Hi All, While not wanting (as they say) to bash anyone I'd like to make a couple of comments in regard to paying someone to do research for you. Recently I had the experience of contacting a person on one of the lists that stated they search the Albany Archives on a regular basis. I inquired of the fee and the costs of certificates. Being on a limited income due to disability I agreed to the amount. The person also agreed to allow me to pay the next month for the second certificate I had asked for. To make this long story short. I got no certificates. They had excuse after excuse. They even had different numbers on the certificate for reference in all of my e-mails. Now I'm mad, leary and embarrassed all at the same time as well as being out $75. Mad as heck because someone took advantage of my trust in people, Leary of ever trying to pay a researcher again and embarrassed that I don't or didn't have the common sense to check out possibly the Better Business Bureau. I have since found a way to check the validity of an address.Zaba Search. Com is great. If I had known sooner I would have seen that this person was listed under their correct name but various middle initials all at the same address.However,they used a post office box in the same zip-code as their regular mailing address. Anyway, be careful. Check out their credentials if possible. By all means, do the legwork yourself if you can.Where I am, the FHC is over an hour away, no buses, no taxis, have to go down the mountain.(I'm not in the states. So, to the people that get pleasure of ripping other people off in our genealogical searches? Shame on you!!! It's people like you that cause much undue grief for others. I'm going to send this to all of the lists that I belong to. If one person is saved the aggravation that I've had then that will make me feel somewhat better. Regards to all from a fellow searcher Denise

Hello Denise, I was sorry to read of your disappointing experience. I myself have recently had the exact opposite experiences when using the services of another party to carry out my genealogy research. I do not doubt that there are any number of unscrupulous people out there, ready to take advantage of unwary persons, like ourselves but I thought I should write to let you know that there are some honest people still left in this world. I live in Australia, and through one of those Genealogical Volunteer Helplist websites I came in contact with a person in Hertford England who kindly agreed to look-up a couple of records for me. (I refrain from mentioning his name here to protect his privacy). His generosity was such that he went to the lengths of researching my entire line!! of Hertford ancestors. He obtained photocopies of all documents and posted them to me in two parcels, trusting me to reimburse him the costs of copying and postage, which of course I did. This person spent weeks checking for information for me and insisted on no payment for his time and trouble. Such generosity and trust is a great thing to know, so it would be a pity to have the poor behaviour of one or two crooks ruin the trust we would all like to have for our fellow genalogical enthusiasts. Sincerely, Barry Howard. in Oz.