Accelerating Your Research Project - Continued

Over a Billion Names for less than a Dollar a day

When I mention Ancestry to people, many say "Oh, yeah they've got some nice census data, but not much else to help me so I don't subscribe." To which I say, "WHAT? They have over 3,000 databases online."

Aside from the data, one of the best things about an Ancestry subscription is that you can take it with you wherever you go. When you're visiting family and the subject of genealogy comes up, you can use their computer, login to Ancestry, and start researching on the spot!

I know I sound like a commercial, but many people don't realize just how much data you can get your hands on for less than a dollar a day.

Here are a few more interesting database in the Super Subscription collection...

Historical Newspaper Collection - Read history as it was happening in more than 3 million pages from over 200 different newspapers across the US, U.K. and Canada dating back to the 1700's. The full-text index and Advanced Image Viewer deliver highlighted search hits on every page.

United Empire Loyalists - The creation of the United States caused an exodus of loyal British subjects from the new Union to Canada. This well-known work, created under the auspices of the Canadian government, is a compilation of court records stemming from claims made by these Loyalists during the Revolutionary War. In these records, circumstances of thousands of individuals and families loyal to Great Britain are included, often with information about relatives, occupations, places of residence, business dealings, military action, migration to Canada, and more.

English Origins of American Colonists - Between 1903 and 1916 the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record published four abstracted works dealing with English ancestry of American colonists. These four works include records of wills for families during the 17th and 18th Centuries and uses English probate records and depositions. This compilation is particularly valuable to those with English ancestors who emigrated to the Colonies before the Revolutionary War.

Pennsylvania German Pioneers - This database contains the original lists of German pioneers who arrived at the port of Philadelphia from the years 1727 to 1808. These lists of early arrivals in Pennsylvania are significant because in none of the other ports of the American colonies, through which German settlers entered, were such lists prepared or preserved. In Philadelphia alone did the authorities insist on the preparation of careful and detailed lists of arrivals. About three hundred family associations, tracking their ancestry to these pioneers, meet annually in Pennsylvania.

Early UK & US Directories & Lists, 1680-1830 - This database was originally published under the name of Biography Database, 1680-1830 by Avero Publications, but Ancestry.com has renamed it online to help researchers better understand what it contains. The database is actually a massive collection of U.K. and U.S. biographical records, directories, and lists. The database makes available biographical sources that were previously too large and too dispersed for practical consultation. It also lets genealogists trace some individuals and families from birth to death, including everything in between, such as marriage, work, reading interests, offices, children, and social groups.

Now, these are just some of the major databases in the collection. Every day Ancestry adds a new database, usually a regional resource. You can review the list of genealogy databases posted or updated recently on their site. Think about this: by the time your Super Subscription runs out there will be over 300 more databases posted!

The bottom line is that you should pay to get the facts for your family tree, rather than waste your time scrolling through microfilm. And then spend quality time with your living relatives to build up the real family history -- actual stories about your ancestors. You'll never find them online and once your living relatives pass away, you'll never be able to retrieve them.

All this talk about databases makes me want to work on my own research. :-)