Telling someone you've just met that you're a professional genealogist can yield interesting reactions. We've gotten responses like:
"What does that mean?" or
"Cool!" or
"Huh?"
But one we've heard more than once is:
“Isn’t all that stuff on Ancestry nowadays?”
While it's true that the ever-increasing number of digitized records available today has made some aspects of genealogical research faster and easier than ever before, it has also created some problems. The ease of creating and finding user trees at sites like Ancestry has resulted in the proliferation of a substantial amount of incorrect information.
Well-meaning amateur genealogists often add "facts" to family trees without verifying or providing sources. They frequently mistake people with the same or similar names and create profiles for ancestors that are thoroughly inaccurate. It's not surprising to see women in these trees having children in their 60s and 70s, men having children when they were children, children who are clearly duplicates appearing multiple times...
The "ease of use" that makes Ancestry a wonderful tool has also resulted in those mistakes being copied over and over again by additional users. In fact, seeing “Ancestry Family Trees” listed as the only “source” in a profile on Ancestry is an indication that all the information contained therein is purely hypothetical.
The only source stated for this ancestor’s facts is another user’s family tree. None of this information is credible. A birth date should be supported by a birth record, a family bible, a church record–even a census record, obituary, or tombstone inscription. The best source is a primary source—one created by a person who experienced the event when or immediately after it happened.
Ancestry is still one of the best places to begin a genealogical project, though, and that’s exactly what RootsBound does. We create trees for all of our clients in Ancestry, largely because it is user friendly and it provides an extensive collection of digitized records, allowing us to easily collect and share information.
However, as RootsBound abides by the Genealogical Proof Standard, our research consists only of facts supported by credible sources. We conduct original research, using primary sources wherever possible, and document extensively what sources were used.
“So where do you get our information?”
Lots of places! The first place any genealogical project should start is by interviewing the living. We always begin projects by asking you what you know, and using that information to create what we call a Quick Tree.
Quick Trees are built by gathering vital records (birth, marriage, and death) and census records at sites like Ancestry and FamilySearch. We identify your ancestors as far back as we can before hitting any “brickwalls,” or places where it isn’t immediately evident who an ancestor’s parents were. Once this Quick Tree is built, we typically have a general idea of where your ancestors lived over the last 100-200 years.
We then research the specific countries, regions, cities, counties/parishes, and townships where your ancestors lived to understand the origins and histories of those particular places. We make note of boundary changes and conflicts, and—most importantly—the availability of all different kinds of records in those specific places so that no one wastes any time searching for a record that doesn’t exist.
We compile lists of resources that we can utilize for these geographical areas, such as:
Local libraries (public, university, special collections)
Local historical and genealogical societies
County histories; specifically, historical accounts of county formations written by historians, typically published in the late 1800s-early 1900s
Local newspapers
Registers of deeds (where and how land records can be accessed)
Local churches, cemeteries, and funeral homes
Historic maps, such as Sanborn fire insurance maps
City directories
Land grant applications, surveys, patents, etc.
All of this information allows us to then conduct deep research, going back further and further in time, expanding our search into more niche repositories.
Often we join and pay for memberships in local historical or genealogical societies in the towns where your ancestors lived so that we can access their historical newsletters and files that are available only to members. We may even reach out to and hire specialists in particular areas for additional research support, particularly if there are language barriers.
On occasion, if a client has taken a DNA test and is interested, we use their DNA matches to go back even further. Modern DNA tests at AncestryDNA and 23andMe can sometimes allow a person to trace their lineage back 6-8 generations.
Ordering a custom family history book from RootsBound Genealogy is a journey of discovery. Our team researches your ancestors, the towns they called home, and the times in which they lived in order to create for you a one-of-a-kind heirloom that tells the story of how you and your family came to be.
So far, no one who has seen the finished products has asked us if we found everything on Ancestry.
Some of the things our clients have said:
“This is incredible.”
“I can’t believe this.”
“I just wish my father could have seen this.”
“You guys change people’s lives.” “I don’t know how to thank you, but thank you.”
Want to learn what stories your ancestors have to tell? Find out what we can do for you.
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