Help in taking my research to the next level and organisation advice?

Question

Hello!  

A little background...

I started researching some basics of my family tree around ten years ago, using Geni to create a tree, very basic information mainly based on family stories.  In 2008 I came across another Geni member who had painstakingly spent 30 years researching a part of my family and upon being given this wealth of information I have been interested in geneology ever since, dipping in and out of it over the years.

So, I would say I am confident about 90% of my tree is currently correct but as I am delving deeper and going father back I am getting a little dubious about some of the information I am finding and keep reaching "dead ends".

I love the idea of WikiTree and hope I can share some of my information soon but I need to get things organised first.  My tree is currently in Geni and I am not a huge fan of it but for now it works (I was also told not to share the research done by the aforementioned family member.) I have scraps of paper everywhere, a plethora of screenshots and lots of scanned photos.  I want to create a "Master Tree" for my eyes only, with all the information and sources and paraphernalia at my fingertips.  How is best to store all of this?  I am leaning towards a desktop program rather than web based and need it to be as affordable (or free!) as possible.  Do most people keep a "Master Tree"?

I feel like once I have all my information more sorted then I can start contributing to WikiTree as I really do love the one tree, one person, sharing element of it.

Finally, (sorry!) I am from the UK, am I correct in thinking many profiles on here are from the US?

Thank you for letting me waffle and ask many disjointed questions!  Hopefully some of you have some advice for this newbie, thanks!

Answer 1

Welcome, you are allowed to waffle. I had my own master tree for my eyes only, on a computer, BIG mistake, computers die and when they cannot be resurrected there goes all your work. I had 4,600 people, now I am back to square one, but through Wikitree I am sourcing my data and if I need I can  seek assistance from others, who are only too willing to help.

 You can scan and file all your bits and pieces but unless you put them on the cloud they can be lost in flood and fire. If those photos and newspaper clips are not attached to a person then photos may end up in the dead Fred basket.  Then there comes the time where you have worked on your tree for 30 or 40 years or more.... you die , where is all your work then? Who is going to know the trials and tribulations of your ancestors, if you don't share them with others who care.

Your family tree is best shared.  It is your legacy, it is the some of parts that makes you unique.

Answer 2

I use a web based program called Evernote to organize my sources, documents, pictures, scans, etc. There is a free basic version or a pay per year version (abt. $40) which I use. Each family has a notebook and within each notebook are the individual family members. The whole thing is searchable, including handwritten scans  I have notebooks for locations, sources, maps, timelines. It's all what you make of it. There is a similar program called Onenote which is pretty similar. You can also take screen shots or rip web addresses straight into Evernote. It keeps me sane.

Answer 3

Hi. I know just how you feel about the need for a "Master tree". For many years, before I discovered Wikitree, I started using Reunion for Windows. I still have notebooks and shoeboxes full of scraps of paper and photos, but the only way I can see where I am up to is to look at my desktop program. Reunion is no longer available to run in a Windows environment, so a couple of years ago I tried Legacy. It took me a while to adjust and get used to a new program but I find it very good for my requirements.

Take note about the fact that computers can, do and will occasionally die suddenly and do backups religiously. And don't just do a back up to your computer's hard drive!!! Backups need to be done to an independent storage like the cloud, or an external drive or even to a friend's computer. Whatever, just do it.

And the best thing about Legacy is that they offer a free version. Yay. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the Deluxe version, but those features can be unlocked at any time, for a fee. The free version does everything I want. Give it a try. In fact, give as many free programs as you can find a try and then you'll be much better informed to make your own decision.

One more reason to have a "Master Tree" is to keep a record of those items that cannot be published on Wikitree. I have many photos and documents from the internet that I legally copy for my own private use that cannot be downloaded to Wikitree as that would be a breach of copyright.

Also, be aware that while you may initially consider that you are downloading your family history onto Wikitree, you don't "own" those profiles or that tree. Other genealogists, data doctors, and robots can and will add to and change what you have written. Some people take offence at this as they feel their work is somehow being downgraded. Of course, what is actually happening is that the quality of the information is being improved by the collaborative efforts of all involved.

And yes there are a lot of profiles from the US here. It doesn't matter. This is a world tree. Many/most/all? countries are represented (I have no idea how many). I am Australian and they even let us convicts enter data!

Comments

Ha Ha Dave nice one. That final sentence made me chuckle, considering many of "you convicts" originated from these shore. (I'm from the UK).

Answer 4

Welcome to Wikitree R. I am from the UK also, and please, never worry here about waffling or posing what you feel maybe a disjointed question. Everyone here who has signed the Honor Code is part of a worldwide family, and you will find the whole family love to help when and where they can. There are so many nationalities here it really doesn't matter which region of the world has most profiles, because the further back you go the closer we all get. You may well find that relatives you didn't know existed or even friends of those relatives suddenly find you here and pass onto you some snippet of information that opens up a whole new chapter in your research. It has happened 3 times already to me. With regards to your family member who doesn't want to share his info, that's fine, but you can always take a guide from him/her and find your own sources. BMD sources are relatively easy to find, you just don't need to share the personal stories he/she provided. Wikitree's privacy levels are adjustable too don't forget. Enjoy building your branch of the tree here, your descendants will have something great to reflect on later :)

Answer 5

I've used Family Tree Maker which started out on Genealogy.com, moved to Ancestry.com and is now owned by a Russian firm Kiev something.  If you have a subscription to Ancestry.com it's good since it searches on Ancestry.  I have a couple of large trees; about 28000 people from my mom's side and 9000 from my dad's side as well as a hundred or so smaller trees on the lines of spouses of my ancestors and cousins. I'm gradually adding the major lines to WikiTree.  I don't worry about getting the sources from my off-line tree, though, since I didn't put them in the offline tree in a format which can be used on Wikitree.  Instead I just use the RootSearch here on WikiTree.

Answer 6

Hi! There are a few of us around that are also from the UK, and the UK branches are slowly expanding!

I originally started with folders and printouts etc before the internet 30 years ago. I have a small office now full of folders and now I have most of the paperwork in digital form. I was saving to pc and backing up to external hard-drive but after losing a pc AND an external Hard drive dying, I lost 6 months research, so now back everything up straight to the cloud.

I still hope to be researching for a long time to come, but knowing that my two children are unlikely to continue my passion, I thought Wikitree would be a good way to share and preserve my hard earned research for generations to come, even if not on my direct line!

I also love the idea of trying to make sure that there is just one profile per person that is accurate and well sourced, rather than trying to convince 20+ people on ancestry or other tree site who have copied each other's mistakes and perpetuated the mistake by blind linking!

I started my branch on Wikitree from scratch, one person at a time so it makes me go back and look at each individual with fresh eyes and finding new documentation/sources that I didn't have before.