PhD in Sociology and Russian History from the University of Chicago. Along the way I learned German and Russian and lived for a while in both those countries. Having taught in higher education, I then decided it was time to get serious about my hobby.
I received two certificates in Family History Research from Brigham Young University-Idaho, one of the few colleges in the U.S. which teach genealogy as an academic subject. I specialize in
–>helping clients find the European hometown of their immigrant ancestors
–>finding records from the former Russian Empire (that’s most of Eastern Europe today) and the former German and Austrian-Hungarian Empires
–>deciphering old vital records in English, Latin, German, Russian and Polish
So, whether you are just beginning digging in search of your roots, or have researched for years and come across a “brick wall,” let me help you on this journey. Let me use my expertise to:
–>teach you how to research your roots
–>coach you along the way as you research your roots
–>conduct research on tough questions that come up as you research your roots
–>write an article, blog, or book documenting the research of your roots
Research Your Roots Services:
Workshops and seminars
–> when you want to learn to find your ancestors on your own
Full service professional genealogical research
–> when you get stuck, run out of time, or want the joy of discovery without hassle
Writing family history essays and books
–>when you have information you want to share with friends and family
Reading, deciphering and transcribing vital records
–> in English, German, Russian, Polish, Latin, and Hungarian
Sarah Busse Spencer, PhD
Workshops and Seminars
Public lectures to get you started for free
Small group seminars at reasonable cost
Individual coaching sessions for the most personalized help
Lectures on demand for your workplace or other group
Full Service Professional Genealogical Research
Includes:
custom tailored research question
professional research (US and Europe)
written report with citations and documents where available
Genealogical Writing Services
Tailored to your needs, for example:
family tree and narrative to share at a family reunion
family history book either up (ancestors of) or down (descendants of)
blogs, articles, slides, or reports, for birthday, anniversary, retirement, or other occassions
Full service
genealogical research
First, I consult with you to discover your priorities and what you most want to learn and about which ancestor.
Next, I design a customized research plan to focus on seeking answers to these questions.
We are always at the mercy of what records have been preserved, and we cannot know until we look whether that marriage record, birth certificate or land deed has survived (or was destroyed in a fire or a war). Therefore, I cannot promise results in advance. Never pay someone who promises specific documents before starting research.
What I do guarantee is to be thorough and efficient, using the latest digital finding aids, and to provide a full list of searches conducted to locate those records. Fees for full service research are determined by the number of hours spent on the project.
Full service research also includes a final written report including a pedigree chart of information found and images of the documents that were located. The report can be customized to meet your needs, such as an anniversary, birthday, retirement, family reunion or other special occassion.
Helping you learn how to do family history
Each of these workshops will be given in public settings in person or online on a rotating basis. Click on the Events tab at the top for upcoming dates. These can also be delivered on request in person or online to your group, large or small, such as genealogy society, library, workplace or church group. Fill out the form on the Contact page to get pricing and details. Other related topics available upon request.
Getting Started and Getting Organized
When:
Where:
Introducing the key principles of conducting family history research and the best websites to get you started.
The Immigrant Story
When:
Where:
Most people in the U.S. came from somewhere else. Learn best practices for finding your ancestors’ hometown and where records would be kept.
Getting the Most out of FamilySearch
When:
Where:
Beginning through advanced topics of how to use the world’s largest, free database and shared family tree for starting, continuing or advancing research on your ancestors.
Digging Up German Roots
When:
Where:
From US records to the best German archives, this workshop outlines best practices for locating and tracing German immigrants. This lecture can be customized upon request to focus on Germans from Russia.
Coming Soon
Contact me
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