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Genealogy Wikis

Have you used a wiki for genealogy?

Genealogy wikis are growing in popularity and it is no wonder as they are shaping up to be a fantastic free resource for doing genealogy research.  Not to mention a great way collaborate with others who have similar research interests.

Two genealogy Wikis that stand out are WeRelate (over 2,000,000 pages of information on individuals and families) and Wiki Tree (3.9 million profiles).

Both sites are free use and allow users to upload GEDCOM files, add scanned documents, photos and maps. In addition to this, the sites are filled with family history stories, biographies, and pedigrees (Family Trees).

Here is a short list of just some of the ways you can use a wiki for your genealogy:

• As a collaboration tool that allows researchers to work together to research, compare, publish, correct and update family tree information.

• As a research tool to locate data on your research interests

• As a great resource to learn about genealogy

• Plan a Family Reunion – advertise, plan, coordinate, and communicate with your family

• Blog about your research

Using a genealogy wiki is easy; as soon as you register, you can begin working on your personal genealogy pages by adding your profile, starting a watch list or simply go straight to building your family tree.

 

Genealogy: Getting to Know Your Ancestors

The Merriam Webster Dictionary gives a definition of genealogy as:

1. an account of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or from older forms
2. the study of family pedigrees

 

 

Strictly speaking, this is true; it is certainly a good definition of the process and an accurate descriptor of the intent with which genealogy is first approached. However, to those of us who have spent any length of time on this addictive hobby, the study of our ancestors begins to take on new meaning.

It is not long after family tree research begins that the dry definitions become inadequate. As we work our way through record after record, learning piecemeal the details of our ancestors lives we begin to feel we are getting to know them as individuals.

For some, the genealogical aspects of family history research are not enough.  We want to get to know our forefathers on a deeper level. Become more familiar with their day-to-day lives.

If you count yourself among those wishing for a deeper understanding of your generations past, there are a number of activities you can participate in; activities that will allow you to experience your family history in a very real way.

Recreationists

Pick almost any period in history and you will find a group of people actively recreating the era. Living history groups include the activities, dress and tools of the eras they portray to give participants the sense of stepping back through time. Recreationists are not re-enactors; they are not scripted nor are they involved in recreating specific events. Member’s interests can include clothing styles, pastimes, cookery and artisanship, everything that would help create a feeling of every day life in bygone days. It is not at all surprising that among their ranks you find many genealogists and family historians.

Living History Groups

From late 20^th century groups like “The 20th Century Revisited” A UK based group recreating scenes and events from various parts of the later 20th Century including WW2 resistance, and 1970 British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) or “Paper Dolls” An international group made up of female members who portray military and civilian life during World War Two. From hometown sweethearts, Women’s Land Army, French Resistance, American Red Cross, Women’s Army Corps. These groups offer an opportunity to learn what it was like for ancestors who lived during the great wars; both on and off the battlefield.

If you are more interested in the events of the 19^th century The Living History Society of Minnesota members can attend workshops and participate in activities designed to increase their knowledge of mid 19^th century life. For those whose Gr,Gr,Gr, Grandfathers heeded the familiar call of “Go West young Man” the Mojave Muleskinners have several branches across the US, Canada  and the UK where you can immerse yourself and learn about life in the old west.

If you can trace your family tree to medieval times, a living history group from the Middle Ages may be more suiting. The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is an international organization with over 30,000 members residing in countries around the world. One of the best things about this group is that you will find a mix of cultures from Viking to Italian to Middle Eastern. Members attend events such as tournaments, royal courts, feasts, dancing, various classes, workshops and more. The SCA is a group that lets you explore all of the European lines in your family tree.

If you want to know more about how living history groups can help enrich your genealogy and family history or how to find a group near you, just post a question to the Genealogy in General board on the Genealogy Beginner forums.

Genealogy Quotes: In the Words of our Ancestors

Family name, lineage, bloodline, pedigree, family tree and genealogy are all words that resound with a wish to be remembered and a desire to honor our forebears.

Our desire to celebrate our ancestors has possibly been around as long as we have and so have genealogy quotes, proverbs and sayings.

 

 

From the “begats” of the Christian bible that trace the lineage of Jesus, to the significance of “Word Fame” to the Vikings. The importance placed on our family trees is reflected in proverb, archaic literature and the current popularity of websites dedicated to genealogy quotes. Just type the phrase “Genealogy Quotes” into Google and you will come up with 11,600,000 results.

Wise words such as this ancient Gaelic proverb:

“Follow, thou, closely the fame of thine ancestors” (lean-sa dlùth ri cliù do shìnnsear) is perhaps one of the oldest recorded Western European genealogy quotes and one that continues to inspire family history hunters.

If you are in need of some inspiration or just love to reflect on the words of wisdom left by past generations – about past generations. You are going to love Genealogy Beginner’s list of :

 

Genealogy Quotes: In the Words of our Ancestors

“Distinguished ancestors shed a powerful light on their descendants, and forbid the concealment either of their merits or of their demerits”

Gaius Sallustius Crispus (86 BC – 35 BC)

 

“He who boasts of his ancestry praises the merits of another”

Seneca (4 BC – 65 AD)

 

“It is indeed a desirable thing to be well descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors”

Plutarch (45–120 CE)

 

“To forget one’s ancestor’s is to be a brook without a source, a tree without root”

Chinese Proverb

“The mark of a Scot of all classes [is that] he … remembers and cherishes the memory of his forebears, good or bad; and there burns alive in him a sense of identity with the dead even to the twentieth generation.”

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

 

“Cattle die, kinsmen die, one day you yourself shall die, but the reputation of the dead never dies.”

Havamal

 

“He who has no fools, knaves, or beggars in his family was begot by a flash of lightning”

Old English Proverb

 

“We need to haunt the house of history and listen anew to the ancestors’ wisdom”

Maya Angelou

 

“People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors.”

Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

Feeling inspired?   If you want to learn genealogy start with Genealogy Beginner