How did you get interested in genealogy?

How does the Internet compare with print sources for researching a genealogy?

"When I left [the Library of Michigan] I found that because I work full time, I couldn't find free time to go back and do the research I wanted to do. I put things aside for a long periond of time. But as the information started appearing on the Internet, I found I could do it in my spare time from home. "

How do genealogists collaborate on the Web?

"...There are a number of sites where you can post a query about your family or a name you're researching. And it's gotten so specific now that one of the family lines I'm following now is Springer. And there's a Web site for just querries about the name 'Springer.' That doesn't mean that you're going to find somebody who has your same family line. But at least everybody is looking at your same name. And you'd be surprised at how specific those are. You may get a direct response on that site or you may get a personal e-mail asking you a few more questions to see if there's a match up.

My husband's family is Holt and they came over very early in the 1600s and I get people who write to me and say 'hi cuz.' The relationship with family name goes back generations, but you're still long lost family to them."

What are some of the best sources for genealogists?

"Since we're in Michigan, I would have to mention the Library of Michigan's genealogy collection. It isn't just books. They put out a lot of documents on how to get started on a genealogy. If you visit their Web site they have the forms genealogists use as well as links to bibiliographies they've put together. One of them that's on the Web is the 50 Best Michigan Genealogy Resources. So if you were planning to visit the library you could do some research from home...One book I really like is 'the Source' it has an overview of everything in the world related to genealogy...

The most important thing about doing any kind of genealogical research, whether it's on the Web or in paper is that you have got to prepare. You have to read about how the genealogical world works. You need to have a name, a date and a place to begin your research. And usually what they tell you is get that pedigree chart to start with. Use pencil because you're going to make mistakes in beginning and talk to people in your family who can answer questions. And you start with yourself and then you start working backwards. And you look for those little links to make each jump back to an earlier generation.

The most interesting thing that I've found is that when Guttenberg started the new information age with books, prior to that time people wrote everything down and they made mistakes. So we think, we've got books and there are less mistakes. Now we've almost taken a step backwards on the Web because you don't know who was the scribe, who put that information in there. It's one of the reasons that I like to use sites that are genearlly accepted by a large number of people. Or I can say it's a librarian who has chosen the material."

What are some tips for starting Web-based research?

"There are a number of sites that are excellent. One of them that's always referred to is Cyndi's list. It's updated all the time and you can ask to be notified any time an area is update. It's a comprehensive selection of genealogical resources worldwide.

The other one that has been really helpful to me is the US GenWeb project. It's a grassroots project done by volunteers. And what they're doing is actual transcriptions of public domain records online for each county in the United States. And now there's even a GenWeb project worldwide."

What presence do the Mormons have on the Web?

Are there any cautions you would give people doing genealogy on the Internet?

"Some of the sites like family treemaker have made it very easy for a novice to upload records to the Web. You could end up uploading a lot of information about living people and that brings up concerns about privacy...There are a lot of people who've I entered in my family tree, distant cousins, who I don't personally know. So that's something you have to be sensitive too."

What comparisons can you make between online and print research?

"For example, take city directories. I can search the city directory online. But it's not like looking at the page of a book. I put in a name and I merely get that street address. When I sit down with a physical city directory I can scan the page for clues. You don't get that on the Web. I had to be really creative, instead of searching by name I searched by street. So some of that stuff you loose on the Web if you don't really think hard.

To me, in this particular area, until all kinds of primary materials and full page information is up on the Web you probably need to do both. But the Web has just totally changed the way you look at this.

The other thing that has changed tremendously is the software. When I started out I had a pedigree chart that I filled out in pencil. And all of my records were filled out on paper. And then when they started coming out with the software you can use...I can put my family in and if I've made a mistake I don't have to erase or move things around. It does a lot of the organizing for me. And I can push a button and have my family tree. ...And then software will take you online. If you find someone else's family tree instead of copying it or printing it out, you can download it right into your software.

I think when we start we're looking at names in a family tree. But all of a sudden what happens is that in order to solve the puzzle of what your family members were doing in a particular location at a particular time, you start getting interested in what your family members were doing at a particular time and the history and the surrounding conditions that might have made their lives unfold in a certain way. I'm not sure you see that as much on the Internet although some of that information there. I think that's one of the things you get from browsing in a library and pulling a book off the shelf and finding something out about a time period your ancestors lived in. But the two complement each other so well. I would never give up the time I spend on genealogy on the Web."

What other directions can geneology research take you?

"I'm not sure I'm excited about history at the global level, involving national events. But what really has become interested to me is questions like how was the Erie Canal built? And how did those people travel and get here to Michigan? And the farming and the tools they used? What's become fascinating is that they had the enormity of spirit to make difficult trips. Why did our ancestors cross the ocean? What really compelled them to leave? Was it really the potato famine or was it something else that made your ancestors leave Ireland? We make a lot assumptions.

One of the things I've found is I've asked my family and asked my mother a lot of questions that wouldn't have occurred to me before...I've spent more time in museums and living museums."

What's the best way to start a genealogy?

"To start you need to get a pedigree chart. You need to read and read and read. You need to know something before you start. You have to look for things your family already has in its possession. And you need to have a little bit of a thick skin in the beginning because just like online in other areas you're kind of a newbie when you get started and people have heard all the questions. But I will say genealogists do tend to be very tender and gentle with each other, especially newcomers. So as long as you're polite online and in the library people will usually help you."

What are the best things to read to get started?

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