Mocavo – A Genealogy Search Engine

One of the problems with using Google/Bing as a genealogical search engine is the broad range of "hits" that may seem overwhelming as you try to narrow your search to something more managable. Mocavo, a relatively new genealogical search engine tries to address this problem. By entering just an ancestor's name in quotes, Mocavo's targeted search can slim your results pages more accurately. Instead of looking at thousands of exact and potential hits, Mocavo reduces "hits" to tens. This allows you to conduct genealogical searchs for ancestors more quickly and efficiently.

One of the bonuses of such ancestral hunting is the ease in which female ancestors are matched with parents and spouses. Such pinpointing makes tracing elusive maternal lines easier. Another area which Mocavo excels is the ability to bring up burial information for families across many different cemeteries. This is a nice way of consolidating a genealogical search for a "family unit," and also help find the next generation of descendants and/or ancestors.

A new feature coming to Mocavo will allow you to upload your family tree. Once completed, your tree will be scanned for results across the web and emailed directly to you. At the same time, your tree remains private unless you choose to publish it. Uploading the tree can be done through Facebook. A link to their Facebook page is provided at the Mocavo web site.

To check out, Mocavo, click here. It's free.

Are You Dead and Don't Know It? - CNN Money Points Out Genealogical Mistakes in Social Security Death Index

CNN Money recently ran an article that should give all genealogists pause. According to the article, the Society Security declares 14,000 people each year wrongfully dead. Imagine the ramifications that such errors can cause for the living who find themselves suddenly dead. Read the full story here.

Besides checking for our ancestors in the SSDI, maybe we should be checking for ourselves as well.