ProGenealogists features a diverse group of genealogists specializing in European research – from Ireland to Germany, Italy and Russia - among many other countries. Yet, ProGenealogists is based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sometimes I speak with people who wonder how we can be such experienced experts in European research if we live in the American West. There are several reasons.

One very important reason is the location of the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City. The FHL holds hundreds of thousands of microfilm rolls of European records, such as church registers, vital records, censuses, wills, and military records to name a few types. ProGenealogists employees working at our Salt Lake City office make extensive use of the FHL holdings. How did all of these European records end up in the FHL in Salt Lake City? The LDS (Mormon) Church, which operates the FHL, sends teams around the world to microfilm records in archives, churches, and offices. The FHL then makes those records freely available to members of the public.

The result is that it can be less expensive, more effective,  and more efficient to research a family in European records in Salt Lake City than in Europe! Consider Irish research as an example. In Dublin, one often needs to visit several different repositories (with more limited hours) to collect records on one family. Whereas, in Salt Lake City, it is just a matter of going to a different microfilm drawer in the same floor of the same building! You could say the same thing about English, French, or Polish research. Because of this ease of access, sometimes Europeans come to Salt Lake City to trace their ancestors!

ProGenealogists employees also travel often to Europe to conduct research in archives, churches, cemeteries, and offices there (when needed). We would be happy to consider your European research for one of these research trips. We keep costs low by splitting travel costs among several clients. As a result of years of experience researching in records held at the FHL, and in traveling for research in European archives, members of the ProGenealogists’s research team are extensively knowledgeable (and widely published) in many aspects of European genealogical research. We also teach and lecture on European research topics drawing on this experience.

Another aspect of ProGenealogists’s European expertise is its extensive network of contacts and colleagues who live and work throughout Europe. Our vetted and skilled agents help us to access many records in Europe that have not yet been microfilmed. Some European records are now available online, too, and we can read and translate these records and websites for you.

So to summarize, the ProGenealogists team is in a perfect position to serve your European research needs. We have the knowledge and experience to choose where to best access the relevant records most effectively and efficiently – whether at the FHL, online, or in European archives. We are looking forward to helping you with your European research. Ask for a free estimate now!