Hello,
Recently I posted a message asking for any information on the Meinen & Hoeffers Families in Halsbeck & Westerstede Parishes in the 1800- 1860 era.
I received one reply and was referred to a person that worked at the Ev-luth Church in Westerstede. After contacting that person via e-mail I was told that the charges to look into the church records for the names, birth dates ,marriage dates, deaths and parents names would cost 35 Euro per hour and an average estimate of 350 Euro to complete. I see daily e-mails going back and forth on family information searches, are these being supplied at this exhorborante rate? Please advise.
Respectfully,
Richard L. Schindall
Bettendorf, Iowa
Oldenburg-L mailing list
Oldenburg-L@genealogy.net
My 2 cents is... I looked at a German church record from 1690 to 1850
(at the family history center) and it had so many entries, difficult to
decipher words, and so many people with the same first names and
surnames that it easily took me 20+ hours to review it all. And the
review was not easy on the back or eyes - I would think 35 Euro/hr is
appropriate. The lucky info received over this mailing list is really
from kind hearted people with handy resources!
Annette
RICHARD L SCHINDALL wrote:
Hello,
Recently I posted a message asking for any information on the Meinen & Hoeffers Families in Halsbeck & Westerstede Parishes in the 1800- 1860 era.
I received one reply and was referred to a person that worked at the Ev-luth Church in Westerstede. After contacting that person via e-mail I was told that the charges to look into the church records for the names, birth dates ,marriage dates, deaths and parents names would cost 35 Euro per hour and an average estimate of 350 Euro to complete. I see daily e-mails going back and forth on family information searches, are these being supplied at this exhorborante rate? Please advise.
Respectfully,
Richard L. Schindall
Bettendorf, Iowa
Oldenburg-L mailing list
Oldenburg-L@genealogy.net
oldenburg-l - genealogy.net
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Oldenburg-L@genealogy.net
Hello, Annette, and all,
Just my .0125 Euro worth, but price is always relative. The farmer who needs
a new machine can find some less expensive gear, or maybe make something
himself. If he elects to go for a Case machine, and has a bit of sticker
shock, he has a choice - go for the high end, or not, even, as I say, do it
/ build it yourself.
Richard, I feel your surprise, but, I am retired, like you, and have learned
that status helps sometime, but, not always.
Don't give up your quest...
Joseph Tiemann
Oldenburg-L mailing list
Oldenburg-L@genealogy.net
Annette,
Thanks for your reply. When you furnish them the name, date of birth, Marriage date, and parish and the person works for the church in the parish
involved. 35 Euro or $55.00 US dollars is an exhorborante rate,sorry. Either they're dyslectic or just wear a mask............................R.L. Schindall
Richard,
That's probably on par with what I paid for similar research a while
back, but that included some travel expenses as well. Consider the
number of requests that they probably get. It's not like a 150 or 200
year old church here in the States. There's a lot more records to go
through, there older and therefore harder to read, and there's so much
more history there that the requests from descendants who're spread all
over the world by now are probably endless.
Also consider the cost and difficulty for you to go to Germany and do
the research yourself. That's what finally convinced me to go ahead and
pay for it after about 9 or 10 months of contemplating.
Just my 2 cents.
RICHARD L SCHINDALL wrote:
Annette,
Thanks for your reply. When you furnish them the name, date of birth, Marriage date, and parish and the person works for the church in the parish
involved. 35 Euro or $55.00 US dollars is an exhorborante rate,sorry. Either they're dyslectic or just wear a mask............................R.L. Schindall
Oldenburg-L mailing list
Oldenburg-L@genealogy.net
Perhaps this will give some perspective. I once hired a professional
genealogy company in the US. They had very convincing ads, published
articles in genealogy magazines and apparently had good credentials. I
gave them a considerable amount of information up front and asked them to
pursue things in Germanynot to go there; just write letters in German to
the appropriate offices, etc., since my German is so limited. They
reshuffled the information I gave them, added some census records that I
already had but which were beside the point, and told me they had written
the German letters, but there were no copies included in their report.
The final report was the most elegant example of saying nothing I've ever
seen. My bill? over $600!
On the other hand, there's a woman who researches the records in a church
in Oldenburg who some years ago sent me several generations of one of my
ancestral lines. She asked only that I send what I thought was right. I
sent her $300 and considered it a great bargain.
Since then, I've hired other research in Germany and have always
considered it to be a good value.
When I spend money on genealogy, I always say, "Well, I don't have any
other vices."
Marilyn
Richard,
That's probably on par with what I paid for similar research a while
back, but that included some travel expenses as well. Consider the
number of requests that they probably get. It's not like a 150 or 200
year old church here in the States. There's a lot more records to go
through, there older and therefore harder to read, and there's so much
more history there that the requests from descendants who're spread all
over the world by now are probably endless.Also consider the cost and difficulty for you to go to Germany and do
the research yourself. That's what finally convinced me to go ahead and
pay for it after about 9 or 10 months of contemplating.Just my 2 cents.
