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Copyright© 2002 by Richard W. Eastman. All rights reserved.

If you contact any of the companies or societies mentioned in this newsletter, please tell them that you read about their services in this newsletter.

One of the best methods of obtaining assistance with your genealogy research is to place your database on the World Wide Web where everyone can see it. Other Web users will use search engines or other techniques to find their ancestors. If they find matching information in your database, many of them will contact you for further details. In this manner, you can find distant cousins, most of whom are willing to share data and research efforts with you.

Putting your data on the Web is easy. In fact, there are so many ways of doing it that perhaps the toughest part of the job is deciding which method to use. You can add your data to one of the large shared databases operated by major genealogy information providers. Another method is to place your information on a personal Web page that you have available. You will also want to decide which information to place online, as not everything in your personal database is appropriate for public viewing.

First, let’s consider the several large databases that collect information from thousands of people and then share the data. The more popular services include Ancestry.com, RootsWeb, OneGreatFamily.com, Genealogy.com, MyTrees.com and, to some extent, FamilySearch.org.

Ancestry.com (the sponsor of this newsletter) operates the Ancestry World Tree. This online database contains more than 200 million names in family trees submitted by Ancestry.com users. The Ancestry World Tree is free of charge; you do not need to be a paid subscriber to use it. In addition, anyone on the Internet can search all the information on the Ancestry World Tree without charge.

There are three methods of entering data into the Ancestry World Tree:

One noteworthy point is that you always own your data on Ancestry.com. Ancestry.com allows you to update or delete your family tree at any time. Also note that you will never find your data included on CD-ROMs or on any other form of data sold by Ancestry.com for a fee. Next, anyone who views your data will also see your e-mail address so that they can contact you directly for additional information.

RootsWeb is a separate service that is also owned by Ancestry.com. RootsWeb operates the WorldConnect Project, which is somewhat similar to the Ancestry World Tree. The WorldConnect Project is free of charge to all users. Information from the WorldConnect Project is never sold on CD-ROM, and no subscription fees are ever charged for the online service.

With RootsWeb’s WorldConnect Project there is only one method of adding your data to the database: uploading a GEDCOM file. Almost all modern genealogy programs will create GEDCOM files, so you can use any of these programs on your PC or Macintosh with the WorldConnect Project.

Your data is not merged into one big file. Instead, your data remains in a separate GEDCOM file bearing your name. Anyone else who searches the site looking for ancestors is actually searching through thousands of GEDCOM files.

The data you contribute to the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project remains under your control. You can add, modify, or delete the information ay any time. To update or correct information for a GEDCOM that you have previously submitted to WorldConnect, you simply revise the data in your genealogy file and create a new GEDCOM file. By using the same user code and password that you used originally to upload the new file, you overwrite the old file with the new one. Here, too, anyone who views your data will also see your e-mail address so that they may contact you directly for additional information.

OneGreatFamily.com is a somewhat different service from those described previously. Data that you contribute to OneGreatFamily.com is merged into "one great database." This collaborative effort then becomes visible to all other OneGreatFamily.com subscribers. The software on OneGreatFamily.com attempts to identify people in your database that are already listed online and merge those individuals together, all under your control. As a result, your data is added to that of thousands of others, resulting in one huge database.

With OneGreatFamily.com, you can enter the data manually on their Web pages or you can upload a GEDCOM file created by your present Windows or Macintosh genealogy program. OneGreatFamily.com then becomes, in effect, your genealogy program. You can navigate through your data and the data of other people in much the same manner as you navigate through any genealogy program. The only significant difference is that you are online and looking at data in a remote database, not data on your own hard drive.

OneGreatFamily.com allows you to control your own data. You can add more information, edit existing individuals, or delete information at any time. Your data is never sold to others on CD-ROM disks. However, access to your online data is restricted to paid subscribers of OneGreatFamily.com. Once again, anyone who views your data on this site will also see your e-mail address so that they may contact you directly for additional information.

Genealogy.com is the company that creates and sells Family Tree Maker, one of the most popular genealogy programs in the world. The same company also operates the World Family Tree, another huge database contributed by users. This database currently contains more than 138 million names and 200,000 family trees, according to information currently on their Web site. The information can be accessed online as well as on CD-ROM disks that Genealogy.com sells separately for $19.99 each. Whenever subscribers submit enough new data to fill a CD-ROM disk, Genealogy.com creates a new "collection" and offers it on a new CD-ROM. At the time this article was written, the Genealogy.com Web site listed 94 CD-ROM disks of World Family Tree data.

