Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com is a wonderful site with all kinds of information.

I mostly use the census records. Here are some scenarios with census records:

1. When you locate the name you are researching it will have the head of household, wife, children, and others living in the household. It’s very helpful when there is a mother/father or in-law. Sometimes someone will be listed as a boarder/lodger but is really a relative.

Also, with the names, they kill Kanaka names so make sure you click on a name even if it’s spelled incorrectly. Over time you’ll learn how to spot the usual spelling errors. It’s horrendous! but I’m grateful for the site anyway.

I usually like to look at how many years a couple was married, if it was their 2nd or 3rd marriage, how many children the woman had and how many are living.

I also like to look at the road they lived on and their surrounding neighbors because many times relatives lived in one area.

These are all clues to your research. When I’ve exhausted the census I’ll look into the family tree posts, obituaries, social security and sometimes they even have birth information. Click on everything and explore the vast information that Ancestry.com has.

There is a fee depending on what kind of membership you subscribe to but you can also get a free 14 day trial.

If you go for the free trial make sure to cancel your subscription before the due date or they’ll charge your credit card on file.

Here is the link to the free trial: Free 14 day trial

There you will also find the different membership fees.