Roots Surname List Roots Surname List is the largest research coordination service

You enter the name you are searching for (CORLEY here). If it is a common name, you may want to add a place (see abbreviations).

When you search for Corley, the results looks like this:

Roots Surname List

Note the entry (see red arrow) that mentions CORLEY between 1834 and 1929 that went from Tennessee to Arkansas to Texas. That seems to match my family, so I click on “spiel.”

When we click on spiel, we see who sent that info in. It gives us a name, email, and sometime web page or city. At the bottom, it says See all surname entries by this

submitter. We want to click on this to help determine if we need to contact this person (see next slide).

Roots Surname List

Now we see the list of all the surnames (and their migration path) that this person submitted to Roots Surname List.

I see KARNES on the list as well as CORLEY, so I know that I need to contact this person. I click on my browser’s back button to return to the previous screen with the email address (go

to next slide).

Roots Surname List

I click on the email address shown, and my email program comes up with the address already filled in. I type a quick summary of what I’m looking for, add a clear subject, and click on send (icon of an envelope). My message is sent.

Roots Surname List

I sent email messages to those where there was a possibility that I might be related.

I registered the CORLEY name myself, with the migration path and dates that I had so far.

I waited for replies to the emails I sent out or for people to see my registration with Roots Surname List and contact me. (see corleyemail.ppt for compilation of results)

Roots Surname List