The online World Family Tree is open to subscribers only. Non-subscribers can search the database, but the only information supplied to a non-subscriber is that a given name does appear in the database or on CD-ROM. To obtain all the details, one must either subscribe to the site or purchase the CD-ROM (or CD-ROMs) that contain the sought-after name. A monthly subscription costs $9.99, and an annual subscription is $49.99 (U.S. funds). Given the likelihood of a name appearing on multiple CD-ROMs, the subscription would seem to be the more cost-effective choice for those who wish to use the World Family Tree.

The World Family Tree has a couple of subtle differences from some of the other databases. Unlike the other online databases, the contact information of the submitter is not easily available online or on CD. If you wish to contact the person who submitted the information, you must send a request to Genealogy.com asking for the name and contact information of submitter. The easy method of doing this is to use the online World Family Tree Contributor Contact Information Service. This free service is provided for those who have purchased a World Family Tree CD or an online subscription. The Contributor Contact Information Service will then send you the name and address of a submitter.

Another difference is that erroneous information is not easily corrected. To be sure, you can submit a new file with corrected information; however, this file does not automatically replace the earlier file. As stated on the Genealogy.com Web site, "So that we may efficiently update the entire World Family Tree at once, we encourage you to wait to send us your updates until we send you an update request letter. If you don't want to wait to send in an update, we will store it for you, but you will still have to wait for the update to appear in an upcoming volume."

MyTrees.com is the online database operated by Kindred Konnections. It is similar to the other databases already described but with a few significant differences. While the bulk of the material available online is derived from information submitted by customers, MyTrees also contains 10 million extracted records from a variety of sources.

You upload your data to MyTrees.com via a GEDCOM file. The contributor controls information on the service and can upload corrections at any time. Almost all the data at MyTrees.com is displayed in a single pedigree-linked format. This allows you to quickly cut and paste this data into your personal family history database. You just select the download button on any pedigree screen, and the data can be merged directly into your personal database, both on-line and on your home computer.

MyTrees.com is also a subscription database. Again, a non-subscriber can check to see if a name exists. However, to obtain the details, a user ID and password is required. The company does, however, offer free access to the MyTrees.com subscription services to those who help with an on-line data extraction project. Volunteers who extract birth, marriage, death, census, and other records are paid in free time on the service.

The data you enter on MyTrees.com remains under your control. You can add, edit, or delete data later if you wish. Access to your data is restricted to online subscribers; it is never sold on CD-ROM disks. Finally, anyone who views your data will also see your e-mail address so that they may contact you directly for additional information.

FamilySearch.org is the well-known genealogy Web site operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the Mormons. The Family History Department of the Church maintains a number of genealogy databases. The different databases contain information obtained from different sources. The database that contains information contributed by users is called the Pedigree Resource File.

Everyone is encouraged to submit a GEDCOM file for inclusion in a future Pedigree Resource File. In fact, you can upload the GEDCOM file directly on the FamilySearch.org Web site. A copy of your GEDCOM file will be placed in the Granite Mountain Records Vault, located near Salt Lake City, Utah, for preservation. Unlike some of the other services, your data is not instantly added to an online database. Instead, it is scheduled for inclusion in the next update, which might be several months in the future.

A copy of your GEDCOM file may be published in a CD-ROM product called Pedigree Resource File. Pedigree Resource File is now available for purchase at near cost. An index of the current Pedigree Resource File may be made available for searching on FamilySearch Internet. However, note that the online version is only an index. The full content of the GEDCOM files (pedigrees, sources, notes, and so on) is not available on FamilySearch.org at the current time. For full information, you must use the CD-ROM version.

The above is a list of the more popular genealogy database sites. However, some people will prefer to place their information on personal Web pages, either in lieu of the above services or in addition to the above. It is not unusual for someone to upload data onto multiple online data services as well as onto his or her own personal Web site.

You can obtain your own personal Web site from a number of places at little to no cost. Many Internet service providers allow their customers space on Web servers at no additional charge. AOL is obviously the largest such provider; every AOL member can create a free personal Web page on AOL’s servers. Many other Internet providers do the same.

Finally, you can always purchase space on any of hundreds of Web hosting services. By spending a few dollars, you can purchase Web space that does not contain advertising. Prices for your own hosted Web pages without advertising start at about $8.00 a month and go upward, depending upon the options selected. Most genealogy Web pages have no need for the extra-cost options.

