Not OP but the payment bit sounds like when you pay a local records custodian to do a "search", ie look for all the Djikstra family members in the period 1700-1800. They then look through books (BMD - baptisms/births, marriages, deaths/funerals) in the church building (or wherever) and compile a list of the data.

Often novices can't read the writing, and when the records are in another country/region it's easier to pay someone. Also, many records can only be searched this way, the public don't have access.