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The Family History Research Wiki (also known as the FamilySearch Research Wiki or the FamilySearch Wiki) provides reference information and educational articles to help genealogists find and interpret records of their ancestors. [1] [2] It is a free-access, free-content, online encyclopedia on a wiki, hosted as part of the FamilySearch site. It is sponsored by FamilySearch, a non-profit organization and genealogical branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [3] Anyone may read any of the articles, and almost all articles can be edited by registered users (contributors); registration is free.
Most of the articles in this Wiki are about a place, such as a town, county, state, province, or nation. Such articles suggest how to research records for information about ancestors in that jurisdiction. Every nation worldwide has at least one article. There are more articles for places in the United States, Canada, and Europe. So far, there are comparatively fewer pages for Africa, Asia, Australia, Latin America, or the Pacific Islands.
Contributors are able to add information about places for use by researchers to find and understand ancestry records. For example, information about local record idiosyncrasies, record gaps or record-loss, jurisdictional boundary changes, records housed in unusual places, or tips for using the records more effectively, is encouraged. Reference information about local jurisdictions, contact information, record start and stop dates, repositories, social life and customs that affected local record keeping are also welcome.
Content for a place-article may include maps, primary repository contact information, organization date, parent jurisdiction, internal sub-divisions such as towns or counties, boundary changes, record loss if any, neighboring localities, resources, local record types, local migration routes, and other local libraries, archives, societies, or museums.
The Family History Research Wiki is not a database of ancestors' names, photos, family stories, or pedigrees. Nor is it a place for genealogical queries, or message boards—however, it often explains and then links to such sites. Religious doctrines, church policies, and religious images are not permissible on the Family History Research Wiki except where they directly impact genealogical research. [4]
The FamilySearch Library, formerly the Family History Library, in Salt Lake City has over four thousand branches worldwide called FamilySearch Centers. These centers have volunteer staff who offer free research advice to visitors. A series of "research outlines" and other publications by the Family History Library were developed starting about 1988. [5] When the FamilySearch Research Wiki was launched in late 2007, the electronic copies of the old paper publications of the Family History Library were transferred into the wiki to become part of over 162 new articles. Of those articles, 86 were front-page-articles each linked to about 25 closely related topical sub-pages. For example, the front-page New Jersey Genealogy article was linked directly to the associated New Jersey Biography, New Jersey Cemeteries, and New Jersey Census pages, among others. Much of the early structure and phrasing of the wiki can be attributed to these publications. The old paper "research outlines" were the original source from which the Family History Research Wiki has developed.
The Family History Research Wiki was launched 14 December 2007 when the main page was first edited. [6] The wiki began on Plone wiki software. However, it was soon discovered that MediaWiki software would be a better platform, so in January 2008 it was moved to the MediaWiki 1.17.1. [7] In late March 2016, it was moved to a newer, more-stable Wiki platform, WikiMedia 1.23.10, which does not require as much attention from FamilySearch computer engineers. [8]
Following the English language edition introduction in late 2007, the Family History Research Wiki has been rolled out in other languages. As of July 2014 it is available in 11 languages. [9]
Links to the other language wikis are found at the bottom of the Family History Research Wiki homepage. As of 7 March 2016, the Family History Research Wiki in English had 150,561 registered users who had helped create over 82,858 articles. [10]
The Family History Research Wiki has over 100 million views per year. [11] During most months it is usually the second-most frequently visited part (out of ten parts) of FamilySearch, its host site. Wider use of this wiki in the genealogical community seems to be growing only slowly. This resource has been discussed by expert how-to-book authors, [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] in periodicals, [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] by instructors at genealogical conferences and classes, [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] on Internet sites, [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] in blogs, [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] and on talk radio. [48]
James Tanner in 2014 on his Genealogy Star blog said the Family History Research Wiki "...is the one most valuable genealogical resource on the Web. I make no qualification in making that claim and have repeated it time and time again." [49]
Christine Hitchmough in her 2016 lesson "FamilySearch: Using the Wiki" explained "Because no one can be an expert in all localities, records, languages, or ethnic groups, the purpose of the FamilySearch Wiki is to collaborate and share knowledge that is designed to encourage and eventually enable all people, anywhere in the world, to know where to find, how to use, and how to analyze genealogy records." [50]
The Federation of Genealogical Societies in 2014 used their blogtalkradio hour "mysociety" to explain how to leverage a society's Internet site by adding a Family History Research Wiki article linking to their society home page. [51]
The London FamilySearch Centre in the Reading Room at the National Archives near Kew Gardens, England wrote in March 2015, "The Research Wiki is a work in progress. It relies on members from the genealogical community to help add information to make it grow. YOU are the genealogical community! You may know of a database or information not already listed in the wiki." [52]
The Wiki Governance Council oversees the direction and management of the Family History Research Wiki. Its purpose is to facilitate a valuable and productive experience for all Wiki users. [53]
Genealogy is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members. The results are often displayed in charts or written as narratives. The field of family history is broader than genealogy, and covers not just lineage but also family and community history and biography.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also tasked with increasing public access to those documents that make up the National Archives. NARA is officially responsible for maintaining and publishing the legally authentic and authoritative copies of acts of Congress, presidential directives, and federal regulations. NARA also transmits votes of the Electoral College to Congress. It also examines Electoral College and constitutional amendment ratification documents for prima facie legal sufficiency and an authenticating signature.
