Ancestors R Us

Who are you? You aren't the woman I allowed into my home. How did you wind up in this section? You didn't ask for genealogy and I didn't attempt any for you. You asked for help learning to reach a standard in evaluating essays for a testing company, not for help learning any content or skill. I told you that I was not familiar with task you were undertaking. I explained the directions and reasoning provided with your training materials. You expressed thanks, if not optimism, and left. Perhaps you could have expressed your concerns and we could have negotiated a price. Instead, the following day, you sent me an email that included these sentences. "If your company will not consider me for any other job since I am TEFL certified, I ask that you please send me a letter that my employment with ETS has ended as of today. This certification situation created much stress and anxiety in me, and I don't feel motivated to retake the certification." I don't work for ETS and wonder if this review is equally confused.

I'm sorry you feel this way. I wish you'd contacted me so I could understand your specific disappointments so that I might address them. In the absence of information from you, I'll respond to what I believe your concerns are. Genealogy does not come with guarantees, any more than fishing does. You can use the best bait, have the best cast and pole, and still not catch what you seek because the fish just aren't there. You asked me to find something specific, to verify a family story. I could not find do so, even though I used three different web sites and expanded your family tree by 3-5 generations. After four hours paid and several more unpaid (my choice), I told you that I hadn't found corroborating evidence and that the chances of finding what you wanted were small. I didn't want to take more of your money under false pretenses. I described how, if you chose to continue the search, you might proceed. You or the next genealogist you hire will need to travel to the birth sites and homesteads of your ancestors. This is not possible now, and, will be expensive if and when you choose to do it. I told you that DNA testing might yield support for the story, but that requires additional investment. You are entitled to your disappointment that I didn't find what you wanted -- and needed to find. If your next genealogist finds the proof you need, I'd like to know his/her name so that I can get more training because I honestly did everything I knew for you. If the next person can't find it either, I hope you'll reconsider this review.