Getting Started - Databases 2

The other month I introduced you to Family Search, the free genealogical database offered through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how to me it is an excellent starting point for someone just beginning to climb their family's tree. I want to turn my attention this month to arguably the most popular, subscription genealogical database on the market today, Ancestry.

I have been using Ancestry as my database of choice since November of 2008 and I have amassed a primary research family tree of over 14,000 people. There is a certain excitement and expectation that courses through your entire body when you see that little green leaf appear next to someone special in your tree, perhaps it's that piece of their puzzle has eluded you for so long.

Ancestry is not a free site. Basic membership, which will give you access to Canadian records, is $14.99 (Can) per month. From their you can increase your reach by purchasing additional packages. My family heritage is Scot - Irish, with branches of the family extending into the United States of America. So once I wanted to seriously search for family branches in Scotland, Ireland and America, I needed to upgrade to a package that gave me access to pertinent records in the British Isles and the all of North America. As well, I knew that I'd also be looking into records in Continental Europe (French Canadian connections), South Africa and Australia I opted to sign up for the World Deluxe Membership which is double the monthly subscription costs of the Basic Canadian package, but it gave me access to more than 20 billion records from more than 80 countries.

Ancestry's database entry screens are relatively easy to load your information onto to start your tree. After reaching a certain era threshold, normally due to a country's privacy regulations for personal information, your tree will start to blossom with these little green leaves of potential leads. And, the more you add to your tree the more abundant the growth of foliage. The sheer mass of Ancestry users entering information produces a substantial pool of information that your tree actively searches against while you are active on line or not.

But, you need to be careful with accepting the information presented to you, something I found out the hard way when I was just beginning my exploration. Remember some of this information is coming from family histories that may or may not have been subjected to due diligence in the research. This is particularly true when reviewing Family Tree hints from others in Ancestry.

You will discover that the same base information can lead people to draw totally different conclusions. I remember getting so excited when I found a trail of leaves for my Maternal Grandmother's family that traced our lineage back to Ayrshire, Scotland in 1590. It was the farthest back I had been able to trace one of my primary roots and I took tremendous pride in my findings. Only years later while talking with a Second Cousin on that side of the family, did I find out it was very wrong. He had done extensive research on the Harper tree, including visits to Scotland and interviewing family members, and found out that somewhere along the line someone had veered left when they should have gone right. This misdirection was then picked up and shared by numerous others until it was universally accepted as gospel. I spent many weeks cycling back and deleting all the misleading records as I didn't want to spread the misinformation any further now that I had learned the truth.

You also need to be careful when reviewing documentation (Census, Birth Notices, Death Notices, Voters Lists, etc.) presented as potentially associated with someone in your tree. Being descendant from a long line of Scots, I see many notices for events related to Archibald Campbell that if true would have seen him born, living and dying in every parish in Scotland.

Next month I'll provide some tips on reviewing the information you'll find in some the documentation that will pop up in your genealogical travels.