Other routes to family tree
Your article on genealogy (“Looking back in time,” Sept. 7) left a lot out. First off ancestry.com is a paid site. Rootsweb (rootsweb.ancestry.com) is a free site with free search engines. Millions of people have their genealogies posted there. USGENWEB (usgenweb.org) allows free search of records by state.
You can download a free genealogy program at FamilySearch (familysearch.org/eng/default.asp) and search records for free. They also have overseas records.
Cherokee ancestors? Ask the very nice Cherokees in North Carolina at (rootsweb.ancestry.com/ncqualla /sources.htm). Also check Cyndi’s list.
Take family stories with a grain of salt. Dates are misrembered, names get scrambled, places of birth and death get lost or confused. Even death certificates can’t be trusted.
Use census, church, marriage and land records. Remember not all your ancestors were born in wedlock and families try to hide that along with criminal records.
Have patience. Document everything and post your gencom online in case your computer crashes. It takes years to find some people so ask for help. Don’t assume everything someone gives you is correct. Research. Have fun!
Judith M. Jones
Spokane