APG-L Archives

From: "Alvie L. Davidson CG" <>
Subject: [APG] Doing genealogy for a living . . .
Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2007 06:27:45 -0400
References: <BAY120-W13C6E0475F26A173AB994BDAC60@phx.gbl><!&!AAAAAAAAAAAYAAAAAAAAAH1kTH4/9P1LkQhS/jaNr0LCgAAAEAAAAJIwSgK7PL9OrVdcIG2QnT4BAAAAAA==@tampabay.rr.com><003801c7f27b$c3faef10$67ea9744@your4dacd0ea75>
In-Reply-To: <003801c7f27b$c3faef10$67ea9744@your4dacd0ea75>

Good morning to all,
I will try to respond to this question in the LIST rather than individually.
Some of the genealogy purists have embraced the more contemporary work as
genealogical research in the same light as someone who is researching
ancestors of the 1600's in Boston or the 1800's in Virginia. I am here to
tell everyone that it is the exact same thing but just done with a bit
different method. These folks in the 1960's still have two parents,
siblings, cousins, etc. It is just being research for a totally different
reason and, in most cases, it is for a business such as a lawyer, real
estate title company or a circuit court.
In my state of FL I work for all of these entities and I am forever visiting
courthouses throughout Florida and adjacent states and finding wills, vital
records, and plat books for tracing the correct heirs or land owners. For
this type of work I am paid and I am pleased with the end results.
Since some of my work involves finding "missing heirs' the
State of Florida requires me to hold a Florida Class C (a minimum) but I go
one step further and hold a Florida Class A which is an agency license.
When a judge asks for my license during a court hearing I have no problem
with presenting my portfolio containing my license and educational proofs.
Since I am not familiar with what resources each person has access to I can
only say use your imagination and see if you can determine who you can best
serve and go out to secure them as a client. If your work is good,
productive, and fills their needs you will get more work by means of word of
mouth advertising. I have been enjoying this research since about 1986 and
I have more work than I can do. It has become necessary to turn down some
work selectively and with due care.
I hope this answers some of your questions.

Alvie L. Davidson CG

Lakeland, Florida

http://alviesgenealogyspot.blogspot.com/

CG and Certified Genealogist are Service Marks of the Board for
Certification of Genealogists used under license after periodic evaluations
by the Board.

This thread:

• [APG] Doing this for a living . . . by James James <>
  • Re: [APG] Doing this for a living . . . by "Alvie L. Davidson CG" <>
  • Re: [APG] Doing this for a living . . . by "Elissa Scalise Powell, CG" <>
    • Re: [APG] Doing this for a living . . . by "Loretta Evans, AG" <>