Genealogy is one of the most
popular hobbies in the world! Here is a website that can get even the
most inexperienced websurfer involved in this exciting field of research.
Everyone is curious about their heritage, but does not know where to begin. This website will lead you through the process of online genealogical research.
Genealogy demands a different kind of research such as the persual of
civic records, family papers, and oral histories. Oral history involves
gathering information from interviews with people who have first-hand knowledge
of past events. One of the best resources may be your own family
members. Talking to older relatives gives insight and perspective
into your family's past. Furthermore, they may be able to provide
information on connnections to others who have already compiled their genealogies.
The Internet has revolutionized
genealogical research. Whereas until a few years ago, researchers
had to travel to archives and repositories located in the communities of
their ancestors, now with the click of a mouse, even beginning genealogists
can investigate their family's history from the comfort of their own computer
desk.
ENEALOGICAL
SOURCES ON THE ORLD
WIDE WEB
Getting Started
These sites explain the process
of family history research and discuss print sources available to
the researcher. All three are terrific resources for the beginner.
Everton's site includes an easy to read page-by-page guide on how to get
started, and the NGS site provides an extensive bibliography and contact
numbers.
This website outlines the methodology of Internet-based
genealogical research. The Beginner
Avenues is an especially useful page for first-time researchers.
The Journal includes articles that discuss evolving technologies and software pertaining to Internet genealogy.
One of the myths about
the Internet is that information is sitting on a computer somewhere
and can be accessed. Unfortunately, few repositories have digitized
their primary sources, but they do encourage researchers to learn as much
as possible over the Internet before they travel to the physical site. The National
Archives provides information and links to some primary sources available over the Internet. Vital records include birth and death certificates
which are very useful documents in genealogical research. Most genealogical
information is organized according to country, state, or county, and therefore,
many researchers focus on one geographical entity at a time. Rootsweb
categorizes research information according to location.
Computerizing your Genealogical Information & Putting
it on the World Wide Web
There are several software packages that can organize your family tree and are
available at most computer stores. One example is Family
Tree Maker distributed by Broderbund. The newest version (4.4)
allows the user to upload their genealogical information directly from the
computer file, but older versions of Family Tree Maker and other software
packages generally require the user to convert the data into an HTML format.
The HTML standard is GEDCOM (GEnealogical Data COMmunication),
a popular data interchange format whose standard was developed by the Projects
and Planning Division in the Family History Department of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is used widely by freeware, shareware,
and commercial genealogical data programs.
enealogy
Tutorial
ENEALOGY:
The study of family histories.
ORLD
WIDE WEB
Everton's
Genealogical Helper: Get Started Right
Computerizing your Genealogical Information & Putting
it on the World Wide Web