Page News & Courier
Heritage and Heraldry
Genealogical Research may also include World Wide Web
Article of February 10, 2000
It's about that time of year again when I placed emphasis on genealogy research on the Internet. With shorter days and cold nights, now is the perfect time to become a "netizen" and explore genealogy resources on the Web. When it comes to the Internet for some basic genealogy research there are boundless possibilities.
In the era of web design frenzy, many people have taken their personal time to upload massive amounts of data that can be accessed for free. Whether it's the kind-hearted philosophy of sharing genealogy secrets or just that their respective genealogy sites were a test in their skills of web design, most of these independent sites are a wealth of knowledge. One such area is that of the USGenWeb Project (http://www.usgenweb.org/). Composed of a many, many web site designers interested in genealogy, this site leads to many other genealogy projects on the web that are non-commercial and "fully committed to free access for everyone." One such off-shoot of this site is found in the Projects state pages � the VaGenWeb being one of them (http://www.rootsweb.com/~vagenweb/).
However, for the genealogy "heavy-hitter" that enjoys the quick turn-around of our microwave society, there are some larger sites that offer a great deal up-front and are initially free, but may lead to a fee in order to find other information. Not that a web subscription is a bad thing, its just that these "big-boys" of the Internet are businesses and are using business tactics. Two of the largest sites on the web that fall in this category include Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/) and Genealogy.com (http://www.genealogy.com/). A free "heavy-hitter" site can be found through the Latter Day Saints and is titled Family Search (http://www.familysearch.org/).
The greatest advantage of going into these "heavy-hitter" sites is that they offer a researcher the chance to tie into the research of other people for free. Over the last two decades or more, several genealogists have contributed the work that they have done so that others may benefit from it. What a great gesture! However, even though the search is free � buyer beware! When it comes to family research, some amateur genealogists are less than thorough and might even follow a lead in the wrong direction. In other words, take all free net information with a grain of salt. If you're a truly discerning researcher, you will follow-up on the lead that you find on the web and back it up with your own research. Then again, you may tear down the myth that the other genealogists believed as gospel.
To launch the search effort on these site (lets take Family Search for example), all you need to do is place the first and last name of the ancestor your looking up and go for it! One word of advice however, the further back in your genealogy you are the better. If you input your father or mother, it is highly unlikely you'll crash into that proverbial potential treasure trove of data. However, if you input the name of a great-great grandparent or even further back, your odds are significantly improved in the search.
Ancestry.com gives a different angle for the search. Once at the leading page, type in the first name and surname of the person your trying to find more about. If your surname is really unusual, you can just insert that for a wide search � I wouldn't suggest it for common names however. For example, I wouldn't dare type in Moore (the 10th most common surname in the U.S.) for I know I would have various lines of Moores that had absolutely nothing to do with my own tree. Nevertheless, once you have typed in the data and have pressed search, just sit back and wait for a second and VIOLA! The resources that are listed before you are in detail as to whether you can access the information for free or for a fee. The Social Security Death Index is a nice free area that will usually give you, not only the Social Security number of an ancestor, but also � maybe � birth and death dates, the place of application, and last residence. Again, however, keep in mind that if the ancestor died before Social Security was established in the 1930's, this will be of no help. Still, for that NEW researcher, this database contains nearly 62 million records and might help to break into the 19th century.
Return to the Page News & Courier sponsored directory for
Heritage & Heraldry articles.