Yes and No. It is true that the plethora of digitized records available online and the popularity of DNA testing has fueled an unprecedented interest in one’s own ancestors. Sites like Ancestry and MyHeritage have made it incredibly easy to research one’s family origins. “Shaky leaves” and “Smart Matches” present new hints for review on an almost daily basis. It takes but a few clicks — and perhaps a few sleepless nights — to quickly grow the roots and branches on the virtual family tree.
Online investigations from the comfort on your own home are an easy and a great way to start, but they cannot always replace thorough research:
- That explores both the online records, as well as those still buried in brick-and-mortar repositories;
- That knows how to access the thousands of online records that have yet to be indexed;
- That analyzes each piece of information with a critical eye, correlates evidence, and resolves conflicts;
- By someone who is familiar with the sources and the repositories in which they are the held, the script and language in which they were written, and the legal, cultural, and political timeframe in which they were created.