Of course, if you have a personal home page hosted on either a free or a commercial service, you need to place information on that page in HTML format. HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language, is the language of Web pages. You will need to create your Web pages using an HTML editor of some sort. Not everyone is a Web guru and conversant with HTML programming.

Luckily, almost every modern genealogy program is capable of directly generating HTML files. You can use your present program to create HTML files and then upload the results to your personal home page. Of course, you could also modify the HTML files with almost any HTML editor in order to "personalize" the files before uploading. The popular genealogy programs that will create HTML files for you include: Legacy (a free Windows program), Personal Ancestral File (a free Windows program), Family Origins, The Master Genealogist, Ancestral Quest, and more. Family Tree Maker will also create Web publishing files but only in a format that is suitable for uploading to Genealogy.com’s Web site. Family Tree Maker users who wish to place data on another Web server can use one of the GEDCOM-to_HTML utilities listed later, however.

For those who either can’t use the above programs or choose not to use them, there are several utilities that will convert your GEDCOM file to HTML. If your present genealogy program will not generate HTML files or if you do not care for the "look and feel" of the files generated, you can always create a GEDCOM file and then use one of the GEDCOM-to-HTML file converters. You can use the resultant HTML file as is or even modify it a bit as you wish. You then upload the HTML files to your personal Web page. Here is a partial list of the GEDCOM-to-HTML converters:

One final consideration is perhaps the most important of all: What information do you want to place on the Web?

You need to protect the privacy of living individuals. In some countries there are laws about publishing private information that is less than 100 years old. In addition, there may be other information that you want to keep confidential. Perhaps some of your relatives do not want their personal information or even information about their immediate ancestors placed on the Web where millions of people will have easy access. You need to respect the concerns of others.

Remember also that the information that you place online is available to everyone. That is both a good thing and a bad thing. While you want to reach others who can help, keep in mind that others can use your information themselves. It is common for people to download data from the Web, insert it into their own genealogy work, and then upload the results elsewhere without attributing the sources of their information. Some people may claim that such plagiarism is a violation of copyrights. However, even if true, enforcing your claim of copyright is almost impossible.

If you do not want others to use your data as they see fit, you might not want to place it online. Then again, the data you have collected probably came from public domain sources anyway, so I would suggest that there is no reason to keep it private. The choice is yours to make.

I will tell you what I do. I do not place any information online that is less than one hundred years old. I don’t even mention the names of anyone born in the past one hundred years. I also deleted one birth record that involved an unwed mother about 125 years ago. Somehow, I don’t feel "right" publishing that information for the entire world to see. The simple fact that my great-aunt was an unwed mother doesn’t bother me, but I suspect that some of the other descendants in this staunchly Catholic family might not approve.

I also accept the fact that others may copy my information and use it in ways that I do not approve of. Since 99.9% of my information was obtained from public domain sources, I don’t worry about whether or not someone obtained data from me or from some other source. Sure, it would be nice if they first asked my permission, but I recognize that not everyone will.

The method of "filtering" your information to keep some information private is easy. First, make a copy of the family tree that you plan to publish online. Then delete the information from that copy that you don't want to share with others. Most modern genealogy programs have the capability to automatically exclude information about living individuals when creating GEDCOM files or HTML files. Make sure that your program has such an option, and then make sure that you use it. Next, manually go into the database copy, and delete any information that might be of concern to you or to others. Once you are sure you have deleted all the information that you do not want published, upload that copy to the online service or personal home page.

I hope this gives you some ideas about publishing your genealogy information on the Web. Even with the minor concerns about privacy, publishing 100-year-old or older information about your ancestors can contribute to someone else’s research efforts. Best of all, they may contact you and offer information that you do not yet have.

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Great news! In last week’s newsletter I reported that Houston Mayor Lee Brown’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2003 called for cuts in the Houston Public Library system’s operating budget. To meet those cuts, the Houston Public Library indicated that they planned to drastically cut the operational hours of the Clayton Library, one of the nation’s premier genealogy libraries. The proposal would have reduced evening hours significantly.

This week I received an e-mail message from Cicely Wynne, aide to Houston City Council Member Annise Parker. Ms. Wynne reports that a majority of Houston City Council members this week approved Council Member Parker's budget amendment to maintain current Clayton hours.

