Community Chat

[gidgetgh]

I'm looking for a project this summer. I thought I might join ancestry.com and see what info I can find about my family. Has anyone done this? I know some basic information, but not tons and tons. Is it pretty easy?

[Snowpuppy]

You can do a lot on your own without joining Ancestry.

Also try Family Search dot org. It's owned by LDS and I found the info far more accurate than Ancestry.

I have a friend who has a computer program that she uses to keep history. She is that involved and that detailed!

[gidgetgh]

Snowpuppy- thanks for the info on family search. I hadn't heard of that site before.

[this is my nic]

Fortunately, for our family a cousin did our genealogy. He used Ancestry.com as well as searching census records and visiting various courthouses. I was surprised at how much he discovered.

However, do not try their DNA analysis! My husband who is of Slovak descent and I who am both Irish and Italian descent sent in our specimens. The results showed my husband's ethnicity as every single country in eastern Europe. Mine was 89% British Isles and the remainder - elsewhere. Somehow my Italian genes didn't show up. BTW, my Dad was 100% Irish American and my Mom was 100% Italian American.

Save your money!

[Linders Back]

ancestry is a wonderful source of information as you can connect with others who may be researching the same people you are which keeps you from reinventing the wheel.

Just realize that all that you see there may not be thoroughly documented and may be incorrect (same with family search.org). People can post just about anything. always go to original sources to verify what you see on either site: US Census Records, state death and marriage records, etc. Although they might also not be 100% correct (spelling errors abound), by combining what you find you in more than one place may get you to the right answers the right answers.

Start with asking relatives for everything they know as 1st hand info is always the best place to start and public records may not be available for privacy reasons (EX: 1940 US Census is the last one that is in the public domain so you won't find info on recent generations online). Get them to id people in family photos with their whole name not just "Oh, that's cousin Joe".

It is a wonderful hobby and can be very rewarding.

[Photo Donna]

family search dot org is not reliable. I saw my father's line there -- put onto the site by a woman dying to connect up in any way she could -- a lot of inaccuracies.

[CelticCrafter]

Snowpuppy, thanks for sharing the family search site.

I was able to find marriage information for my grandparents.

Other than finding my grandfather on census reports, it's the first bit of additional information I have been able to find for him.

[Free2be]

Some Ancestry family trees on my family are rife with errors. Also someone borrowed my ancestors as theirs and I could see why she confused the identical names. I contacted her through Ancestry's email and gave her the correct data from the death certificate that I have. Years later, she hasn't changed anything on her tree. I guess I'll have to post a photo of the death certificate but it was clear she didn't care.

I think people get in a hurry and don't really care about details which messes up lots of other trees. One tree had my sisters death date and place of death wrong. I had to post a corrective comment and add that I was present when she passed. I still get irked about the sloppiness shown toward someone I love even though I know it isn't personal.

[Q_spirit]

which web site is the one built from the Mormon church records? and too from ellis island? are those felt to be accurate family records?

[gazelle77]

Just be careful... all this information may NOT be confidential and into the wrong hands could be easy for identity theft. Just giving out your Mother's maiden name, and being that that is often asked by banks etc for security... might be giving out information to the wrong people. I choose not to use these sights as they just ask too many questions and I do not feel confident that they are REALLY SECURE SITES.