Do those Ancestry sites really work? You know the ones that look for you past relatives?

Question

I just dont know how they can possibly find all of your past relatives with the limit resources they had back then. I mean how far back does it go? And im blk, so my ancestors were slaves, so you know they couldnt careless about who gave birth to this slave and that slave...

Answer 1

Ancestry has the U.S. Censuses for example. Your relatives would be there using surnames in the 1870 Census and on. If you find a relative living in the south after the Civil War, perhaps, it is a clue as to the plantation they lived on. Or, the area where that plantation was located.

At that point you can work on finding those plantation's records and yes, there are records. Last names aren't included, but if you have some information, you can deduce who your family would be on an inventory.

If you had relatives who fought in WWI or WWII, you may find information on them on ancestry.com

Are you aware that the Freedman's Bureau bank records are available? You may have had a relative who had an account. The Freedman's Bureau assisted former slaves. These records are not online, but if you give me the surname and possible locations, I can check on the disk that I have here.

If nothing else, please do not think that there are no records due to the fact that your ancestors were slaves. There are all kinds of records out there. Heck, Oprah did a whole special on this and found out that here ggrandfather? or gggrandfather not only owned a bit of property, but put a school on it. Keep in mind that her relatives were just ordinary folks and not mega stars.

So, if you are really into the idea of trying to put together a family tree, it is possible. Alex Haley did and he didn't even have computers available.

Good luck on your search and if you decide edit your question to include your earliest family surnames and locations for your family, I will check the Freedman's Bureau Records for you. :-)

Answer 2

Ancestry.com and other web sites like it, as the other posters have explained, point researchers in a particular direction, but they need to know at least a little bit about their families in the beginning. Start asking older relatives questions about relationships and events. If they can furnish any written records, such as a family bible, birth and marriage certificates, and labeled photos, that will be a big help.

US Census records are perhaps the most verifiable records that Ancestry.com furnishes, but they are also available separately either on the Internet or through any local public or university library that has a government document section. Census records actually don't start naming individual family members, complete with their estimated birth dates, until 1850, so African Americans shouldn't feel too far behind if they can't find any Census records until 1870. This is about the cut off point in most white families as well since most don't have family Bible records past about their great-grandparents and must rely on statements, such as, "Grandma says that we have Indian blood." From about 1870 on, however, it should be comparatively easy to find census records until 1930 (the last date for which Census records are currently available). Ancestry.com also furnishes Social Security and birth and marriage links, but to really understand this information, researchers need to know at least some of their family's history.

Answer 3

The sites are only as good as the people who download their information on them. I have found mistakes on some of my lines and notified the people or did post-its so others would have the correct information. The sites don't do the research, you do.

As far as the slave issue, I have done quite a bit of research in Putnam Co, WV and when they started keeping records back in the 1850s, I saw quite a few records on slaves born and listed under the owner's name (I hate that term but you get my drift) so you might be surprised at what some court houses might have. In this case it gave the mother's name but I don't remember if a father's name was listed or not but it's been a while so I can't say for sure.

Your best bet is to talk with all the older people in your family and start taking notes on what they can remember. If you don't have Family Tree Maker, get one and start recording your information with you as Number One on the list and start branching your family back.

Then if you can, go to the county court houses and see what you can find. If you have names of the "owner", look for land records, too, and any birth and death records. In the bigger cities you aren't always given access to the books but in the smaller areas, you can dig through on your own. Also look for the will books. Many times the slaves are listed as bequeathed to the wife or the son or many times it says they are freed upon their death.

It probably won't be an easy journey but then, you might be surprised at some of the information you can dig up, too.

Also find the Genealogical Society in each county and see what history you can get from them. They have been a weath of information when my cousins and I were researching and many times we were able to get ahold of county history books that had some good information in them.

Have fun and be patient. Sometimes you find them and sometimes you don't. I still have some branches that are hanging and one in particular has been researched by a bunch of people and no one has been able to find out where he came from or who his family was. There are brick walls out there so don't get too frustrated, start working on another branch and see what you can find.

Good luck

Answer 4

The sites don't magically know everything about everyone. They only present the groups of records from all sorts of public, religious and private sources. It's up to each person to figure out which records belong to their ancestors and follow the trail back as far as it will go. African Americans actually have an easier time researching on the internet than do people with Spanish, French or Belgian ancestry...there's almost nothing to work from if your ancestors came from any of those countries between 1776-1900.

Answer 5

You'll find ancestors then on the historical record at least after the Civil War, for instance 1870 through 1930 census. If your ancestors were northern you may find them on census as free blacks from 1790 forward - I have documented one family myself. Cemeteries have headstones. So yes genealogy online "works". But none of us expect to find everything we want and need online because it's not all there.

Answer 6

Ancestry.com was a goldmine for me! They let people list their own fanmily trees and you can find your ancestors/relatives from them. Very easy to use and a great source of information!