Ancestry.com Review

www.ancestry.com

Overall 3.89 of 5 view all 18 reviews

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Eyerater
Fort Myers, FL

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You get out what you are willing to put in...

curious by nature, daily computer user, a researcher, into the web, a creative, a man, a writer

Pros

Always adding information, Premier genealogy website, Vast database of resources

Cons

Not for the dilitante, Requires time and dedication, Monthly subscription fee

JUN

2008

I have been doing genealogical research on and off for many years - maybe 15 or more. I have subscribed to various web research services. Somehow, Ancestry.com is one of the survivors, as many others have closed. For lack of revenue, I presume.

Ancestry.com has served me well. Its only real shortcoming has been my shortcomings. Unless you have a lot of time to devote to your search, you will run out of subscription before you complete your searches.

You also need to pay for the service after the trial period. We get used to getting free stuff on the web and we presume that is the way it is supposed to be. Perhaps. But searching census records, baptismal records, obituaries, marriage records and birth records all over the world is not penny candy. Not to mention that the output you receive is only as good as the input from you and from the sources.

If a census taker spelled a name wrong or a transcriber made an error in transferring it from handwritten to digital, you will get an imperfect or non-response.

If a name was changed when an ancestor emigrated to the US, or wherever, you will have to do some detective work to find the person you are looking for.

Also, some records that exist in national archives, e.g. Canada, have not yet been digitized for web searchers. Others have. You never know until you try and, in the spirit of the Web, do work-arounds.

Given that, a free trial is seductive and using it can become addictive. Duh. I bet that's why they offer it.

If you pursue your genealogical objective diligently, Ancestry.com is an excellent resource. Individual searches can be expensive. An annual subscription, however, is not exorbitant, if you use it regularly.

And, after all, someone has to be paid for the work required to post all this data up where it can be searched for and often found.

William "wecommends" Ancestry.com to serious genealogy seekers. Others would be better off to save their money and try it again in 10 years.