{"id":2647,"date":"2016-04-30T16:00:14","date_gmt":"2016-04-30T16:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com\/?p=2647"},"modified":"2016-04-30T16:00:14","modified_gmt":"2016-04-30T16:00:14","slug":"finding-an-ancestry-com-database-online-for-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rootdig.genealogytipoftheday.com\/?p=2647","title":{"rendered":"Finding An Ancestry.com Database Online For Free"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ancestry.com<\/em> recently indicated that the database of name changes in Massachusetts (titled as “Massachusetts, Name Changes, 1780-1892”) was “new.” How “new” it is I can’t say as the line at Ancestry.com<\/em> between “new,” “updated,” and “changed one out of 10,000 entries” is a very tenuous one. Despite that, the\u00a0announcement makes for a good point to remember with some\u00a0Ancestry.com\u00a0<\/em>databases.<\/p>\n

Actually it’s true for just about any website’s fee-based database access. This is not just about\u00a0Ancestry.com.<\/em>\"mass-name-changes\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The same book and content\u00a0is available elsewhere online for free. That is no surprise. All the Ancestry.com<\/em> data is available elsewhere for free. It’s not a grand conspiracy on Ancestry.com<\/em>‘s part to sell the information. Part of what users are paying for is access and consistency of presentation. Users are also paying for the ability to insert data from books with a minimal of data entry. Another part of the benefit of an\u00a0Ancestry.com<\/em> subscription is that indexes are created and that materials are gathered into one location and one can search using the\u00a0Ancestry.com<\/em> search parameters. There are limitations to those indexes and how the\u00a0Ancestry.com\u00a0<\/em>search interface works. Subscribers can determine if the perceived benefits are worth the cost. If the benefit is not worth what you are paying, then cancel your subscription.<\/p>\n

It’s that simple. You just may have to give up searching some things at 1 am in your jammies because an actual trip to a library may be required.<\/p>\n

That’s not the point of this post.<\/p>\n

\"mass-source\"<\/a>

Ancestry.com “souce infomation” for “Massachusetts, Name Changes, 1780-1892.”<\/p><\/div>\n

Whenever I see a database at\u00a0Ancestry.com\u00a0<\/em>that appears to come from a book that’s probably out of copyright, I search for a copy of that bookonline. It did not take too much search experimentation on\u00a0Google\u00a0<\/em>to locate a digital copy of the book-for free.<\/p>\n

That’s not a surprise and that’s not\u00a0an indictment of\u00a0Ancestry.com<\/em>. That’s a simple statement of fact. In this case, I prefer to use the online digital copy instead of\u00a0Ancestry.com<\/em>‘s database. Here’s why:<\/p>\n