I have been asked how best to use the Internet for genealogical purposes. Because of the enormity of that resource, at best I can only make a few suggestions; those, the same suggestions I make to my classes. Though one day there will be zillions of such, there now are VERY few basic research sources yet available on the net, and the words of other researchers, while often well considered and from adequate sources, are NOT basic research. Those on the net who supposedly have information should be believed ONLY to the extent they have sources for what they say and will share those sources with you. I personally look upon the net as a vast telephone system accessing a million people, and only to the extent that I would believe a stranger on the phone would I rely on ANY information from a stranger I might find on the net. Remember, you do not need - NOR WANT - the guesses of anybody, not even your own. Next, you should first go to the Internet state and county archives, libraries, and historical and genealogical societies websites for the area of the last whereabouts of an ancestral line of which you have knowledge. Make a list of what sources are available there, and also carefully note what is NOT there. It is those materials NOT available on the net that specifically must be gleaned from others who are researching the same area and lines. If a website provides a specific reliable source, use it; if it does not, make a note that you yet must access that information somewhere else. However you proceed, whether on the net or otherwise, you MUST pursue and research all of the major categories of records not yet on the net; namely, courthouses, libraries/archives, churches, and veterans' and privately held records. The Internet is, at best, a ready source of direct contact with records and people, however only by learning what is NOT there, and then pursuing those sources, just as you did before the Inet existed, is it possible to use the net effectively as a tool. As said so often, the net is but ONE tool of many, varies immensely in reliability, and the principles of good research are not in any way changed by the existence of that new source. So, research as you always have, use what few reliable records the net now provides, and listen with tongue-in-cheek to the words of others that are not presented to you with a quotable and RELIABLE source. Good luck. Paul

Good wisdom, Paul. When I first started, I took the word of researchers as fact, especially when they were so adament about it. I find now that even the DAR is often in error, libraries & societies may have wrong information, and even the primary sources may be in error due to inept, naive or maleducated clerks of the day. I usually take microfilm or photocopies of primary documents (such as census, will books, court record books, original wills, etc.) to be equivalent to the primary document, but even these may be forged or contain erroneous information. Main point: document the source or reference. Just like you learned to do on high school research papers. Mark Paul Drake wrote: > > I have been asked how best to use the Internet for genealogical purposes. Because of the enormity of that resource, at best I can only make a few suggestions; those, the same suggestions I make to my classes. > > Though one day there will be zillions of such, there now are VERY few basic research sources yet available on the net, and the words of other researchers, while often well considered and from adequate sources, are NOT basic research. Those on the net who supposedly have information should be believed ONLY to the extent they have sources for what they say and will share those sources with you. I personally look upon the net as a vast telephone system accessing a million people, and only to the extent that I would believe a stranger on the phone would I rely on ANY information from a stranger I might find on the net. Remember, you do not need - NOR WANT - the guesses of anybody, not even your own. > > Next, you should first go to the Internet state and county archives, libraries, and historical and genealogical societies websites for the area of the last whereabouts of an ancestral line of which you have knowledge. Make a list of what sources are available there, and also carefully note what is NOT there. It is those materials NOT available on the net that specifically must be gleaned from others who are researching the same area and lines. If a website provides a specific reliable source, use it; if it does not, make a note that you yet must access that information somewhere else. > > However you proceed, whether on the net or otherwise, you MUST pursue and research all of the major categories of records not yet on the net; namely, courthouses, libraries/archives, churches, and veterans' and privately held records. > > The Internet is, at best, a ready source of direct contact with records and people, however only by learning what is NOT there, and then pursuing those sources, just as you did before the Inet existed, is it possible to use the net effectively as a tool. As said so often, the net is but ONE tool of many, varies immensely in reliability, and the principles of good research are not in any way changed by the existence of that new source. > > So, research as you always have, use what few reliable records the net now provides, and listen with tongue-in-cheek to the words of others that are not presented to you with a quotable and RELIABLE source. Good luck. Paul > > ==== VASURRY Mailing List ==== > Don't forget to check out the Surry County, Virginia, Historical Society > http://www.rootsweb.com/~vaschsm/Index.html > List Mistress is Eve Gregory egregory20@earthlink.net > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 -- Mark A. Murphy TiAER Laboratory Manager "Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."-Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.