January 10, 2025
I’ve written about online family trees in the past, but I think they’re worth revisiting. In fact, that’s exactly what I do when I pursue my own research. Periodically, I search various online family trees for my ancestors.
There are family trees on lots of websites including My Heritage, Find My Fast, American Ancestors and lots more. My favorites are the Family Search group-researched Family Tree and Ancestry’s Public Member Trees. I’ve used these databases for decades, and I’m familiar with how they work. In addition, both contain huge numbers of names. This means that you are likely to find at least a few trees for almost anyone you are looking for.
Although some people deride them for their errors, online trees are a good way to begin a research project. If you find a tree for someone, it can jumpstart your research. You may find birth and death dates that you hadn’t known. Even better, many family trees, especially the Family Search one, contain copies of original sources.
Even when I’m not actively researching a specific line or person, I occasionally check family trees. You never know when new information or even new trees will have been posted. I’ve found dates and names and places on trees that helped me break down long standing brick walls.
Family trees do come with a drawback. Trees can be filled with misinformation. Once incorrect data is posted online, it takes on a life of its own. Some researchers copy trees without checking their validity. Twenty years ago, no one knew the parents of my third great grandmother Elizabeth May Terry. She was one of those ancestors who apparently beamed down to earth from outer space. Back then, someone on one of the message boards suggested that William and Ellen May from County Carlow, Ireland were her family since they had a daughter named Elizabeth. That suggestion has since spread throughout the internet, and hundreds of trees now show it as a fact.
Since then, several researchers have proven through church records, a family record book, and records from Canada that Peter and Sarah May from Portadown, Northern Ireland were Elizabeth’s parents. A few trees show Elizabeth’s real parents, but more still show her parents as William and Ellen, people who had no relation to her.
Information on the internet never goes away, no matter how often it is debunked. Before you add any information from an online family tree to your own tree, remember that. Online trees are great sources of clues. I refer to them often. Just be sure to verify everything you find.
Carol Stetser
Researcher
Larimer County Genealogical Society