Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about this site:

• What happened to the free offer?
• How do the GenealogyAgents detect changes on the Internet for ancestors?
• Why are so many different search combinations set up for monitoring searchable sites?
• Why don't you include the census data in the searches that are monitored?
• Why don't you include Ancestry.com obituaries in the searches that are monitored?
• How do the notifications from GenealogyAgents differ from the types of notifications I can receive from message boards?
• Will you be sharing my ancestor information with other users or otherwise make my ancestor information public?
• Can I change my mind and have the GenealogyAgents monitor the Internet for a different ancestor?
• Can I modify the information on my ancestor once I enter it?
• Can I remove the information on my ancestor?
• Do I need to pay to have GenealogyAgents monitor for changes on the Internet related to one of my ancestors?
• If I do pay for having GenealogyAgent monitor the Internet for additional ancestors, will the annual payment automatically renew?
• Are there other Internet resources for tracking down my hard-to-find ancestors?
• I am a Webmaster, how do you share my Website information?

Q: What happened to the free offer?

A: This site had a free introductory offer to monitor the Internet for two ancestors for one year. That offer was available during the Summer and Fall of 2007. It ended on November 15, 2007.

Q: How do the GenealogyAgents detect changes on the Internet for ancestors?

A: Our GenealogyAgents don't just check to see if any old thing has changed on a Website or for a given genealogy site search. They are smarter than that. They use the details you provide about your ancestor (birth, death, parents, siblings, etc.) and check to see if those details have changed on a Website or for a genealogy site search. The GenealogyAgents do this once a month and then send you an ancestor email indicating whether or not they found any changes based on the detailed information about your ancestor.

Q: Why are so many different search combinations set up for monitoring searchable sites?

A: The idea is to tease out possible matches for your ancestor by searching on the reasonable possible combinations of birth location, death location, parents, siblings, children, and spouses. As a result, the number of searches multiply quite quickly. Click here to see an example of the combination of searches.

Q: Why don't you include the census data in the searches that are monitored?

A: The census data only changes every ten years. So, it does not make sense to have the GenealogyAgents check the same data over and over. If you want to know more about census records, check out the census records at Ancestry.com.

Q: Why don't you include Ancestry.com obituaries in the searches that are monitored?

A: Ancestry.com has an Obituary Hunter feature that will alert you of any new obituaries. Our GenealogyAgents cannot improve on this service. Search obituary records at Ancestry.com and check out the Obituary Hunter that is mentioned on the search page.

Q: How do the notifications from GenealogyAgents differ from the types of notifications I can receive from message boards?

A:  Most message boards allow you to receive alerts by email if a new message was posted to a specific board. To cover all possibilities, you must set up alerts for each message board for the surnames related to your hard-to-find ancestor. At a minimum, this would be a the ancestor's surname, wife's maiden surname, the married surname of daughters, mother's maiden surname, and so on. After that, you will receive alerts for any new postings on those message boards. You will, however, likely see many messages that are appropriate to the message board, but not applicable to your ancestor. Instead, our GenealogyAgents search the message boards for new messages that are applicable to your ancestor based on the various combinations of names for children, siblings, spouses, etc. They allow you to avoid many unrelated message board alerts. Click here to see an example of the combination of searches used by our GenealogyAgents.

Q: Will you be sharing my ancestor information with other users or otherwise make my ancestor information public?

A: No. Your ancestor information will not be shared with other users or made public.

Q: Can I change my mind and have the GenealogyAgents monitor the Internet for a different ancestor?

A: Yes.

Q: Can I modify the information on my ancestor once I enter it?

A: Yes.

Q: Can I remove the information on my ancestor?

A: Yes.

Q: Do I need to pay to have GenealogyAgents monitor for changes on the Internet related to one of my ancestors?

A: Yes, the cost is $14.60 per year to monitor the Internet for one ancestor. That's four cents per day.

Q: If I do pay for having GenealogyAgent monitor the Internet for additional ancestors, will the annual payment automatically renew?

A: No, it will not automatically renew. You will receive an email notice near the end of the year giving you the option to have monitoring continue for an additional year.

Q: Are there other Internet resource for tracking down my hard-to-find ancestors?

A: Yes. Here are some options:

• Post a Public Member Tree at Ancestry.com. You could post a small part of your family tree that has your hard-to-find ancestor. This way, if anyone is searching for the same family member, they will run across your posting. The problem with this approach is that it presumes that someone who has knowledge about your hard-to-find ancestor will be searching the Public Member Trees. The more common situation is that information about your ancestor might be posted some day by someone else at Ancestry.com or any of a number of other family tree Websites. Our GenealogyAgents would likely find the new posting.
• Post a series of messages on boards at Ancestry.com. You could post multiple messages using various combinations of names for your hard-find-ancestor's children, siblings, spouses, etc. The people who monitor the board postings might have knowledge about your ancestor and may contact you. Similarly, you could monitor the various message boards yourself. Unfortunately, what often happens when you do so is that you see many messages that are appropriate to the message board, but not applicable to your ancestor. Alternatively, our GenealogyAgents search the message boards for new messages that are applicable to your ancestor based on the various combinations of names for children, siblings, spouses, etc. They allow you to avoid having to read unrelated message board messages.
• You could use a search engine to find Websites that contain information applicable to your hard-to-find ancestor. If you would like help in finding Websites, try Genealogy Search Help for Google. It sets up searches for Google based on information you provide on an ancestor. Nevertheless, if you find some Websites, you will need to visit them on a regular basis to see if anything has changed related to your ancestor. If you used our GenealogyAgents, you could enter information about the Websites one time and our GenealogyAgents would re-visit the Websites for you and alert you if anything changed related to details about your ancestor such as children, siblings, spouses, or parents.
• You could see if you have checked all the major Websites for family trees. Try Family Tree Searcher. Many people aren't aware of all the Websites for family trees.
• You could see if there are any other resources on the Internet for your ancestors that you may have missed. Try Genealogy Search Advice. That site will ask you questions about what you already know about your genealogy. Your answers to the questions help create a free, customized plan on what you might do and where you might look in order to develop your research more fully. It emphasizes resources available on the Internet.

• DNA Ancestry is another option to consider to help you with your "brick wall" ancestors. You can use it to validate your research, breakthrough genealogical dead ends, or even connect with previously unknown genetic cousins (who might have more information about your ancestry). All you need to do is provide a mouth swab. See DNA Ancestry at Ancestry.com.

• Besides Internet resources, you might also consider the books listed to the right of this page.

Q: I am a Webmaster, how do you share my Website information?

A: The Website content will be available for public search. Such search, however, will not identify your account or any ancestor information you may have entered.

Q: Do I need to pay to enter my Website information?

A: No.

Q: Can I change or remove my Website information?

A: Yes, you have the option of viewing, modifying, and deleting your Website content once you have logged into your account.