Thing #4 - Online Resources

Ancestry Library Edition is a valuable resource. I did a quick search using my Grandfather's name and was able to find him in the 1920 Census (at age 14), in 1930 (at age 24), and in the U.S. Phone and Address Directories, 1993-2002 (at his last address. Interestingly, he died twenty years prior to the first year of this directory. I guess my Grandmother just left his name in the phone book instead of changing it to her own name). Since my Great Grandfather's name was the same as my Grandfather's, I found a number of records for him as well. If I had not already known his father's name (my GGGrandfather), the 1900 Census would have provided that bit of information. GGrandfather's World War II Registration card shows his home address, his profession, his employer, his date of birth, his wife's full name, and has his actual signature on it. That is a wealth of information! All from a simple search of his first and last name. The Stories & Publications and Photos & Maps tabs came up empty on my search and that was a little disappointing.

The forms that can be downloaded from Ancestry L.E. are excellent. They are perfect for the beginning genealogist and veteran alike. Those available in an Adobe PDF format are:

• Ancestral Chart - the family tree
• Research Calendar - to track the sources searched
• Research Abstract - to summarize long source content
• Correspondence Record - to keep track of those you write
• Family Group Sheet - to group spouses and their offspring
• Source Summary - easy reference to sources used
• US Census Forms - gives column headings for each census done and a place to record family information from each census
• UK Census Forms - same as US but for the United Kingdom
• Canadian Census Forms - same as US but for Canada

My final evaluation is that Ancestry Library Edition is a useful tool for all aspiring genealogists. The commercial version offers several additional advanced search options, storage of family tree information & photos, and a wider variety of publications; but the price is substantially more for an individual than the free access they can get at the library.