Keeping in touch with your entire family can be a daunting task depending on the size of your tree. It is easy to lose track of your family lineage and oftentimes we have no idea who we are related to anymore! For many of us, it is hard to trace anyone past two or three generations. If you ever wonder what or who lies beyond that, perhaps you should consider looking into genealogy search engines.
Before turning to searchengines, however, try doing some of your own genealogical research. Write down information of living relatives, such as birth date and place, marital information, and the names of their spouses and their relatives. Another step you should take is going to your local public library to find out what types of records they hold and what types of books can help familiarize you on research process. Another helpful resource is local genealogical societies, which cost little but offer a lot of useful information. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) also possess tons of regional and Federal records, including censuses that sometimes date all the way back to the 18 th century.
Genealogy search engines work to combine these resources in order to give you the maximum amount of ancestral information with just the click of the mouse and a small membership fee. Genealogical websites offer you a chance to create your own account and record all of the information you find on any relative you choose to look up. You can also install software to create your own family tree with your new information. This can help better organize your findings and ensures more accurate research. For around $150, you can even purchase chromosome tests from genealogical search engines to guarantee relationships by comparing DNA samples.
Like all things pertaining to the Internet, beware of false advertising and scams. Beware of spam mail that offers a five-day trial period to browse their “online research library.” You could actually be paying $50 to access websites that you could have visited for free or the company could not even exist and are simply out to earn a quick buck from unknowing clients who are simply trying to find distant relatives.
Unfortunately because of the many grey areas involving the laws of the Internet, charging money for using a website that simply contains links to other free and public websites is more than likely legal. These false websites come and go, so make sure you look into the website before making any commitments. Cindilist.com is a good (and free) place to start when searching through all the genealogy search engines out there. It can also point you in the right direction when learning how to conduct your own research. It also contains a lot of in-depth information pertaining to the various types of genealogy scams and hoaxes out there. Generally, advertisements for genealogy search engines come from spam or junk mail, offer a free trial period but still require credit card information, has no customer service link, and emails sent to the company bounce back.
Keep this in mind while conducting your research. This is not to say that all genealogy search engines are unreliable. There are many legitimate websites who are committed to helping clients with their search and who contain tons of valid genealogical information. But there are a lot that aren’t either.
By Kelley Caner