FamilyTree Magazine’s 101 Best Websites

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

​Isn’t it amazing how many genealogy websites exist today?  It’s a wonderful gift to be able to search historic records so readily.  It is equally challenging to find the time and energy to sift through those sites to find the best. The FamilyTree Magazine publishes the “101 Best Websites” each September.  You can find the list in their September issue or go directly to their site.  This week I’ve picked out a few of these sites for us to explore.

The sites published are categorized to help you narrow down your search by using the drop-down list or by the categories published in the magazine. Regardless, the topics seem endless and there is a variety of sites from the larger well known to unique niches.  Well worth taking the time to look.  Now if we only had unlimited time!
Here are a few that were new to me and may be interesting to you.
The DNA research boom has expanded to non-genealogist as well as law enforcement who is using it like never before—leveraging genealogy information on sites like GEDmatch.  There are sites like DNA Painter that allows you to identify and label segments of your DNA.  All are useful but I was intrigued by this site:  International Society of Genetic Genealogy Wiki.  I chose to link on the beginners’ area which has many links to articles and information to help you think about researching your family using DNA.  It’s probably best saved for when you really want to dig in and focus on your DNA research.

Storing all our records and research has become more problematic now that we have paper and digital records.  It’s really a never-ending struggle to ensure that data is backed up, shared and secured for safekeeping.  When dealing with your digital data, there are many options for backing your data to the “cloud”. Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, and GoogleDrive are familiar to many of us.

However, I hadn’t heard about  Kindex until this latest list. The site allows you to store your photos and papers in the cloud.  You also can catalog and transcribe them.  Pricing per month varies depending on whether you want your information to be searchable and public or in a private archive with Kindex Closet.  I haven’t used this service but thought I’d point out as a newer option for organizing and sharing your family history data.  As with all storage sites, do your due diligence on understanding their security and guarantees of keeping your data safe and secure. 
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For those living in the United States and Canada and planning to leap across the pond in their research, there are international sites too.  Here are just a few:
Compgen.de – German roots
Geneteka – Polish roots
Hungaricana – Hungarian roots
ArkivDigital – Swedish
 
With thousands of sites available online, I really appreciate these reviews from the FamilyTree Magazine. Inevitably the list includes new sites, forgotten sites and unique sites that help my research online. Take some time to check out the full list or check out the sites I highlighted.  There is always something new to learn and research.
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“Family tree research is one giant step backwards and one giant step forward—usually at the same time.” – from “Genealogy Humor: 101 Funny Quotes & Sayings for Genealogists” by Mary Harrell-Sesniak