How (& why) I got into the German Genealogy research business:
In 1979, while a student at Brigham Young University, I started initially working on my own genealogy. Others became interested & asked me to help them. One handed me $20 for one search. One search now costs $29.95—a very reasonable figure, if you cannot find it on your own! Being mostly successful as an amateur, I thought, “Hey, I can do this, i.e. make a living at chasing My Family History Mysteries (one of the names of our research entities) is a lot of challenge & fun!”
Ancestry, genealogy & family history research has enabled me to take a positive passion to assertive action for the good of my clients like Diane Gray (above) & Tim Russ (a/k/a Lt. Tuvok, Star Trek Voyager). I translated some difficult old German handwritten documents for Diane & found Tim’s heretofore unknown pre-Emancipation ancestor!
Lynell & I, Karl-Michael Sala, have found THOUSANDS of data, documents & images for THOUSANDS of ancestral family members for HUNDREDS of international people. Next! 50% discount on your initial retainer. karlmsala@msn.com http://www.GermanGenealogist.com = 1-888-456-7252
2. Lynita Tate Transport Specialist Karl, so starting your own business changed your genealogical outlook or was your outlook changed before you started your business? How did you get into translating German documents? That’s interesting.
3. Karl-Michael SALA, Internat’l Genealogist since 1979!
Starting my own business indeed changed my genealogical outlook even further, but my outlook had already changed before I started my business!
I got into translating German documents only after people had me pursue their German ancestry. “Hey, as long as your up there in the Family HIstory LIbrary, do you think you could find my Johann Schmidt? All I know is that he was born in Prussia somewhere in 1865. Oh, here’s his Taufschein.”
It is not only interesting; it is fascinating & addicting to crack cases, i.e. finding data, documents & images my clients could not find for DECADES!
It is much like dribbling & passing the ball, scoring goals & doing slam dunks or winning in a sports event. Unfortunately, so many clients think they can pass me the ball & that the slam dunk happens immediately.
We must first get down the field, pass the half-way mark & get to the goal–before we attempt to shoot the ball or kick the field goal. “What? You mean it is not all on that great big computer in Salt Lake City?”
What? You can’t just ask the parish priest to do the research for me? No, they usually cannot read the old handwriting; if they can, they certainly “…have enough to do with the living, rather than chase down dead ones!”
“Here, Karl, do it like this: Run down the left side of the court & shoot it from the 3-point line & we’ll win!” Hey, do you tell your doctor how to perform brain surgery?” Puh-leez.
