We were featured in the 23 December 1996 issue.

Written by Margaret Mannix

To a genealogical sleuth, the Web offers tantalizing clues and tidbits. Some of its clues led Virginia Kobler of Huntsville, Ala., to unravel a family mystery. For 30 years, Kobler has been searching for facts about her great-great-great- grandmother, who -- according to family legend -- was the daughter of a William O'Neal and an Indian woman who died during childbirth. Kobler's grandfather plied her with stories of their ancestors when she was a teenager. "I decided I wanted to prove them," says Kobler, a genealogy addict. This summer, the Tennessee USGenWeb coordinator posted an index of the acts of the state legislature from 1796 to 1830, acts that then related primarily to individuals. The index noted a two-part statute: one section stating that Kobler's ancestor was changing her name, providing a sought-after surname; the other noting that her ancestor's father was legally claiming her. Kobler immediately started tracking down the statute for more details.

Many families create Web pages to share their research or to announce the date of the next reunion, only to discover that they are magnets for unknown relatives. Billie McNamara of Knoxville, Tenn., coordinates the Acuff family page. "We started out for five years having less than 10 of us doing research and sharing information," says McNamara. Since the Web page made its appearance in March, more than 100 relatives have become active family searchers, cutting years off research time. Others are finding that E-mail messages can act as a family chronicle. Sharon Jones of North East, Pa., is saving the folklore-laden messages she receives from her cousin in Washington State to pass on to her children.

The very openness of the Internet means that misinformation can be posted as easily as facts. "Just like published material, there are going to be errors out there, and they seem to spread quickly," says Shirley Langdon Wilcox, president of the National Genealogical Society in Arlington, Va. Indeed, worried about the naiveté of amateur genealogists who cruise the Internet, the society last month issued a warning about information exchanged online, pointing out the plentiful opportunities for mistakes. "Just because it came off a CD-ROM or the Internet doesn't make it true," says genealogist Witcher at the Indiana library. "We still need to go back to the original source documents."

But despite the possibility of errors, the Internet is chock-full of good Samaritans. New, online friends helped Armeta Lee when she went online three years ago to learn more about her husband's father, who vanished in 1945. "Lemont and I have been married 41 years, and we have four children and three grandchildren," says the Chino, Calif., resident. "We have always wanted to find out what happened to his father." One cybernaut, a member of Afrigeneas, an online discussion group related to African-American genealogy, looked up census data at the National Archives for Lee. This new online pen pal found Champ and Leah Lee (Lemont's grandparents) on the 1910 and 1920 censuses, along with their children, Clarence, Claudine, Clinton (Lemont's father), Ida, Leah and Henry.

Now comes the difficult job of finding the sisters, brothers and their offspring. Lee has spent the past six months posting messages far and wide throughout the Internet, to no avail. "Maybe one day our Lee family will meet the rest of the Lee family," says Lee. Thanks to the Internet and the people behind the screens, the Lees may yet get their wish.

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