Experiences with GENEALOGY.COM? (find, search, father, history)

[Tiger Beer]

Anyone on genealogy.com? What are your experiences so far?

I find it pretty cool...BUT...so much research, how do you REALLY know you have the right ancestor's parents, etc., plus the right maiden names, etc.

That being said, still interesting nontheless.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

Anyone on genealogy.com? What are your experiences so far?

I find it pretty cool...BUT...so much research, how do you REALLY know you have the right ancestor's parents, etc., plus the right maiden names, etc.

That being said, still interesting nontheless.

I met two cousins I didn't know on there, searching for some of the same stuff I had found...

The answer to your question is -- it takes research. Lots of research. You grab the lead by the tail and let it take you where it goes. Don't believe everything you read -- even source material... back it up with more evidence.

It's addictive as heck. And I like it because it stops being history and starts being real.

But you'll need some sort of tracking system for your little bits and bobs of information you need to check or find. I use a notebook to write stuff down to remind me of where I've checked and where I need to go next.

[gentlearts]

I find Ancestry.com so good, easy and comprehensive that I would probably not sign up for another service instead. It is very addictive.
After I had done all I felt I could, I now sign up for about a month every year or two to see if there is anything new. I eagerly await the 1940 Census which comes out next year so I can see what happened to some folks who I never knew in the 50's, but who were on the 1930 census.

You are correct that back in the 1700 and early 1800's the girls were not listed by name in the census, only how many females of certain ages lived in the home. This does make it difficult to decide, for example, which daughter in a family was your relative? The best advise I can give you to figure this out is that the families tended to use a lot of the same names over and over through the generations. So if your great grandfather was named William, for example, and you can find out that one sister in a family married someone named William, and one sister married someone named James, it's a pretty good guess that the one who married William is your ancestor.

Happy Hunting!