3.5 Securing Research

It is important that researchers secure and store their research, as well as have it available to share with others. Entering data on FamilySearch Family Tree is helpful for collaborating and sharing what has been discovered, but, just as easily as the data is entered, someone else could come along and change it. Maybe that person has a new discovery that improves the content on FamilySearch Family Tree, but maybe they just made assumptions without sources and added it because it was easy to do, not because it was correct.

It is exciting to work in collaboration with others, but it is also important that research is preserved. This is accomplished through utilizing genealogy software or forms to keep track of discoveries. There are several good programs family historians can purchase that save data and build pedigrees. Companies like RootsMagic, Ancestral Quest, and Family Tree Maker all have software that will preserve and compile research data while allowing for printing reports and organizing findings. For this course, fillable family group record forms will be used in place of software. A file for fillable family group records is available for download. The family group record is where proven facts and events are recorded with their sources. Students are encouraged to investigate the listed software options for their future needs, but learning a new program for this course is not necessary.

This is for ease of use and to avoid students incurring the additional cost of the software. One highlight of the Word format form is allowing students to use the endnote feature to list source citations for each fact or event. The .pdf format is very accessible and does not require using multiple pages to represent a family. Both are good options. Students can select whichever they prefer. Remember that nothing gets added to the family group record unless it is sourced, and the citation needs to be included as an endnote (Word version) or in the citations field (.pdf version). If there is an item, event, or fact the researcher believes is right but cannot prove, make a note in the research log; it should not be added to the family group record until it is proven with a source.

Software is used to compile research results into a workable format, like a family group record or pedigree, that is easy to share but is also easy to protect. The researchers control the information on their own computers. Because it cannot be accessed by others, they always have their own work to refer back to. The data the genealogist collects can then be uploaded to websites or shared with other people while the integrity of the research is preserved.

Some may ask why software or forms stored on a personal device are necessary when genealogy websites are readily available. Because FamilySearch Family Tree is collaborative, research will not be preserved there. Others have access to edit it. A situation may happen where a researcher has diligently sought documents for years and uploaded them to FamilySearch Family Tree, carefully inputting dates and places onto the details page. Then, a cousin may come along not realizing that the name of the ancestor is very common and there are a lot of different records that contain that name. The cousin might not look closely at the document and may link something that happened in a place or at time that could clearly not be tied to that ancestor. The cousin may think they are helping by changing birthdates and places of residence however the original data would have to be restored by a user to be displayed properly. Collaborative trees have their place and it is important to work together on family lines but it is not a place that is guaranteed to preserve personal research.

Why not Ancestry? Ancestry.com allows each member to create family trees accessible to the user and viewable by others only if the member chooses that option. However, Ancestry.com does not allow for proper source citations or printing family group records so, while having a tree on the website is great, it lacks all the functions needed for genealogists to properly present, share, and store their work. The other websites also have quirks and lack the scope of what is needed for creating and storing high-quality genealogical findings.

It is convenient to have information easily accessed on a website but there are ways to make personal research portable. The fillable forms can be stored in the cloud for access while researching at a library or other location or they can be stored on a flash drive for access on the go.