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From: "Michael Hait" <>
Subject: Re: [TGF] ethical issues on searching the 1940 census
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2012 08:21:14 -0400
References: <003801cd1ac0$58523d00$08f6b700$@comcast.net>
In-Reply-To: <003801cd1ac0$58523d00$08f6b700$@comcast.net>


Hi Claudia,

This is a relatively easy one.

Explain the situation to the client. Explain that there is no index, but
there might be one in a few months, etc. Explain the process of what you
will have to do to search right now.

Then ask the client if she wants you to keep searching or wait for the index
or any other option. *But don't lower your rates.*

As a more general response, I quite often have to do a page-by-page search
through unindexed records. Sometimes it is fruitless. Sometimes it is
rewarding--even providing the vital evidence. But searching these records is
part of what I consider thorough research.

Good luck!

Michael Hait, CG(sm)

http://www.haitfamilyresearch.com
"Planting the Seeds" Blog: http://michaelhait.wordpress.com

CG and Certified Genealogist are service marks of the Board for
Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certificants
after periodic competency evaluation, and the board name is registered in
the US Patent & Trademark Office.
-----Original Message-----
From: Claudia Breland
Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2012 12:29 AM
To:
Subject: [TGF] ethical issues on searching the 1940 census

Hi all,

For the past year I have been working with a client who lives in Norway,
who is very eager to find descendants of her great-grandfather's brother,
who settled in Seattle about 1920. In 1950 he visited the family in Norway
and talked about his estranged wife and the daughter he was very proud of
for her "great education". The family in Norway does not know the names of
the wife or daughter, and the man had a very common name. I've done lots
of research, coming up empty, and I've been telling my client that perhaps
the answer will lie in the 1940 census.

So that's what I'm doing now - searching the 1940 census of Seattle, ED by
ED, concentrating on the most likely areas, based on the man's residence in
1930 and his occupation. I've easily put in 10 hours and have covered only
a fraction. My question is, is it ethical to continue to charge for what
may be a fruitless search? We're both assuming that he's living in Seattle
in 1940, but he may have moved to any one of the huge number of towns
surrounding Seattle in the Puget Sound area. I'm wondering about reducing
my rate, for instance. In searching the census, I'm not just looking for
the man's name, but also keeping in mind that his wife and daughter may be
listed on their own, so I'm making note of those possibilities.

Thoughts?

Thanks!
Claudia Breland
http://www.ccbreland.com



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