: out on a limb.

• Author: Beers, Heather
• Position: People - James W. Petty,professional genealogist and president of Heirlines Family History and Genealogy.

When it comes to his 30-year career, James W. Petty admits it's been nothing but dead ends. But that's exactly what he loves about his job. As a professional genealogist and president of Heirlines Family History and Genealogy, Petty has traced the lives--and deaths--of thousands of individuals across state lines, country borders and vast oceans.

The Utah-based genealogist is passionate about his life's work, a profession he chose long before genealogy became a national craze. Petty earned a bachelor's degree in history from Brigham Young University, where courses in genealogy caught his eye. He stayed on to earn a second bachelor's degree in genealogy and went to work for the LDS Church's Family History Library.

After 10 years there, the historian within grew restless, and Petty says, "I didn't want to be a librarian all my life, so I scared my wife, Mary, half to death and said, 'I'm going to start my own business.'"

Turns out, she had no need to fear. Twenty years later, Heirlines continues to thrive. As a professional genealogy research organization, the company provides a variety of services. "We help people find their family trees; attorneys come to us for finding probate connections; we aid in lineage organization research [providing ancestral evidence that merits individuals' induction into groups such as Daughters of the American Revolution]. We do all kinds of research," says Petty. He has worked with high-profile clients including former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, actor Gregory Peck and Forrest Mars, founder of the Mars Candy Company.

Over the years, Petty has been among industry leaders working to set a standard of professionalism. "The Internet has made genealogical information widely available, but the trick is knowing what to do with the information, and which...