In my June column I described how I had sent a third DNA sample to AncestryDNA (a subsidiary of Ancestry.com), after being notified by them that the first two were not adequate.

Since then, I received a third rejection email, asking me to send still another sample. The original order was about $100 for Ancestry.com subscribers, and although there was no extra cost for sending in the additional samples, I decided that three tries was enough. I asked for a refund.

Ancestry’s first response was “that is not our policy,” and they suggested I have someone else’s DNA tested on my dime. That was not acceptable, as I want my DNA tested, not someone else’s, not even my son’s, whose DNA would contain genetic material (his mother’s) that is different than mine.

When I explained this to Ancestry, they graciously agreed to refund my money.

Unfortunately, this episode throws a monkey wrench into my plan to give a commentary on these pages about my DNA testing and its results. I’ll take a moratorium on DNA columns and resume them when I have decided which DNA testing venue to use from the many available candidates.

Instead, I’d like to revisit a subject I have addressed previously: online genealogy resources. My reason for returning to this topic is a conversation I had recently.

I volunteer as a librarian at my local Mormon FamilySearch Center. Recently I was helping a patron with an online search for information about the death of her grandfather. When I suggested that we try the subscription site Fold3 (www.fold3.com), she referred to FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org) and asked, “Doesn’t FamilySearch have everything?”

In this day and age of information, I suppose it’s easy to fall into the notion that everything about everybody is somewhere online. So, shouldn’t everything concerning genealogy be on one of the foremost online genealogy sites? Not quite!

FamilySearch has millions of records of all sorts on microfilm, and it is diligently indexing its images of original records so that they will be viewable online. However, I venture to state that “everything” will never be online, neither there nor at any other site.

Some sites will have voluminous numbers of ships’ passenger manifests but nothing else. Some will have Civil War pension records but no passenger manifests. Some will have Irish records but no German records, and so on, and so on.

Just as every family is different, its history is different, and a genealogy researcher must be prepared to dig out whatever sources are available that apply to his or her unique ancestry.

I believe another widely held misconception is that, because many of the records we pursue are public documents, they should be available free of charge. Folks object to paying for copies of birth records or paying subscriptions to online venues before they can access information.

This philosophy ignores the fact that even with public records, someone has to find them (labor), copy them (equipment and material), mail them (postage), and, in the case of online venues, digitize and organize them (labor and equipment), etc.

I pay for an online service for no small annual fee. Using that service, I have found dozens of images of original birth, marriage, and death records for my ancestors, as well as for my wife’s.

Much as I love visiting Sicily, If I had had to travel there to collect the same information, my family tree would be bare indeed.

Next time, I’ll review previously analyzed online sources, covering changes and additions to their sites.

Angelo F. Coniglio's 50Plus Author's Page