Genealogy on the Net

"WHO ARE YOUR PEOPLE?" It's a warm southern refrain meant to gently unravel your family history. The answer can reveal much: wealth, activism, education. Both Damita Drayton Green, owner of Diggin' Up Roots, a genealogical and consulting agency, and Dee Parmer Woodtor, author of Finding a Place Called Home: A Guide to African-American Genealogy and Historical Identity (Random House, $17.50), agree that we should know more about our relatives than that they "lived, breathed and died." Details about property they owned and churches they helped build illuminate their identities and personalities.

The Net can be a powerful tool for uniting distant cousins and unearthing truths about bloodlines. It can eliminate long-distance calls and searches through county archives and libraries for documents; you can also connect via E-newsletters or chat rooms with others doing similar searches to trade tips. But finding the pieces to the genealogical puzzle can be tricky, especially if your ancestors were enslaved. (It's easier if your clan migrated from the Caribbean in the late 1800's, as documentation--visas and ports of entry--exists. For sources tailored to West Indian ancestry, go to www.rootsweb.com/~caribgw.)

The first step in connecting the branches of your family tree happens off-line. Woodtor advises folks to interview the oldest relative and gather (and label) photos, obituaries, family Bibles, marriage certificates and any other paperwork to substantiate her stories. "Oral history is crucial. You can't do a satisfactory project without it," she adds. Green, who lectures about using documents other than the census to track ancestors, also notes that some records--deeds, wills, tax and pension files--aren't available on the Web. When you've completed that leg, you can begin cybersleuthing. These tips can get you started:

* Compose a family tree. After you learn that Aunt Shirley is really your third cousin, add names to your tree. Print a sample pedigree chart--a graph of marriages, births, deaths, dates and locations from www.everton.com/charts/freeform.html.

* Leave messages. Posting queries on message boards and in chat rooms links you to other folks researching the same name. A note on AfriGeneas.com (the oldest Black genealogy site on the Net) might read: "I'm seeking descendants and information about David Carroll, born 1905. He married Beth Smith and they lived in Warren County, North Carolina." Scanning the county archives on rootsweb.com may also net results.

* Investigate surname databases. After Emancipation, some freed Blacks kept their owners' names (perhaps because of blood association), while others shed them for new identities. One of AfriGeneas's most useful tools is its extensive list of surnames. For example, a general search for the Stiths is too broad, so location and time periods are key; if you know that Margaret Stith lived in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, in the late 1800's, start there. If she lived abroad, access the International Genealogy Index at www.familysearch.org. Also review the, Soundex (at www.rootsweb.com), a mechanism that locates soundalike name derivations.

* Find public documents. Blacks weren't included in the census (www.census.gov) until 1870, so it's best to look for your relatives in the 1900's census and work backward. Birth, marriage and death certificates provide important clues, too, such as parents, spouses, cause of death and burial site, respectively. For tips on ordering vital records, visit www.vitalrec.com.

* Join a group. Untangling the Web can be frustrating for beginners. Green suggests joining a national organization such as the Afro-American Historical and Genealogy Society (AAHGS). It's essential to learning the practices and methodologies of genealogical research and finding a mentor who can offer tips and shortcuts. The AAHGS holds its annual conference in October; find it on-line at www.rootsweb.com/~mdaahgs/ or call (202) 829-8970.

Taiia Smart Young is the new-media editor at ESSENCE.

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