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I'm a genealogy newbie and really want to start the online searches as accurately as possible, using real sources. My local library has the library version of Ancestry.com available for free. Is this the same as the paid Ancestry.com?
What is the best source for info on ancestors from DE, PA and MD? I know Ireland will be tough because a great uncle tried in-person in the 1970's and didn't get anything (and he was a priest who are like Gods there).
I don't have it anymore, but my advice is if you do get it, pay only by check, not a credit card (they make you look for the ability to do this, but you can). Otherwise, they will keep automatically charging your card year after year without your annual permission.
My card was later stolen and reissued, but they were still able to charge under the old number! Had to go through a big hassle and up the chain of command at Ancestry to get my membership cancelled.
I think Ancestry is well worth the cost. I live in a rural area and live about 20 miles from the closest, but small, library. I can research 24/7 in my underwear if I want to. I pay for Ancestry, but I think of the time and money I save by not having to drive to Indy to do research, which I would have to do since my local library has limited resources. I'm not sure about research in DE, PA and MD, or Ireland but I'm sure there are members on the board who can help you with that. Don't rely on published family trees, but Ancestry provides sources, like marriage and birth records, and images of them also. https://www.familysearch.org/ is also very good and FREE, with new sources being added almost every day.
Good Luck!
Last edited by Cindiana; 12-30-2013 at 06:08 PM..
Reason: adding info
I have found it extremely valuable in the research of my own family. I've been paying for for it for about three years now and it's been worth every penny.
I could not live without Ancestry. And to me, it's worth every penny.
But ... a lot depends on where your research is. And what kind of resources exist for those areas. If it's foreign, it's not so valuable. I suggest you use it at the library (yes, it's the same version) for a while to get the feel of it, to see if it's going to be worth it for you. No doubt about it, it's not cheap. But genealogy isn't (or never used to be) cheap.
Check with your public library. Mine has a subscription to Heritage Quest, that I can access from home (they also have Ancestry, but I'd have to be in the library to use that one). And use FamilySearch. You might want to exhaust a lot of the free online sources before subscribing to Ancestry.
And yes, if you sign up with a credit card, as with pretty much anything you subscribe to online, they will automatically renew it. If you don't want to ... keep an eye on your "anniversary" date and cancel it before it arrives.
It can seem expensive but it's a great place to stash your family tree. I belong to Ancestry.co.uk and that would probably be a good thing for you to do for your Irish roots.
I did most of my research first hand but in Ancestry you can check things and import actual photos and copies of records.
Most of what I learned about family history was learned in online groups like GENUKI (for UK and Ireland). Even if you don't participate, just reading what those knowledgeable, experienced genealogists write, is educational. You can ask questions of them too. I didn't know where my grandfather was born when I first started --this was before Ancestry--but I found out overnight by asking in my group. Someone halfway across the world had access to the census and then someone else in another country noticed that the town was wrong! I never would have known and I might still be stuck.
I like Ancestry for keeping track of people and organizing it all. They do keep getting more and more data for you to use and since you are just starting out, that will be really helpful. Just don't forget to cite your sources, it's really important.
Wow--thanks to you all for your valuable advice, especially about paying by check, I hate hassling with credit charges.
I'll use it at the library and see how useful Ancestry is for me and if it's worth it to get it at home.
And also check about Heritage Quest and GENUKI.
The place I started putting my tree was familysearch.org because it was free, but some of those family links I'm dubious about and want to start again with what authentic sources.
I definitely think Ancestry is worth it, have been using it for the past 6 months, maybe a year now. It isn't exactly cheap but it gives you a couple benefits:
1) Though lots of the records Ancestry has can be found elsewhere, they compile it all into one location where you can easily search it all, their "hint" system also is quite valuable since it will automatically point out search results that might match your ancestor entered (like census records etc).
2) Linking to other peoples tree. Keep in mind nearly every single tree I've ever encountered on Ancestry or any other web location has some errors upon further digging. With that said you'll often get some good work already done by someone else and it gives you a good starting point to then verify and discover new info. In genealogy from anywhere (even from family who swear it's accuracy) *always* second (and third) guess it. Verify, verify, verify... Take anything with a grain of salt, especially someone elses Ancestry tree from ancestry.com. Again it can be helpful as well though.
3) I would highly recommend doing AncestryDNA... their updated ethnicity estimates are much improved (and contains some pretty good summarized historical info as well). But what you'll also get is cousin matches and you can cross-reference your tree to theirs, very useful. You can then import your DNA info to gedmatch.com and use deeper tools like chromosome painting, etc.
Personally I don't worry about recurring credit card (or debit card in my case) charges... Definitely a personal preference thing , but so many things work like that in this day and age... for example for me Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, Various MMOs as I bounce around, and my Photoshop subscription. Just be aware of when recurring charges will happen, it's definitely no secret you can look at that info in your account.
Totally worth it. I only had it for a few months, but I got to know more than enough.
Did hit a few dead ends (it's nearly worthless for Mexico, in my experience), but my wife was able to go back several centuries up her German line, and I was able to go back to the 16 or 1700s up my Scottish side.
I didn't notice any lack of information within the US -- nearly all of my established American family was from the Northeast. My wife's family plopped down in Pittsburgh, and pretty much never left, so it was pretty easy.
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