RICHARD L SCHINDALL wrote:
Annette,
Thanks for your reply. When you furnish them the name, date
of birth, Marriage date, and parish and the person works for
the church in the parish
involved. 35 Euro or $55.00 US dollars is an exhorborante rate,sorry.
Either they're dyslectic or just wear a
mask............................R.L. SchindallOldenburg-L mailing list
Oldenburg-L@genealogy.net
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Hi Marilyn,
I believe we've talked before. I too last year had retained a genealogist in Oldenburg Germany. She charged 15 Euro per hour plus travel expenses. I could only furnish her with a name and date of birth and both parents names and the place of Oldenburg Germany as my wife's Grandfather came to America as a youth of 17 alone, the only one of his family to come. The surname was Janssen and we found out that Oldenburg was a region and a large city as well. She found the families in church records in Bockhorn ,Grabstede, Halsbeck & Westerstede Parishes as well as living cousins. Her bill was 7 hrs research time or 106 Euro and 30 Euro Travel and 14.50 Euro for copies and postage. The total came to 151 Euro and she had very limited info with travel to the parishes. This person now works for the Westerstede church has the names birth dates marriage dates provided and is asking this amount of money. Unbelieveable !!! I can't recall how much genealogical information I've furnished free for persons in Sweden & Germany free gratis...........Dick
I know. It sounds like the woman who did your work for you was a true
professional. I'd have to say that the one bad experience I had is far
out-weighed by the good honest professionals and the people who help out
simply because they like to do so.
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn,
I believe we've talked before. I too last year had retained
a genealogist in Oldenburg Germany. She charged 15 Euro per
hour plus travel expenses. I could only furnish her with a
name and date of birth and both parents names and the place
of Oldenburg Germany as my wife's Grandfather came to
America as a youth of 17 alone, the only one of his family
to come. The surname was Janssen and we found out that
Oldenburg was a region and a large city as well. She found
the families in church records in Bockhorn ,Grabstede,
Halsbeck & Westerstede Parishes as well as living cousins.
Her bill was 7 hrs research time or 106 Euro and 30 Euro
Travel and 14.50 Euro for copies and postage. The total
came to 151 Euro and she had very limited info with travel
to the parishes. This person now works for the Westerstede
church has the names birth dates marriage dates provided
and is asking this amount of money. Unbelieveable !!! I
can't recall how much genealogical information I'v
e furnished free for persons in Sweden & Germany free
gratis...........Dick
From: mstulken@wi.net<mailto:mstulken@wi.net>
To: Oldenburg-L<mailto:oldenburg-l@genealogy.net>
Sent: Friday, April 04, 2008 9:21 PM
Subject: Re: [OL] Question on Charges
ForFamilyInformation....................Perhaps this will give some perspective. I once hired a professional
genealogy company in the US. They had very convincing ads, published
articles in genealogy magazines and apparently had good credentials. I
gave them a considerable amount of information up front and asked them
to
pursue things in Germany-not to go there; just write letters in German
to
the appropriate offices, etc., since my German is so limited. They
reshuffled the information I gave them, added some census records that I
already had but which were beside the point, and told me they had
written
the German letters, but there were no copies included in their report.
The final report was the most elegant example of saying nothing I've
ever
seen. My bill? over $600!On the other hand, there's a woman who researches the records in a
church
in Oldenburg who some years ago sent me several generations of one of my
ancestral lines. She asked only that I send what I thought was right.
I
sent her $300 and considered it a great bargain.Since then, I've hired other research in Germany and have always
considered it to be a good value.When I spend money on genealogy, I always say, "Well, I don't have any
other vices."Marilyn
> Richard,
>
> That's probably on par with what I paid for similar research a while
> back, but that included some travel expenses as well. Consider the
> number of requests that they probably get. It's not like a 150 or 200
> year old church here in the States. There's a lot more records to go
> through, there older and therefore harder to read, and there's so much
> more history there that the requests from descendants who're spread
all
> over the world by now are probably endless.
>
> Also consider the cost and difficulty for you to go to Germany and do
> the research yourself. That's what finally convinced me to go ahead
and
> pay for it after about 9 or 10 months of contemplating.
>
> Just my 2 cents.
>
> RICHARD L SCHINDALL wrote:
>> Annette,
>> Thanks for your reply. When you furnish them the name,
date
>> of birth, Marriage date, and parish and the person works for
>> the church in the parish
>> involved. 35 Euro or $55.00 US dollars is an exhorborante rate,sorry.
>> Either they're dyslectic or just wear a
>> mask............................R.L. Schindall
> Oldenburg-L mailing list
> Oldenburg-L@genealogy.net<mailto:Oldenburg-L@genealogy.net>
> oldenburg-l - genealogy.net
>Oldenburg-L mailing list
Oldenburg-L@genealogy.net<mailto:Oldenburg-L@genealogy.net>
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