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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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We're frequently asked the same questions and we thought we'd share our answers with you...
- Are the books listed in stock and ready to ship?
- Absolutely! Our books are ready to ship to you. They're in our warehouse, waiting patiently to go to your library shelves.
- What kind of paper do you print the books on?
- We're proud of our books and want them to be in your library for a very long time. Our books are printed on alkaline-based 60-pound paper. We use this paper because the heavier weight makes it more durable, and the alkaline base makes it more permanent. One of paper's worst enemies is acid used in the paper-making process. In recent years, paper manufacturers have increasingly turned to new manufacturing methods that eliminate acid to break down the wood fibers. The result is paper that won't turn yellow around the edges and become brittle with age.
- Why are genealogy books expensive?
- If our books regularly made the New York Times Bestseller List, we could print hundreds of thousands of each one and pay a very small production cost per book. But, alas, it ain't so. We have very small print runs done so we can keep all of our titles in stock. And small print runs mean higher printing costs. The costs involved in compiling, publishing, and advertising each book must be added to our printing costs. Those costs have to be spread out over a projected total number of that title we'll sell. So we aren't getting rich on these books, just having a good time and paying our bills.
- How long will it take to receive my order?
- We know when you order our books, it means you wanted them last week. So we do our very best to get your order processed and your books shipped as quickly as possible. In most cases, we ship the day after we receive your order.
If you haven't received your books in a week from the time you placed your
order, e-mail us at desmondwallsallen(at)gmail.com and ask for details about the shipping date.
We use United States Postal Service (USPS) Priority Mail for our shipments. We've found USPS is reliable about delivery; it's delivery
time where they aren't consistent. When USPS is in a good mood, your books may travel from Arkansas to California in
three to five days. But the next shipment may take two weeks. We don't know what little gremlins are lurking in those trucks and why they decide to play hide-and-seek with some packages. Short of overnight delivery, that's the best the post office can do.
USPS used to call Priority Mail their two-day service, but they couldn't live up to that, so now Priority Mail goes about the same speed as first class mail. Fewer gremlins. We use
Internet postage to send your package. USPS says this is the best way to
expedite shipping.- Can I order online?
- We have installed PayPal as a secure, third-party method for you to order online. We accept VISA, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express, either through PayPal or on the phone.
If we're out at the cemetery or library, our answering machine is on - leave
your name and phone number and tell us the best time to return your call.
- How safe is my information?
- We don't generate carbon copies of your transaction--nothing goes in our trash with your name or credit card information on it. We key your card number into our electronic credit card terminal when we process your order and that's also safe.
- Can you just send the books if my ancestor is in them?
- We recently received an order for several books, and the customer specified that he only wanted the books if they had his ancestor in them. We wrote him and returned his check and suggested he obtain the books through his library so he could decide if they were useful enough to purchase. We don't have the staff to look up names in our books. And even if the name was listed, we'd have no way of knowing if it was the desired ancestor or another person with the same name. And we don't know all the spelling variations of your ancestors' names. (We do know to look for Mawfit for Moffitt, Hewes for Hughes, and Kinnart for Canard.)
- How can I get the books without buying them?
- Go to your local library's interlibrary loan specialist and tell her the book title and author you're interested in. Although most genealogy collections don't circulate, she may find a library that will loan the book you want.
Go to your local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church's Family History Center and ask about renting the
book on microfiche. We've given the LDS Family History Library permission to film
most of our titles.
Travel to a large library with an extensive genealogical collection, such as the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, or the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Memorial Library in Washington, DC. We've been selling books to libraries for many years.
Find a wealthy relative interested in the same family lines you're working on. Send him our catalog and a hard luck story about not having the money to buy the books you need.
- Why would I want the books in my home library?
- Don't just use our books as reference material on one family name. Folks didn't exist in a vacuum. They intermarried with other families. The daughters, then, will have a variety of surnames for you to research. Just because you don't directly descend from those collateral relatives doesn't mean they can't help you in your search. Go beyond family and look up the names of the neighbors you know from the census records, and the ministers and justices of the peace who performed marriage ceremonies for your family, and the merchants and lawyers your folks patronized. Some of those people may have left helpful records, but you have to pay attention to them in order to know who they were.
- If you know your family lived in an area for a number of years, buy the books you can find for that time period, and put together a picture of the entire neighborhood in which your ancestor lived. Then when you get ready to follow that migration trail backward in time, you can search for a group of people with kinship,
social, business, and religious ties that may span several generations. If you're stuck in Izard County, Arkansas, and can't get a John Smith or James Williams back across the mighty Mississippi River, take a look at those allied and associated families and let them take you back to the right county in Tennessee or North Carolina.
- How can I stay on your mailing list if I don't order books?
- We want to keep you on our mailing list as long as you're interested in Arkansas ancestors. Send us a postcard or e-mail message to let us know you want to continue to receive mailings. If you move, drop us a card with your new address.
Contact us: Arkansas Research, Inc., PO Box 303, Conway, AR 72033
Voice: 646/470-1120
E-mail: desmondwallsallen(at)gmail.com
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