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Internet

What Should I Know About Genealogy Websites?

By Nychole Price
Updated May 17, 2024
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More and more people are becoming interested in learning about their family history. Unlike in the past, families are much farther apart, causing its members to lose contact. Thanks to technological advances, people are now able to learn about their family history online at genealogy websites.

Researching genealogy websites is very easy. Start out by searching for your family information using your first and last name. If you are married, use your maiden name. If you can't find any information using your name, try your parents' names. If your family lost contact several generations before, you may have to look up information by your great grandparents' names.

Genealogy websites are also easier to create than most people realize. Knowledge of HTML or FTP isn't necessary to create a website where you can share your family history. Before you create your website you will need to research your family history, which you can do through questioning family members and researching your family name on ancestry.com or similar websites.

There are several websites that offer free web hosting where you can create a web page to share your family information online. These websites have a space to type your blog and upload your pictures. When making your genealogy websites on these free web hosting servers, you will need to create a username and password, and fill out the online registration form. From here, you can choose whether you would like to create a web page in the form of a blog, or an online photo album.

After filling out the registration information, you can choose the background appearance for the genealogy websites. Choose your color, font style and layout. If desired, add links to favorite websites.

Genealogy websites have blogs about your family history, recent events, and the newest additions to the family. The web hosting servers offer tutorials on how to do these things. Here is where you can also add pictures and a family tree. Scan your old photos that were passed down from grandparents or aunts and uncles to add them to the website.

There are several websites that are specifically meant to design family trees. These services are offered for a fee, but make the process easier for those who desire a template to work with. These websites include, but aren't limited to, tribalpages.com, familytreemaker.com and geni.com. You can make your web page accessible to the public, or for privacy reasons, just to those whom you invite.

WiseGEEK is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
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Discussion Comments

By Mykol — On Jun 30, 2011

Tracing your family tree can be a very interesting and addicting past time. Once you get started, you just want to keep finding out more and more information.

I have found that most family members are more than willing to share information and talk about their memories. Since I began a family search several years ago, I have learned so much about my family that I never would have known otherwise. I have also met cousins that I didn't even know I had.

By bagley79 — On Jun 29, 2011

There are many good genealogy sites online where you can search for information and trace your family tree. A few years ago at one of our family reunions, we had people come that we had never met before, and one of the reasons was because of all the information that is available online.

One of my aunts was in her local library doing family research and mistakenly left a post it note that had her last name one it. This is quite a unique last name so it is easily recognizable. A cousin that she never met came in the library to also do research and saw this note and they connected.

Both of them were at the reunion and it was such an interesting story to hear about and to share.

By julies — On Jun 28, 2011

My uncle has spent countless hours working on our family history. He has even spent his vacations traveling to parts of the country to meet people in our family line.

He recently made a site for our family on an online genealogical website. Once you join, you can add photos, made posts and keep up with family that is scattered all over the world.

This has been a great way to stay in touch and to meet new family members that we would probably have never even known about.

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