FAQ
Feel free to contact us with any questions you might have. We will be glad to talk to you about your projects. Below we have answered some of the common questions people ask.

How much will it cost to research my family history?
Research Consultants charges an hourly rate for time spent researching, analyzing, building your database, mapping land, etc. Half the hourly rate is charged for travel time. Expenses incurred on behalf of the client are charged as a straight reimbursement of our expenses. These expenses typically include such things as mileage (billed at the allowable IRS rate), parking fees, photocopying fees, travel expenses (hotel, meals), microfilm rentals, etc. and are itemized separately on the invoice.

What will I get?
That depends upon what you want. You can contract for a project scope anywhere from a review of your own research, to a full history of your ancestors that culminates in a publication. Feel free to contact us to discuss your needs.

Are there any guarantees of how much information we can find on your ancestors? No, there are no guarantees on what we will or will not find in the records. It is difficult to predict what the records hold in the way of information on your ancestors. What we can guarantee is that we will put our best efforts into your project.

Can I do some of the work myself? Can we work together on my family history?
Of course we can work together as a team on your research. We can assist you in filling gaps in the research you have already started, act as a consultant to help direct your research efforts, or do all of the research for you. Feel free to contact us to discuss your project ideas.

What records does Research Consultants utilize in the research process?
We don’t have to rely on microfilms of courthouse records to do our research. We have easy access to many courthouses and archives, all within a half hour to a couple of hours drive of our office. Also, we have easy access to Washington, DC where the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) library, Library of Congress, and the National Archives are located.

What is the background of the primary researcher?
Jane E. Ailes is a full time professional genealogist specializing in the records of western Virginia, eastern West Virginia and western Maryland; African American research both pre- and post-Civil War; neighborhood reconstruction; and genealogical and historical research. Jane appears in the PBS series “African American Lives” (http://www.pbs.org/aalives), having researched the ancestry of Henry L. Gates, Jr., the host of the series. Jane has a B.A. in biology from Bridgewater College, Virginia. She worked for more than 20 years in the biology field for the Smithsonian Institution, University of Maine, University of Washington, and National Marine Fisheries Service with terrestrial mammals, marine mammals and larval fish; and in designing relational database applications.

Publications

Ailes, Jane E. Locations of Blue Family Land near Hanging Rocks on the South Branch River, Hampshire Co., Virginia (now West Virginia). The Chalice (Blue Family Association quarterly journal), 2006. approx. 8 pages. In Process.

Ailes, Jane E., compiler. Some Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia) Court Loose Papers: 1754-1800. White Post, Virginia: self published. 2006. approx. 300 pages. In Process.

Ailes, Jane E. Company K As It Left Romney, 1861. Northern Virginia Genealogy, Vol. 2004. 4 pages.

Ailes, Jane E. Chancery Court Litigation on the South Branch: New information gleaned from court records pertaining to the descendants of John Blue (d. 1771) [1.1.1], Hampshire Co., VA (now WV). The Chalice (Blue Family Association quarterly journal), Vol 23, No. 2 Spring 2005, pp. 6-15.

Ailes, Jane E. Authored seven, 1-2 page chapters, and four box topics on various historical topics and people and compiled three back-of-the-book indexes. In: R. R. Munske and W. L. Kerns, editors. Hampshire County West Virginia 1754-2004. Romney, West Virginia: The Hampshire County 250th Anniversary Committee, 2004. pp. 9, 14, 130, 144, 145, 149, 151, 159, 161, 163, 180 and index pp. 225-262.

Small, Jane Ailes and Gregg J. Small. Cetacean observations from the Somali Democratic Republic, September 1985 through May 1987. In: G. P. Donovan and S. Leatherwood, editors. Cetaceans And Cetacean Research In The Indian Ocean Sanctuary, Marine Mammal Technical Report No. 3, International Whaling Commission, 1991. pp. 179-210.