EMAIL AS A RESEARCH TOOL:

Email can be a wonderful research tool for genealogists. Most younger people and many older ones are getting email addresses. Collecting the email addresses of those with common research goals can help you connect to vast quanities of otherwise unavailable information.

Databases with contact informaton

Rootsweb.com has a World Connect database where you can search by surname, and find millions of family trees. The researcher who uploads the information posts an image of their email address automatically, and a lot can be learned by writing to the author of that branch of your family tree. This is a good way to help find cousins with email addresses. Writing to people with the same last name can often put one in touch with distant cousins who are willing to share research. If the tree is especially well documented, as many are, valuable information can be gained because the person posting the information may have other data to not available online. Some genealogists will scan and email to you tems such as copies of family photos and documents. These reseearchers also may be willing to give online cousins the names of more recent generations who are too young to have their information posted onine safely. I have even received entire family trees from people whose family married into one of my families, or whom are fourth or fifth cousins that I met online.

Listservs and Message Boards

Finding cousins with email addresses is also made easier by joining a listserv of people searching for a common surname. People will post messages about their research, and their information can be compared with known information on the same families. Show your patrons how to subscribe to these types of lists.

Lists like this are again available at Rootsweb.com, but also at other websites that offer group email, like Yahoo Groups and Google Groups. Some sites offer message boards that are only online,like Genealogy Forum and Family Tree Maker. Use a search engine to find these groups by putting in the surname you want and other words like "listserv" or "message board". Many web-based groups will let you post a reply directly on the webpage to respond. They are also available for reading online, so that you don't have download 100 messages a day for one surname should you belooking for Smiths, Jones, Driscolls, Browns, Patels, or any other very common surname.

Locality message boards and lists

Groups and message boards are also availabe for locaities. If you have a large number of people to look for in a certain area, these boards help you meet people who live there. Rootsweb.com has a large number of these and you can respond to emails from folks who are searching for the same name in the same area, or who know more about a certain timeperiod in the history of the area. You can meet those who are experienced researchers for that area, belong to the local genealogy and historical societies and know how to find local libraries, archives and records.

• Online Tutorials
• Listservs
• Search Engines
• Email

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Return to:

• Table of Contents
  
• Collecting Family Documents

• Documents at Home
• Vital Records
• Government Records

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This website written and designed by:
Sharon Marie Centanne,
Genealogy Research Instructor and Internet Trainer
Please direct any questions to:
Sharon.

This page updated April 13, 2008

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