Rootsweb WorldConnect
A long-time secondary resource is Rootsweb which is free and online. The database to check is the WorldConnect Project. Here people from around the globe have submitted in GEDCOM format their family trees. There are some 6.26 million surnames and over 787.3 million individual names.
Using the search box, add the needed details; names, locations and dates to help narrow down the search. Note you can place an exact date year for birth or vary it a couple years to up to 20 years. That goes for a marriage date and death death. You might have been off in your research of an exact date or someone else could have been off, making it more difficult for you to locate an ancestor. Also don’t try to fill in every blank in the search box, you have the narrowed yourself too much.
This project is what someone else has gathered, whether from relatives, Bible records, vital records, etc., so there can be mistakes in names, dates, and locations. There is even the possibly some blended some family branches that are not truly a match and not related at all, so do be careful.
What is of benefit is a correct branch that you may not have known of, or a wife’s maiden name or a birth place, etc. might be located. Sometimes all you needed to help crack a brick wall was one extra bit of information, such as a maiden name to assist you.
What is a big plus is that the person who submitted the information is listed under ‘database’ and when you click on that you find the person’s name, email address and date submitted. This provides some direct contact to share information. Try Rootsweb WorldConnect.
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