Ancestry.com Online tools for your Ireland roots: What Works and What Doesn't This time around, we are going to take a close look at some of the most popular internet genealogy help sites. This summary will dig a little deeper into some of the tested advantages and disadvantages and tips of each. We mentioned a few websites previous, or the institutions in Ireland they highlight and represent -- to review for instance The National Library Dublin, or the Public Records Office Northern Ireland -- typically offering some form of catalog to original holdings, and growing digital collections. This time, however, we will examine and review a few independent research tools, which many use to submerse themselves into a comprehensive record search, both for information from the States and Ireland and world wide research. Users flock to these websites, some with a pricey subscription, to mine materials they have anticipated through analysis elsewhere, to do index searches, to network with other fellow researchers, or to get assistance and advise. The internet serves as a powerful international portal, and preparation referencing, without having to physically travel or check in with numerous depositories. But they are not end alls in Irish American heritage research. They are simply methods and means to gather useful biographical information and perhaps network with your known relatives. Ancestry.com is arguably one of the most active and perhaps largest social networking and preservation site online for genealogy studies. Surprisingly, it's Ireland portion is small to modest, perhaps from lack of initiative. Ancestry.com is not going to do your pedigree for you, although in many ways it claims and attempts to. One of the biggest misconceptions about the user submitted materials on the site, is that they are submitted by relatives, or that they are accurate -- neither of which can be counted on. Many institutions and companies have partnered with Ancestry to digitize actual material, or to distribute for access their own collections. The National Archives Records Administration for instance, the custodian for former U.S.Census, Land, and Military Service Records, has made many of their materials available through Ancestry, including the recent released 1940 U.S.Census in conjunction with Fold3 (their preservation wing). They also have recently partnered with Findagrave.com, Facebook.com, and Irelandxo.com, as well as ProGenealogists.com, to integrate information, personal collections, networking, and expertise. In addition to a multitude of index searchable government documents, city directories, and vital records, the collection has the landmark Griffiths Valuation for Ireland 1848-1864, the Tithe Applotment Books 1823-1837, and Civil Registrations 1864-1958. These three record groups are probably the largest and most searched sources for Ireland Ancestors. There are a number of other fair sized collections which can be accessed by using the Card Catalog tab, and searching for "Ireland". A select list includes: Famine Relief Commission Papers 1844-1847, Dublin and Northern Ireland Will and Marriage indexes, 275thousand Catholic Parish Baptisms 1742-1881, and Catholic Parish Marriages and Banns 1742-1884. Perhaps a few lookers might hit upon one of the smaller specialty database publications, perhaps: A history of the Protestant Downeys of the counties of Sligo, Leitrim, Fermanagh & Donegal & their descendants; An Alphabetical Index to Ulster Emigrants to Philadelphia 1803-1850; History of the clan O'Toole (tua uatau) and other Leinster septs; The Wolfes of Forenaghts : Blackhall, Baronrath, Co. Kildare, Tipperary, Cape of Good Hope. Names in all these documents and publications are indexed and searchable, and can be narrowed by collection, but the actual information provided in each may be minimal, and should not be considered geographically comprehensive nor coverage complete . In addition to all the above transcriptions and pageimages, of equal interest is the large pool of personal submissions of user databases of individual family history, pedigrees, and genealogies, hyperlinked and indexed with details, and e-messaging to facilitate contacting the potential "cousin" for further curiosity. Unfortunately, this aspect of the site is the worse as far as accuracy, security, and ease of searching. Overall the search engine of the site is horrible. Even when presented the option of filters by year, place, name, spouse, and keyword, etc., the results as given are ridiculously unproductive. Usually you will get thousands of entries, and have to page by page, click and go back, through each index link, to sift through the massive amount of data online. You can not search by database name, and you can not sort the list after filtering. In fact the submittor's username is not even visible until you click into their database. Repeating the search, to return another day, is just as cumbersome. Information available ranges from the well organized to the bare bones, the majority without references, sources, or documentation -- and the bulk of which are error prone or outright factually mangled. The reason for these flaws is because many are simply re-collections of wrong information found elsewhere in the system, and "automatically" appended on to another database through a faulty automated "hint" calculator program ap. Some members have gone out of their way to collect boatloads of unsubstantiated garbage generations simply for the sake of showing off a huge database. Others publish lines of distant inlaws, unrelated inquiries, or novices, carried ad infinitum, without a real interest, scrutiny, logic, or personal security -- the data is rife for use of identity theft. Thankfully, there is a toggle option to make your online tree private, but then why put it on a public site to begin with. In the Private mode, others would only see an isolation individual, with no intergenerational connections to match the correct parents, spouse, or children. Others may still use the information to build their own tree, and some may have done so already. And regardless, there are other big-brother tracking mechanisms that list every search you processed, every document you download, and aspects which tell others what you are researching, what documents you save, and informs others if you have added their data. Think through the pro and cons before jumping into this inviting front page feature. In any case, none of the above can be obtained with out a significant monthly or annual fee. There is an option for a free 14 day trial, so if you are organized and prepared, you can set aside an intensive research block to quickly gather as much as you can in the allotted time. Dont expect userpostings to answer you promptly within that period, because they may no longer be full members anymore either. Their forwarding notice may be received as "junk mail", they may look at email infrequently, or their email may have changed addresses all together. If you do luckily hear from someone, they may know less than you, may be hesitant in sharing with a stranger, and may not have any time money or active interest in actually helping trace that distant branch verifiably anyway. Nevertheless, one can not overlook the positive results -- access to important and useful documents which might take years in libraries and microfilms, clues and theories from others for possible analysis, and the periodic success stories of meeting distant relatives who have verified expansion biographical information or new perspectives that your branch of the family tree was previously not aware. You might even meet some truthful new "cousin" a distant relative still in Ireland! =welcome>about>help>back(to"help")>NEXT: here

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