We’re almost through the first month of 2025 and I have started to think more about how to best preserve my family tree for the future.
I’ve now done genealogical research for 46 years and am at the point where very few new branches of the tree are likely to bloom, mainly due to lack of records. Most of “my” new discoveries come about through those terrific professional genealogists who have the skills to access and read early English records and happen to extend the lineages of my own colonial American lines.
There are quite a few ways in which to share family trees.
- Share with family members: Although I share my findings with family members, most have a minimal interest in all these ancestors. I am considering purchasing genealogy software for several extended family members (the younger generation) and then mailing them flash drives with all the documents and images organized so that they have digital copies of all my work.
- MyHeritage Family Tree: I need to update my family tree on this website.
- Ancestry Family Tree: I need to update my tree here, too.
- FamilySearch Family Tree: I made an attempt years ago to add info to the one universal tree and messed that up with duplicates. I then gave up. I’ll have to take another look at least to add in more details on my direct lines.
- WikiTree: I’ve rarely used WikiTree and have never added anything to it. I’ll have to think about this one. It would be way more involved than working on FamilySearch. This one is a maybe.
How have you shared your family tree data?
I don’t use the FamilySearch tree, but I sure like their Wiki and their collections of documents. I am considering sharing my research with a few different genealogical societies in a few different states or regions, and in Canada, as well, as my father’s line has some direct ancestors born in Canada. I use WikiTree, because I like that they ask us to sign a pledge to source our entries. I also have a tree on Ancestry, and need to make arrangements for someone to continue to curate it after I’m outa here. Lots to consider.
My mum, sister, niece, cousins, plus some of my husband’s cousins all have access to my tree on Ancestry as invited guests, some with the ability to edit.
I have a public tree on Ancestry, one on FindMyPast, and on Geneanet (which I update every few months). I also use WikiTree and am working on building out from my main line, Plus I work on the FamilySearch tree, though on some lines I’ve had to give up as the errors are too difficult to untangle and knowing it could just be changed back again is very depressing.
I also back up my tree and genealogy folder to two external hard drives, one of which I keep at work.