1. Online Research http://ancestry.com/library/view/ancmag/4786.asp http://ancestry.com/library/view/ancmag/4786.asp Nothing has revolutionized genealogy like the internet. It has it’s pitfalls. Often lacks the proof needed to make sound conclusions. Internet is not a shortcut for sound research. Use the same guidelines that apply to paper and pencil research when using the internet. 6 steps to online research.

2. Step 1: Develop an Objective Clearly define your research objective. It is easy to get side tracked with one site after another. Keep your objective in front of you at all times. – Name of the individual you are researching, with all name variations you can think of – List all known information you have on the individual. (vital statistics)

3. Step 2: Develop a Search Strategy Problem – where do I begin There are two “Internets” Civilized and Wilderness – Civilized – sites that have placed genealogical data online for users to search for specific names. Some of these sites charge a fee. Some have a free trial period. – Wilderness – consists of data that has been placed on the Internet by individuals who have made their research available. Start with the Civilized sites

4. Observations about name searching Use full name including the middle name – If no space for a middle name use a space and then the middle name in the first name field If given the opportunity to use Soundex, take advantage of it Enter as much information as possible – Specify state, date range, even parents Return to the sites frequently as more data is added constantly Keep a research log, noting the exact name spelling and what you found

5. Civilized Research Use of Ancestry.com, Genealgoy.com, and FamilySearch.org Ancestry.com search for Charles and Willard – 1,954 hits w/census, vital and church records, compiled genealogy – Added the middle name of Morse and yielded 2 hits, in the Biography and History. – Checked the sites and found them to be related, had reference to Daughter of American Revolution Books. They learned the parents and dates they lived and other clues

6. Genealogy.com entered Charles Morse Willard – This search ignored the middle name – Found 941 hits Familysearch.org entered Charles Willard – Left parent field empty and place empty – Results showed 137 hits – None were related

7. Wilderness Search There is no shortage of search engines, use your favorite ones – Examples: MSN, AOL, Lycos, Hotbot, Altavista, Webcrawler, Excite, Nothernlight, Google Conduct different searches using different name variations Enclose names in Quote Marks. This instructs the search engines to locate the words together on the same web page Conduct the search with the key words in reverse order Try the same search on different search engines

8. Example of 3 search engins

9. Step 3: Investigate Every Lead All it takes is one success and the time spent is well worthwhile. Web searches can lead you to a person who has already done a lot of research Someone else could already have a GEDCOM out there. Remember to check for accuracy before merging into your data! Follow the Spirit and the promptings you get!

10. Step 4: Record your Information Keep Pedigree and Family Group sheets handy to record what you find. If you find web sites and don’t want to hand copy, use the PrtSc key to copy and paste into your word processor

11. Step 5: Document your Sources Document the same way you do when doing research by hand Write down the web address, or better yet copy and paste it to your word processor Keep an accurate research log with all sources

12. Step 6: Verify Your Information Take the time to verify what you find. Look for their sources When we do not verify the source and information we are adding to the errors that other can be making. The Internet has changed how Genealogy is done, but it is one more tool for us to use.