Apparently a couple of steps are left before the final budget is approved. However, it is heartening to hear that Council Member Annise Parker has removed the planned cuts from the budget.

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Last week I wrote about Ancestry.com’s new online Historical Newspapers. In that article, I mentioned that I had a bit of difficulty locating information on the newspaper page after finding it in the index. I had to pan around the page quite a bit.

This week Ancestry.com announced an update to their viewer program that now makes it much easier to find the text on the newspaper page. New functionality has also been added to both the Ancestry Image Viewer and to the Basic Image Viewer.

The following is from Ancestry.com:

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The Federation of Genealogical Societies holds an annual conference that is one of the larger genealogy gatherings in North America. This year’s event will be held in Ontario, California on August 7 through 10. The California State Genealogical Alliance is co-sponsoring this year’s event.

The conference will be held at the new Ontario Convention Center. The location is directly adjacent to the Ontario International Airport, which is serviced by most major airlines. It is also about 50 miles east of Los Angeles’ LAX airport.

This year’s event sounds like it should be a good one. More than 60 speakers will present more than 150 lectures. At this year’s conference you will find a variety of lectures for beginning, intermediate, and advanced researchers. There will even be a "Back to Basics" Track. Of course, the FGS is a collaborative effort of genealogy societies around the country, so many of the sessions are aimed at what genealogical societies can do for you and at how you can improve your local society.

Note that you can also subscribe to a free "e-zine" that will be published periodically as the conference date draws near. This e-mail publication will provide last-minute changes and additions to the program as well as other news. To subscribe to this free "e-zine":

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Essay Contest Deadline Extended

California's long history includes a unique and rich blend of cultures and national origins. The FGS/CSGA conference 7-10 August 2002 will highlight and recognize this wonderful distinction. In an effort to identify the wealth of personal family stories, the FGS/CSGA planning committee is proud to announce the California Goldmine of Diversity Family History Essay Contest.

FGS and CSGA are inviting you to share a personal account of why your ethnic or national background matters to you as an individual. This is your opportunity to demonstrate pride in your family history and at the same time enjoy acknowledgement of your literary efforts. Your submissions will be judged by nationally recognized genealogists Sharon DeBartolo Carmack, Sandra Luebking, Melinda Kashuba, Kathleen Trevina, and Norma Keating. Essay contest participants will receive feedback from the judges, which will be beneficial to the writers of family histories.

1. By popular request, deadline for submissions has been extended to 15 June 2002.
2. Submissions should be 500 to 750 words in length, typed, double-spaced, in 12-point type using Courier font. There should be 1-inch margins left, right, top, and bottom.
3. Entries should include the following information: Name, Mailing Address, Current E-mail address.
4. Submissions must be the original work of the submitter, and include appropriate documentation.
5. Submission of an entry constitutes permission for FGS/CSGA to publish entry (if appropriate).
6. Winners and judges to be introduced at the CSGA Luncheon at the conference.

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Bob Wakefield, a specialist in Mayflower and New England origins, passed away on June 1, 2002.

Mr. Wakefield was known as an extraordinarily careful researcher. He also was a prolific author, having helped compile and/or revise several volumes of "Mayflower Families Genealogies through Five Generations" published by the Mayflower Society. His works included "William Bradford, four generations, 5th ed.," (with Lee D. van Antwerp), "Francis Cooke, four generations, 5th ed.," (with Ralph V. Wood, Jr.), "Richard Church, four generations, Warren 5th gen." and "Robert Bartlett of the ‘Anne’, four generations, 2nd edition."

Mr. Wakefield also was a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists.

Cards may be sent to Robert Wakefield’s residence at 1221 Windsor Way, Redwood City, CA 94061-2053.

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It is with sadness that I report that Iain Kerr passed away on June 5. Many in the online world will remember Iain. I knew him from CompuServe’s Genealogy Forums, where he was an encyclopedia of British military matters, especially in military personnel records. Iain’s advice and kindness helped many genealogists locate records that they perhaps would never have known of otherwise.

On June 5, Iain lost his battle with cancer. He died in the Thames Valley Hospice in Windsor, Berkshire, England.

Condolences may be sent to:

Mrs. Iain Kerr
Tigh 'an sruth
51 Clewer Park
Windsor, Berks. SL45 HD
England

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NOTE: The following article is not related to genealogy in any way.

