Using the internet

The internet is a rich but sometimes overwhelming source of information, but with a little guidance, there are plenty of places for the amateur genealogist to investigate.

Most genealogy websites relate to surnames. If you are lucky, you may find someone with the same surname as you who has already done some genealogical research. And if you're really lucky, you may find a connection to your own family tree.

As is the case with most of the internet, most websites are based in the United States and are US-centric. They are nevertheless full of useful information and a great source of links.

The following are some of the most useful websites.

Rootsweb: The internet's oldest and largest genealogy site
http://www.rootsweb.com/

Cyndi's List
http://www.cyndislist.com/
Phew! 41,850 genealogy links, categorised and cross-referenced, in over 100 categories!

UK and Ireland: http://www.cyndislist.com/genuk.htm

England: http://www.cyndislist.com/england.htm

Scotland: http://www.cyndislist.com/scotland.htm

Wales: http://www.cyndislist.com/wales.htm

GenForum
http://genforum.familytreemaker.com

Steve Lacy's Genealogy Gateway to the Web
http://www.gengateway.com/

Genealogy Online
http://www.genealogy.org/

International Internet Genealogical Society
http://www.iigs.org/

Familia
http://www.earl.org.uk/familia/
Family history resources in public libraries in the UK and Ireland. The website has been developed by the Family History Task Group of Project EARL (Electronic Access to Resources in Libraries).

Public Record Office Resource List
http://www.pro.gov.uk/genealogy/resources.htm

UK and Ireland Genealogical Information Service (GENUKI)
http://www.genuki.org.uk/

World GenWeb Project
http://www.worldgenweb.org/

British Isles Genweb Project
http://www.pa-roots.com/britishisles/

England GenWeb
http://www.rootsweb.com/~engwgw/index.html

Scotland GenWeb
http://www.rootsweb.com/~sctwgw/

Lots of links on The Irish Ancestral Research Association website
tiara.ie/links.html

BT Archives
http://www.bt.com/archives/
The BT archive in London contains their collection of historic phone books.

Genealogical Web Site Watchdog
http://www.ancestordetective.com/watchdog.htm
Watches out for scams and misinformation.

Publishing your information on the internet
GEDCOM – 'GEnealogical Data COMmunication files' – is a genealogy database standard and is the format for publishing genealogy files on the internet. Most genealogy software packages will output GEDCOM files, and there are some kind souls out there who provide a place to publish them.

• Dave Wilks' free gedcom server: http://www.my-ged.com/
• Henge net: http://www.henge.net/