Another reason why I love genealogy...

**Schultz** · 15th February 06, 09:18 AM

I've found that ancestry.com is definitely worth the money. To get a good idea of what they have to offer, try your local county library, first. They may have a subscription to the "library" edition, which gives you access to about 2/3 of what the private paid subscription has. You can access all the census information as well as getting hooked into the "World Family Tree", which can save hours upon hours of research because you just may run into a distant cousin who has done most of the research already!

As a caveat, don't take people's words for it. If they have a date, try to find their source. On my father's side, I've always thought that the first Beck in America was named John Wendelinus of Angsfeld, Bayern, because that's what my uncle, who did alot of research, always told me. I went back to his sources (namely the church records of SS. Peter and Paul in Cumberland, MD) and found out that he was mistaken, somehow. His name was Wendelnius Georg of Nuedlingen, Bayern (aka Wendel). My uncle somehow confused Wendel's info with his wife's and son's and produced a hybrid that had no papertrail. Wendelinus Georg, however, has quite a papertrail and I've been able to pinpoint where he came in and his true birthplace. Unfortunately, I can't share this with my uncle as he passed a few years ago. I'm sure he would have loved to know I got past the brick wall, even if it was his fault! ALWAYS double-check sources.

I've found that most people doing genealogy are more than helpful in coughing up sources as long as you ask. Sharing what you have is always a plus, too.

In conclusion, ancestry.com is worth it, but check your library and see if they have free access to the library edition of ancestry.com and possibly the ProQuest software.

**macwilkin** · 15th February 06, 09:44 AM

Sound advice, Schultz, especially about visiting the local public library. Beside subscriptions to Ancestry and HeritageQuest, the local library's genealogy section should have access to a plethora of other resources, both online and in print. A local genealogical/historical society might also have a good research library, although these are usually restricted to members only.

Libraries generally offer training sessions on a wide variety of genealogical topics, from military records to tracing your Native American ancestor. They are generally free and one would be wise to take advantage of such help!

Document, Document, Document! Genealogists do not suffer fools, especially ones with nothing to back up their claims.

Good luck!

Todd

**former local history/genealogy librarian, Springfield-Greene Co. (Mo) Library

**KiltedCodeWarrior** · 15th February 06, 10:48 AM

Schultz and Todd,

Thanks! I will start at the library. I have some information already, and one of my uncles has traced the roots back to Dundee and Montrose in Angus (did I say that right?), Scotland. His information if mainly from a family bible and I don't know if he did the due diligence to verify through SS, census, immigration records, etc..

Then on the other side, I have some good details going back 2-3 generations, but am still working on that.

And on my other side, there is basically my father's info about his parents and grandparents, and a little about the great-grandparents, but I do have some SSN numbers.

And on the final side, my wife's heritage, her father has gathered some good current info, but not much going back, other than names and some dates.

This is a fascinating subject.

**Schultz** · 15th February 06, 11:05 AM

Fascinating, indeed!

The real funny thing is that before I started poking around, very little was known about my mother's side before, say, her grandparents.

Now I have so much more documentation on her side than I ever dreamed. One thing I will suggest is to not limit your research to electronic resources, but pick up books relating to the area of the family group you are researching. It's amazing what you can find in, say, an old, forgotten book about the centennial of a little town in western Maryland about your family.

Good luck!