I feel that the persons who use Ancestry lie in two categories. These who are two far away and physically handicapped and those who look for clues wherever. The single most important thing is learn how to make the searches work. There are numerous ways to search besides surnames. Sometimes as in the case of the census records you have to search on First name and county then narrow it down. There are other ways to. Be inventive. All records are not flawless! My Mother's and Father's marriage lic. has many problems. Most of them caused by my Father and Mother. Living a distance of 150 miles from a decent research center I use Ancestry for most of my research. When I am able to get to the research library I spend part of my time verifying or disproving the information I have gathered. The rest of the time I look for original sources. All records are as reliable as the persons giving or taking the them. You can't blame that on Ancestry. Original copies of census records, military records, State marriage records and birth records are just that, ORIGINAL not transcribed. All of the information you add to your data should be checked and documented by you unless you receive original sources. My 2 cents. I have belonged to ancestry for three years and they have always been fair as long as I follow their guidelines. Is is true fore all organizations. Mary Ann in Kansas To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html