Do Family History: The GenWeb Projects

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The GenWeb Projects

The USGenWeb Project. This is a collection of Local contacts. Each State has a page and in most case there will even be county experts. Here you can find information for each state, how and where to get vital information, is there a historical society, or local group you can contact. These sites are produced by the local volunteers, most will contain help directions that can be just like stopping for direction in a strange town.

The WorldGenWeb Project. This is patterned after USGenWeb but it is designed to bring volunteers together that are willing to help.

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Welcome, Now let's get started! This is always the hard part, here are some steps that will help.

Begin with what you have - gather all the Family Documentation that you have. This would include family photos, vital records, any family history that has all ready been done. Get the all in one place. For now don't worry about organizing it, just gather it together, in fact if it will fit in a box put it there.
Record what you have - Family History has become an electronic affair, so begin your organization with a good computer program. There are may to choose from but at first Personal Ancestral File (PAF) will do nicely and can be downloaded free from the FamilySearch Website. Or there is a very good commercial program called Rootsmagic Essentials (Download link) that has a free version that actually interfaces with New FamilySearch
Now that you are this far it is time to start entering information. Start with the top page from your gathered box and record all the information on the sheet. Then put the original in a safe place. A scanner works well here. PAF will keep an electronic copy of the original in the file of the person it belongs to, and photo's can be scanned and saved in the same way. Make a habit of keeping a file back-up that is not stored on your computer.
Once you have all your information gathered and recorded, it is time to talk with other family members. Don't make a big deal out of asking, simply "I have started a family history would you have anything I can get a copy of?' Until you have something to share with others don't expect them to contribute anything, so for now copies are fine. Don't get discouraged and simply thank them for their help. Add this new information to your PAF files.
Next use the internet sites, that are listed here on the blog. They will help you determine what others have done that you want to add to your PAF Records. It is also wise to start keeping 2 copies of your data. One to be used to add this new information to your files once you have verified it is correct, and another file that you can use while you are checking out your internet finds. (One to keep and one to work with)
Share your information with others - It will amaze you how much more information your family will add once you share a copy of what you have with them. Don't really worry if it is entirely correct or complete. Once your done gathering and entering give a copy of your combined records to everyone that contributed in step 4. You will be amazed at how much your family sources will find that is extra once they see all the information combined and they are comfortable with what you have done.
Don't worry about getting everything completely right, or places where your records are incomplete, time has a way of showing you the places to look and the things to do to add to fill in the details. You will also find family members that will find errors and help you correct your information. If there is a disagreement about details, don't try to determine which is correct, record both versions. Don't try to make the details too precise, even trusted sources will have different information and there may never be a way to verify everything.
Now is the time to be prayerful and once you know who your ancestors are pray for them and about them, and the rest will come your way, sometimes in miraculous ways.