The Jewel Family - A Look at Online Genealogy

An August 17, 2006 article in the Wall Street Journal explores the wealth of online genealogy data. The search by Lan Nguyen for her husband's ancestors, outlined in the article "Going Online to Mine the Growing Wealth of Genealogy Data" is a good example of a typical beginner foray into online genealogy, and presents an excellent opportunity for learning how to take those beginner genealogy skills to the next step.

The author, Lan Nguyen, starts off like so many of us do - with very little. A name (James Jewel), year of birth (1910), and the first name of his spouse (Evelyn). Sound familiar? Her article is meant to show what you can learn about your family online, and follows what I think is a typical beginner's trail through the confusing databases and tools of online genealogy. During her five hours of searching she manages to find some great information about the Jewel family, but with just a little more knowledge she could have taken it so much further...