The Value of Ancestry.com
Just to be clear, I don't work for ancestry.com or in any way get any kind of kickback for mentioning them. I know I've been singing their praises pretty hot and heavy so far and it might be looking a little suspicious. When I got started working on my family tree, I didn't know where to start and I knew that they were, arguably, the Top Dogs in the genealogy game. Certainly there are many more websites where you can find information about your family, but for me, Ancestry.com gave me a stable place from which to begin. They gave me....roots...if you will. 😉
They will even let you keep your tree on their site for free (at least they did in the past...I assume that is still true, but don't know that for fact). You do need to subscribe to access most documents, but it sure beats the heck out of all the airline tickets you would have to buy to visit all the county courthouses and churches and cemeteries you would have to visit without their services. Because they have SO many documents on their site, it's a nice place to start and then you can branch out from there.
That being said, they will provide many "hints" for your ancestors with just enough information to make you think, "yes, this could be my ancestor," but sometimes not enough for you to be sure. Often, they have the information, but they don't have a copy of the original document for you to view. Or the document they have isn't complete and it can be a challenge to get your bearings.
When I first got started, I used the information my friend was able to find on the site and I got my own subscription and set up my tree with the information he had already found. From there, I let Ancestry do the work and I built the tree to its current size using their "hints." This works great as long as you are looking at ancestors and documents from the U.S. (or whatever your home country) but as "hints" took me back further in time, backwards over the pond, documents were largely not in English. I could kick myself for not taking German in school. As it turns out a fair number of the lines I've been able to follow back, have come from Germany. Of course, Ancestry translates the information specific to your ancestor, but if you want to view the document and confirm this information (or look for additional information about other family members who may be mentioned in the record) and you don't speak the language, you're just wasting your time.
So, I've trusted Ancestry this far. Now, I'm trying to go back and PROVE the "hints" they have offered me. (And isn't that really what it's all about anyway? Finding the documents?)
I have enough information from Ancestry and my grandparents to be 99% positive of the various branches of the family tree (on my mom's side) all the way back to their immigration to the U.S. For some of them, that date is further back than others.
Right now, I'm working primarily with census records and keeping a handwritten timeline for each ancestor so I can see what I've got and what I'm missing.
The picture above is my handwritten timeline for my 3rd great grandfather. This is a great example of an ancestor who has left me perhaps with more questions than answers, and I've noted those questions so I can come back to them later. By doing this, I'm finding missing puzzle pieces are becoming more obvious.
I also have a subscription (through Ancestry) to Newspapers.com, so I'm using that to locate obituaries whenever possible. I've found a few, so it's been a valuable resource in locking down other family members. I've also found a nice obituary posted on Find A Grave, where I've also found photos of headstones, so be sure to check that site too.
My plan is to get these basic documents (census records and obits/death records) for everyone back to their immigration and then I'll start trying to find answers to my millions of questions.
They will even let you keep your tree on their site for free (at least they did in the past...I assume that is still true, but don't know that for fact). You do need to subscribe to access most documents, but it sure beats the heck out of all the airline tickets you would have to buy to visit all the county courthouses and churches and cemeteries you would have to visit without their services. Because they have SO many documents on their site, it's a nice place to start and then you can branch out from there.
That being said, they will provide many "hints" for your ancestors with just enough information to make you think, "yes, this could be my ancestor," but sometimes not enough for you to be sure. Often, they have the information, but they don't have a copy of the original document for you to view. Or the document they have isn't complete and it can be a challenge to get your bearings.
When I first got started, I used the information my friend was able to find on the site and I got my own subscription and set up my tree with the information he had already found. From there, I let Ancestry do the work and I built the tree to its current size using their "hints." This works great as long as you are looking at ancestors and documents from the U.S. (or whatever your home country) but as "hints" took me back further in time, backwards over the pond, documents were largely not in English. I could kick myself for not taking German in school. As it turns out a fair number of the lines I've been able to follow back, have come from Germany. Of course, Ancestry translates the information specific to your ancestor, but if you want to view the document and confirm this information (or look for additional information about other family members who may be mentioned in the record) and you don't speak the language, you're just wasting your time.
So, I've trusted Ancestry this far. Now, I'm trying to go back and PROVE the "hints" they have offered me. (And isn't that really what it's all about anyway? Finding the documents?)
I have enough information from Ancestry and my grandparents to be 99% positive of the various branches of the family tree (on my mom's side) all the way back to their immigration to the U.S. For some of them, that date is further back than others.
Right now, I'm working primarily with census records and keeping a handwritten timeline for each ancestor so I can see what I've got and what I'm missing.
The picture above is my handwritten timeline for my 3rd great grandfather. This is a great example of an ancestor who has left me perhaps with more questions than answers, and I've noted those questions so I can come back to them later. By doing this, I'm finding missing puzzle pieces are becoming more obvious.
I also have a subscription (through Ancestry) to Newspapers.com, so I'm using that to locate obituaries whenever possible. I've found a few, so it's been a valuable resource in locking down other family members. I've also found a nice obituary posted on Find A Grave, where I've also found photos of headstones, so be sure to check that site too.
My plan is to get these basic documents (census records and obits/death records) for everyone back to their immigration and then I'll start trying to find answers to my millions of questions.
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