In last week’s newsletter, I mentioned that I have several computers on my desk at home running several different operating systems. The mix right now includes Windows XP Professional Edition, two Windows 2000 systems, Windows 98 and Red Hat Linux. This combination of computers allows me to test software and Web pages under a variety of systems. I also mentioned that I use a 20-inch monitor that I normally operate in the mode to display 1280-by-1024 pixels. Several people sent e-mails this week and asked, "Which system do you have the monitor attached to?" The answer is, "All of them."

I find that having multiple PCs on a desktop doesn’t take much room. What does take a lot of room is the table space for monitors and keyboards. In my case, I solved that by use of a KVM switch. (KVM is an abbreviation for "keyboard, video and mouse.") I have only one monitor, one keyboard and one mouse on the desktop. Then a small KVM box sits to one side of the keyboard and has six buttons on the front. By pressing the appropriate button, I can connect the keyboard, video and mouse to any of six different computers.

Most PCs do not allow the user to operate with the monitor, keyboard and mouse disconnected. The KVM switch has some electronics in it that "fakes" all the PCs into believing that a keyboard, video and mouse are connected to each PC all the time.

KVM switches vary in price from about $50 for one that connects to two different computers up to $200.00 or so for one that connects to up to eight computers. Even bigger KVM switches are available for connecting to racks of servers found in data centers, but these larger KVM switches are not normally found in homes. I use a six-port KVM switch that I purchased through eBay, brand new in a factory-sealed box, for $80.00. (I love those eBay auctions!) The prices I quoted normally do not include the special-purpose cables that are required. These cables sell for about $15.00 to $30 per computer.

Beware of the cheaper switchboxes that are little more than a mechanical switch, selling in the $15 to $40 range. The cheaper switchboxes do not contain the necessary electronics to fool the computers into thinking that they are connected to a real monitor, keyboard and mouse. Also, mechanically switching keyboards while power is applied may damage the electronics. Use of a true KVM switch eliminates these problems.

I also like the fact that a KVM switch is cheaper than purchasing additional monitors. By buying one large monitor plus a KVM switch, I can use the large monitor on all the computers at a much lower cost than that of purchasing separate monitors for each computer.

Here is a suggestion: the next time you think about upgrading to a new computer, purchase a KVM switch in lieu of a new monitor. Then place your new computer alongside your old system along with a new KVM switch. You can then use your old monitor on both your old system and the new system, side-by-side, for less money than that of a new system plus new monitor.

Even better, connect the two computers together by network cards so that the two can share printers, hard drives, and other peripherals. You can also make backups across the network from one computer to the other. But information on networking home computers is a subject for another article in a later newsletter…

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What do pop queen Madonna, Canadian singer Celine Dion and the Prince Of Wales' mistress Camilla Parker-Bowles have in common? One genealogist claims that they are all related.

American genealogist William Addams Reitwiesner has found that Bowles' great-grandparents from nine generations ago were also ancestors of the two singers. The relevant individuals, all French-Canadians, lived in the seventeenth century.

Camilla and Madonna are both descended frpm Zacharie Cloutier (1617-1708), while Camilla and Celine descend from Jean Guyon (1619-1694) - both of whom died in Chateau-Richer, Quebec.

NOTE: All of the information presented on the Web pages mentioned is offered on an "as is" basis. Accuracy of the information is not guaranteed by anyone. As with any genealogy information, it is up to you to verify the accuracy of the data by independent means.

By the way, the writer of this newsletter is also descended from both Zacharie Cloutier and Jean Guyon. In fact, almost everyone with French-Canadian ancestry can find these two men in their family trees as well. If you can find these two men in your family tree, you, too, are a distant cousin of Madonna, Celine Dion, and Camilla Parker-Bowles.

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DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is being written and sent via e-mail at no charge. I expect to write one new issue on a more or less weekly basis. However, life sometimes interferes, and the need to earn a living may create an occasional delay.

COPYRIGHTS: The contents of this newsletter are copyright by Richard W. Eastman with the following exception:

Many of the articles published in these newsletters contain quotes or references from others, especially from other Web sites, software user’s manuals, press releases and other public announcements. Any words in this newsletter attributed to another person or organization remain the copyrighted materials of the original author(s).

You are hereby granted rights, unless otherwise specified, to re-distribute articles from this newsletter to other parties provided:

1. You do so strictly for non-commercial purposes
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Also, please include the following statement with any articles you re-distribute:

The following article is from Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter and is copyright 2002 by Richard W. Eastman. It is re-published here with the permission of the author.

Thank you for your cooperation.

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