Genealogists should be aware that the quality of research sources found online can vary widely from state to state.
Death certificates are a good example. The three main places to check are always a state’s archives site, Ancestry.com and Familysearch.org.
Georgia’s death index from 1919 to 1998 is found on Ancestry.com, but it’s only the index. Actual death certificates can be found on Ancestry and Familysearch for 1918 through 1930. If you visit the Georgia Archives you can view the actual certificates that are not yet online from 1931 through 1938. After that you have to order from the State Office of Vital Records.
But Texas death certificates have been put online at Ancestry.com from 1903 through 1982, and you can view the actual certificate.
Alabama’s have been abstracted on Ancestry and Familysearch from 1908 to 1974. You can get an indexer’s interpretation of the data (with errors), and also search for names that you otherwise might miss, but you don’t see the actual certificate.
Ancestry.com also recently has posted Texas birth certificates from 1903 to 1932. Very few state birth records are online, but North Carolina’s are at Ancestry as well.
So, when doing research, always be aware that you might be very lucky and find more recent sources available in one place, but that’s not the case everywhere.
Family trees online
Family trees prepared by descendants can be found on many sites online, and all should be taken with a grain of salt.
The January-February issue of Family Tree Magazine, on newsstands now or available at www.familytreemagazine.com, contains an article by Rick Crume listing the many sites where family trees are posted. He covers how to post a tree, privacy issues, and costs to access the sites.
The largest number of trees are at Ancestry.com, followed by Mundia.com (also part of Ancestry), Myheritage.com and the Family Tree section of Familysearch.org.
There are many others I have never heard of. If you are thinking of posting online, you should study the various options.
You can use a search engine to look for a family tree of interest, then pick some of these sites to see what you can find posted. You may turn up some great leads.
Immigration records
Look for easy tools to help get into the Ellis Island and Castle Garden immigration sites by checking www.stevemorse.org, which has shortcuts to those sites and many other research tips.
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