The FamilySearch Library (FSL), formerly the Family History Library, is a genealogical research facility in downtown Salt Lake City. The library is open to the public free of charge and is operated by FamilySearch, the genealogical arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
GEDCOM, complete name FamilySearch GEDCOM, is a de facto open file format specification to store genealogical data, and import or export it between compatible genealogy software. GEDCOM is an acronym standing for Genealogical Data Communication. GEDCOM was developed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an aid to genealogical research. Most genealogy software supports importing from and exporting to GEDCOM format.
FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization and website offering genealogical records, education, and software. It is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is closely connected with the church's Family History Department. The Family History Department was originally established in 1894, as the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU); it is the largest genealogy organization in the world.
Family Tree Maker is genealogy software for Windows and Mac that allows the researcher to keep track of information collected during research and to create reports, charts, and books containing that information. The software was originally developed by Kenneth Hess of Banner Blue Software, which was purchased by Broderbund in 1995. It passed through the hands of The Learning Company, SoftKey, Mattel, and others before coming under its current ownership. A redesigned Family Tree Maker 2008 was released on August 14, 2007. The 2009 version of the program corrected some of the errors and omissions of its predecessor, and introduced a few new features. Family Tree Maker 2010 claimed to further enhance the radical redesign and be more powerful and feature-packed with faster navigation and quicker load times.
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society is a non-profit institution located at 36 West 44th Street in New York City. Founded in 1869, it is the second-oldest genealogical society in the United States, and the only statewide genealogical society in New York state. Its purpose is to collect and make available information on genealogy, biography, and history, particularly in relation to New Yorkers. The Society also publishes periodicals and books, conducts educational programs, maintains a Committee on Heraldry, and offers other services.
Cluster genealogy is a research technique employed by genealogists to learn more about an ancestor by examining records left by the ancestor's cluster. A person's cluster consists of the extended family, friends, neighbors, and other associates such as business partners. Researching the lives of an ancestor's cluster leads to a more complete and more accurate picture of the ancestor's life.
FamilySearch Centers (FSC), formerly Family History Centers (FHC), are branches of the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City, Utah, operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The centers supply resources for research and study of genealogy and family history. As of 2023, there are more than 5,700 FSC in 145 countries.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is the oldest and largest genealogical society in the United States, founded in year 1845.
JewishGen is a non-profit organization founded in 1987 as an international electronic resource for Jewish genealogy. In 2003, JewishGen became an affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City. It provides amateur and professional genealogists with the tools to research their Jewish family history and heritage.
Archival research is a type of research which involves seeking out and extracting evidence from archival records. These records may be held either in collecting institutions, such as libraries and museums, or in the custody of the organization that originally generated or accumulated them, or in that of a successor body. Archival research can be contrasted with (1) secondary research, which involves identifying and consulting secondary sources relating to the topic of enquiry; and (2) with other types of primary research and empirical investigation such as fieldwork and experiment.
Trove is an Australian online library database owned by the National Library of Australia in which it holds partnerships with source providers National and State Libraries Australia, an aggregator and service which includes full text documents, digital images, bibliographic and holdings data of items which are not available digitally, and a free faceted-search engine as a discovery tool.
The Society of Australian Genealogists (SAG) is an Australian-based non-profit organisation whose principal objective is the advancement of genealogical education.[1] The SAG is the oldest family history society in Australia and holds the largest genealogical archives and research library in the country. The head office, archives and research library are located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The society membership numbers nearly 4,000 members world-wide.
WeRelate.org is an American wiki genealogy website that provides genealogy tools and data. WeRelate is a non-profit and is funded by tax-deductible donations and is managed by unpaid volunteers. WeRelate had over 2 million person pages by March 2011 and claimed to be the "world's largest genealogy wiki".
Findmypast is a UK-based online genealogy service owned, since 2007, by British company DC Thomson. The website hosts billions of searchable records of census, directory and historical record information. It originated in 1965 when a group of genealogists formed a group named "Title Research". The first internet website went live in 2003.
GenealogyBank.com is an online subscription genealogical service that provides access to records useful in family history research. GenealogyBank is one of the largest collections of digitized U.S. newspapers, dating back to 1690. In addition to digital newspaper archives, GenealogyBank also offers other online genealogy resources including the Social Security Death Index, obituaries, government publications, and historical books.
WikiTree is a genealogy website that allows users to research and to contribute to their own family trees while building and collaborating on a singular worldwide family tree within the same system. WikiTree is free for the user and financed via advertisements displayed to unregistered users. WikiTree is owned and hosted by founder's company Interesting.com, Inc.
The Historical Society of Baltimore County (HSBC) was founded in 1959 with the goal of preserving, interpreting, and illustrating the history of Baltimore County for the benefit of present and future generations of Marylanders, and is a resource for those interested in researching both local and family history. As the HSBC describes it, they "continually accomplish" their mission "through the production of presentations, lectures, workshops, entertaining educational publications, historical tours, and exhibits." Centrally located in Cockeysville, Maryland, the Society operates out of the Agriculture Building, the former Baltimore County Almshouse, which was built in 1872 and used to house the poor and mentally ill of Baltimore County until 1958.
Miriam Weiner is an American genealogist, author, and lecturer who specializes in the research of Jewish roots in Poland and the former Soviet Union. Weiner is considered to be one of the pioneers of contemporary Jewish genealogy through her work to open up archives and is described as a trail-blazing, highly respected guide and leading authority on archival holdings and resources in pre-war Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine.