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Moderator cut: Off topic
They do have some vital records available, but only some. They don't "provide" you with anything. They have databases of records, and you have to search to find the ones you might be able to use.
Reliability is hard thing to say yes or no to. If you're talking the records (census, vital records, migration and military records) of course they are reliable. Exponentially so if they have digitized images of the record itself. If you're talking compiled records (family trees, books, lineage society records, etc) they're only as reliable as the person who compiled the information. Which means ... usually, not very.
Ancestry has different levels of membership. It's not cheap. For the US Package it's $159 (12 mos) for the World Package it's $299 (12 mos). If you're just getting started, or mildly interested ... go to your local library, either the public library, a genealogy library, or a Family History Center and use it there for free.
Last edited by SOON2BNSURPRISE; 10-23-2011 at 06:14 PM..
Well, they do provide you something, they provide you with records.
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Does ancestory.com provide you with all of the names of your family, like births deaths,etc?
Ancestry.com aren't going to provide you with a personal family history already put together. They are a records database and it's YOUR job to search through the records and find the ones of your ancestors. You're paying to have access to their records database, not for them to build your family tree for you.
It also isn't really a matter of reliability with Ancestry.com - they merely provide you with records, they have no control over how reliable those records are. It's your job to determine how accurate the records are and whether they are a match to someone in your tree. Study each record before adding it - Ancestry.com have a "hints" system which flags records which it's automated system thinks are a match to someone in your tree - but they are not always a match so don't add them without studying them first.
Likewise, members of Ancestry.com can make their own family trees public so you can gather information from people who share an ancestry with you - but some people are very careless with adding information and can be wrong. Again, Ancestry.com has no control over this. They are providing a wealth of information, it's your job to figure out what information applies to your personal tree.
Census records (even the original documents) are known for having incorrect or vague information - birth years are approximate, names can be spelled incorrectly, etc. This has nothing to do with ancestry.com since they didn't create the census records. Transcriptions of records can also be incorrect but as long as the original document is provided, it doesn't really matter.
Researching your ancestry is just that - research! You have to do the work. If you're looking for someone else to do the work for you, you need to hire a professional genealogist. Keep in mind it won't be cheap though - especially if you want your whole tree, not just one branch. Ancestry.com does provide a way to find and get in touch with professionals at Professional Genealogists in Utah - Worldwide Research | ProGenealogists
I found that it helped when I was just starting to collect information. I actually was able to build the family tree on my father's side back to the 1500s from a relative I communicated with in Scotland. He also had a Ancestry.com account and had my grandmother's name in his research which triggered "a leaf" to mine. Turns out he is a distant relative and I was able to incorporate a lot of his research to mine! So far its been worth it. For fine details about the people - I'm not so sure
As far as the word provide ... I don't want anyone to think that if they sign up, Ancestry is going to hand them their family tree. That's what the word "provide" implies to me. I simply tried to convey that there are records there, they may or may not lead one to their family tree. That's all. A subscription to Ancestry comes with no guarantees of success.
Last edited by SOON2BNSURPRISE; 10-23-2011 at 06:13 PM..
Now I did this site and it's ok. Seems you need a lot of info to get info. It is interesting that they have details to ninth degree. Now it is a pain to get the info you are looking for. And you have to pay for every little tidbit.
Last edited by SOON2BNSURPRISE; 10-23-2011 at 06:15 PM..
You are lucky. You come from a weathy family. I've been trying to research a Border Reiver line for years. Every Scottish genealogist I ever talked to said the same thing. The only early records are in the old Kerk. Before about 1815, it was terribly expensive to pay a scribe to add a family event (marriage, birth, death) entry in church records. Between family lore and Scottish history I have an idea of my family, but I don't hold out much hope to actually find the record from about 1650. There is no actual proven record for this family prior to 1712.
There is a fair amount fo phony records, too, that cannot be proven.
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Originally Posted by Va-Cat
I found that it helped when I was just starting to collect information. I actually was able to build the family tree on my father's side back to the 1500s from a relative I communicated with in Scotland. He also had a Ancestry.com account and had my grandmother's name in his research which triggered "a leaf" to mine. Turns out he is a distant relative and I was able to incorporate a lot of his research to mine! So far its been worth it. For fine details about the people - I'm not so sure
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. I have the "world" subscription and feel it is well worth the money
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I'm stunned!
