A posting about Ancestry

Hello again readers. Today's posting is about ancestry.com.

I have found ancestry to be valuable in getting a hold of death certificates and making connections with others who are researching the same family names. Using ancestry has helped me gather some information that I didn't have.

However, you must still be careful with the information that is shared by others as it may not be completely accurate. For instance I had someone on ancestry try and tell me that a great great aunts maiden name was Gwaltney when it was indeed Parrish. She happened to marry another Parrish(not related) but when they were doing the research they were afraid someone might think they were related and so they had made up a last name for her.

Yes I have found back in the 1800's that sometimes indeed cousins married each other. Whether they knew they were cousins or not, I do not know. But then again when your cousins are the only people around for miles and miles, its bound to happen sooner or later that you end up marrying one of them.

So no matter where you get your information, double check it for accuracy. Trust me it will save you from getting a headache later on.

Death In the Family

My grandmother Ruby Coley Rawls died July 19, 2009. She was 87 years old. I will post more when I feel up to blogging again.

Also on July 25, 2009 my aunt Jacqueline passed away.

Places where it is tough getting records

So I have found a handful of states where it is next to impossible for genealogists to get birth and death records for individuals.

Virginia= Death records public after 50 years and birth records public after 100 years

Texas= Birth certificates after 50 yrs and death certificates after 25 years

Oregon= Birth records 100 years and death records 50 years

Oklahoma= Birth certificate available only to the individual named or the parent of individual

Kansas= Must state relationship, provide ID and state the reason you want the record. You may or may not get it.

Florida= Must show a direct relationship to the person and state the purpose of getting the record. So the same as Kansas, you may or may not get it.

Delaware= Birth records after 72 years and death after 40 years

Arkansas= Unclear - says access limited to family. To them, who constitutes a family?

Alaska= Birth after 100 years and death after 50 years

Alabama= Birth after 125 years and death after 25 years.

Have hit a wall

I have hit a wall in trying to find a will. I have been trying to find a will in Martin County for a maternal ancestor and haven't been able to find a thing. I am frustrated.