Scott Simpson wrote --

>The images for 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850,
and 1920 are fully indexed; you enter the name you're looking for, and
you get a hyperlink to the page on which that name appears.  For 1860,
the images for five states are currently indexed.  The images for 1870
through 1910 are not yet indexed.<

I am an extremely happy customer of Ancestry.com.  I use it daily, often
for hours at a time.  But I couldn't let the above go by without comment.

Many counties, especially the southern ones, are NOT linked or not
properly linked.  I have found many instances where the index shows
the person lived in Knox Co. TN, for example, when they actually
lived in McMinn Co. TN.  And the page was shown as 14 when it was
really 140.  This has happened so often that I've lost count.  

They often have errors due to old-style handwriting, too.  A John SIMPSON
is listed as a John LIMPSON and Turbot PA was listed as Lurbot PA.

But genealogy teaches nothing if not patience.  If you want the info badly 
enough, going through a census image by image is still an option.  And
I use the older AIS index listing at
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/census/ais/main.htm, which actually
seems to be more accurate that the newer, linked indexes.  It still beats 
waiting for the microfilm order from Salt Lake City, driving to my local
FHL, 
waiting for an unclaimed mircofilm reader only to be told that there is a 1
hour
limit, driving back home in time to make my family dinner, etc.  And I can 
search in my pajamas in the middle of the night if I want to! :-)

When I find errors of ommission or commission, I always report them to
Ancestry.com.  It may take a while, but they do fix them.

Just my two cents.


Vickie Elam White

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