First and foremost, write legibly, or type the letter, or word-process it, or type an e-mail. All means of contact require the same basics: It needs to be easily read by the recipient if you want them to take you seriously. They don’t like having to interpret a chicken scrawl, or badly-spelled, garbled text which does not make clear what you mean. Next, make clear what you are asking. Some letters ramble on for pages about their family connections, without once making clear what the point of the letter is. Say: “I am looking for any record of the death/burial of my great-great-grandfather Robert Field, who was born around 1800 and was still alive in 1849, but not found in the 1851 census at his address. I have no other note of him after that date. He lived at (address) in (parish/village), and was a shoemaker to trade. I do not know if he was ever a pauper. His religious affiliation was Church of Scotland in 1840, but might be Free Church of Scotland from 1843. I would be grateful for any information you can provide. I am willing to pay the cost of photocopies and any associated items such as a time fee, up to £xx.”

So, keep it clear, short and to the point. State FACTS as you know them. Family stories are not facts, and are often misleading. The librarian/ archivist/family history society don’t have the time to spare for your family details, except where pertinent. After all, you want them to HELP, don’t you? So don't ramble on.

What can you expect in return? Where a task is simple, you might get a photocopy of a gravestone inscription, or a burial record, or something which implies his death at or near a date. If you are lucky, there might be no charge. If unlucky, there may be a charge for an hour's staff time plus a fee for the copy, plus an admin charge for invoicing you. Local authority auditors nowadays often insist on out-of-area enquiries paying for themselves.