What I Learned - Day Six



MyHeritage.com LogoUndaunted by my lack of good results so far, I continue browsing through the list of websites that my search at My Heritage found for me. The first two results did not find me what I was looking for. I am not ready to give up yet.

The third website on the big list is NewsLibrary.com. There are no icons being used to describe this website. I learn from the short description that it has 1222 newspapers and other sources of news. I learn that it is the ideal tool for news research. Can it help me? I began my genealogy research by trying to find information on myself. I used my first name, and my unmarried surname. My best guess is that perhaps this NewsLibrary website found a newspaper announcement of my birth. I learned that My Heritage thinks that there are 21 matches for me on the NewsLibrary website.

Again, I click the view icon, which opens a new window that shows the search results for my name at the NewsLibrary website. The first news article tells the story of someone with the exact same name as me, who got a job, despite this bad economy. The second article lists a board member who has the same name as me. The third article, ironically, describes a woman who was a special education coordinator who resigned. I once worked as a Special Education teacher’s aide, before I lost my job over a year ago. So far, this isn’t useful. I learn that there is a date attached to each article, so I scroll down, hoping to find something as old as I am. The oldest article is from 1990. None of the Jennifer Dahlbergs mentioned are me. Cross this website off the list!

The fourth website My Heritage found for me was FamilyTree Legends. There are only 4 matches for me there. I learn that this website used to require a paid subscription, but has since been made completely free by My Heritage. Cool! What do I find here? Three records of the birth of someone who shares my name in California, and one in Texas. I was born in the Midwest. This didn’t give me anything useful, either.

Next on the list is a Google Book Search. That website searches the entire text of books for the name you put into the search engine. Interesting! One book appears to be fiction, with a character who shares my name. The second book describes an author of Chick-lit who had a book signing at Barnes & Noble in New York. The third appears to be a technical communication manual, which mentions a superintendent that has my name. In short, this website was a complete waste of time for me. I am beginning to wonder if I have done something incorrectly. All genealogy research can’t be this disappointing, can it?

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