Qualifications:

I am a professional genealogist with eleven years of experience. I specialize in Long Island and New York City records, and particularly those of the 19th and early 20th century during the peak immigration periods from Europe.

Although I most often work with Irish family history here in NYC, I have successfully worked on the immigration or migration of almost all other ethnicities including French, Dutch, Chinese, Hungarian, Swedish, Norwegian, African American, Swiss, Scottish, English, Eastern European Jewish, German, Italian, Puerto Rican, etc.

Ongoing Genealogical Commitments:

• Originator of the 'Ancestors Road Show' at the NYC Family History Fair (in conjunction with the NYC Chapter of the APG and the Archivists Round Table).
• Lecturer at many genealogical and historical societies.
• I volunteer regularly to help index or organize little known records and make them available to the public.
• I am currently reconstructing the history and burial records of a mid 19th century African American AME cemetery on Long Island.
• I frequently attend lectures and symposiums to advance my own knowledge as well as to learn about other new or unusual resources for my clients.

Education:

• BFA - New York University, Film Production, Classic Literature, Archaeology.
• AA - Emerson College (Boston), Television Production, Psychology, Photography, Art History.
• American Academy of Dramatic Arts, NYC - two years of study.

Other Experience:

• Nine years of experience as an executive for a major Hollywood studio dealing with international television distribution. Extensive contact with over 80 countries worldwide, on all continents, concerning selling, contracting, translations, broadcasting, copyright protection, piracy, government legislation, etc. Close working relationships with hundreds of international representatives.
• Active certified Scuba diver with interests in maritime history, marine biology, oceanography, marine archaeology, etc.

Memberships:

• Association of Professional Genealogists
• National Genealogical Society
• New York Genealogical and Biographical Society
• New York Irish History Roundtable
• Archives Partnership Trust

Library Research Services:

• Newspaper Research: obits / funeral notices, marriages, news events, court announcements, etc.
• City Directories, Phone Directories, Governmental Directories, Society Directories.
• Emigrant Savings Bank records, other special manuscript collections.
• Church and cemetery records, published and unpublished.
• Maps; historical, real estate, insurance, and current.

Primary Archives:

• National Archives Northeast Region - Federal records: censuses, naturalizations, military records, ship passenger lists, etc.
• County Courthouses and Clerks and Town Clerks - Probate files, naturalizations, court records, marriage records, state censuses, business records, property records, etc.
• Municipal Archives, NYC - Vital records, voter registrations, city & state censuses, coroner's reports, property / real estate photos, etc.

Computer Services:

• Internet searches and postings
• Subscription database searches
• IGI and Ancestral File searches (LDS)
• Social Security Death Index searches
• PERSI and manuscript searches

Field Research:

• Cemetery searches & photography (film or digital), office inquiries, interment lists, etc. (Spring and Fall only)
• Neighborhood surveys & photography of residences. (Spring and Fall only)
• Local Historical Societies and Libraries in NY, Queens, Brooklyn, & Nassau Cos. (Suffolk by special arrangement).

Areas of research I generally DO NOT cover:

• Current-day missing persons, private investigations, or criminal investigations.
• Adoption.
• Heir-at-Law Research (current day).

Fees:

DO NOT SEND ME ANY MONEY UNTIL WE HAVE MADE INITIAL CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER AND I HAVE DETERMINED THAT I CAN HELP YOU.

My basic fee is $50/hr. with a five hour minimum to start for new clients, plus a $25 expense fee per five hour block of time ($275 total per five-hour block of time). The expense fee covers only travel and/or parking and tolls. It does not include such expenses as archival fees, fees for actual documents, copying expenses, postage, etc. Those expenses are itemized separately at the end of the research block.

Firm estimates are difficult, at best, to give. I will do my best to supply you with a basic (time) estimate of what I feel, from experience, a particular research task may take. But, most research time is dependent upon 1) what you are looking for, 2) the commonality of the name, 3) the frequency of that name as it appears in the records, and 4) the level of detail that you require (single searches vs. multiple county searches, indexing vs. actual record retrieval). I am fast, thorough, and accurate. But, these variables do weigh heavily upon the eventual time spent and that is one reason why I have a basic 5-hour minimum.

If you require limited document retrieval please contact me via email for an estimate.

Payment of the minimum retainer is expected to be received before full analysis and research begins. Only personal checks or money orders accepted.

Methods:

Please contact me via email (preferred method) at nlcoleman@optonline.net, making sure to include your name, address, and telephone number along with a brief description of the nature of the research you are requesting. Be as specific as possible with regard to names, dates, and places. Let me know how this person is related to you, but try to refer to them by name (not 'my grandfather') when discussing your research goals.

I will look over what you send me and will get back to you as soon as possible with my preliminary evaluation as to whether I believe that I am the right researcher for your case and whether I am currently taking on new clients. Please be patient. If I am out of town I may not be able to get back to you right away.

If you have to contact me by regular mail, please do not include a retainer check in your initial mailing. Please contact me by email first if at all possible.

If I am available and I have determined that I can help you, then we will begin the full analysis and interview process of what research avenues we should explore. I will require a retainer check at this point.

I begin with each new client by conducting a series of "interviews" that allows me to see what your goals are, what documents you may already have in your possession, what sources you have already researched, and what your stumbling blocks may be. Only after this interview process has been completed is a research plan drawn up and submitted to you, the client, for approval.

On average, this interview and analysis process takes about an hour's worth of time (unless you are extraordinarily organized and clear about your goals). Depending on the difficulty of the time period, some analysis takes more, some analysis takes less. Usually a little bit of time is also needed to review documents you may send me and to submit the research plan to you. If you approve, then the research begins.

At the end of the research process, another hour is usually needed to disseminate and report to you what has been found, what the clues might mean, and what research I feel should be conducted next (and also to prepare the documents for mailing).

Research plans and reports are made via email. All sources will be meticulously cited for you at that time. Documents are then sent in a hardpack via USPS. Reports are not duplicated in the mailing so it is recommended that both a printout and a backup disc be created for your records. Also, many researchers have their own method of marking up documents with source identification. For this reason, the source citings are in the reports but not on the documents themselves. Unless agreed to beforehand, the transfer of source citing (from the report to the documents) is the responsibility of the client, choosing whichever method that they prefer.

References:

I will be happy to supply any potential client with an extensive list of references after it is determined that I can help you and that I am available. To protect my clients' privacy, however, I will never send out a reference list with their contact information before I am confident that a person is serious about a research commitment with me. And, also, never without a client's permission.

Working Hours and Contact Information:

I work a regular work week; Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. All archives are closed weekends and holidays. I will alert you if I am planning to be out of town for any length of time.

Please, no nighttime calls. Try to restrict your calling to the standard 9-5 time frame (EDT or EST) unless it is an emergency.

Thanks!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for considering my research services. I hope that I will be able to help you explore your family's history. If I am unable to help you, I will be glad to refer you on to others who may be currently available or who may specialize in what your research needs are. I am proud to say that the NYC area is blessed with an abundance of very qualified and dedicated researchers. We are all here to help you find out about your ancestors' past in "the greatest city of immigration," New York City!