Using the Cloud for British Family History Research – An Interview with Graham Walter

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Thomas MacEntee

[Editor's Note: Genealogist Graham Walter will be leading a series of genealogy classes discussing cloud computing and British family history research during the upcoming British Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah, October 7-11, 2013. In a recent interview conducted by Thomas MacEntee, Graham describes the state of cloud computing as it relates to genealogy research.]

If you had only 10 second to describe The Cloud to a genealogist, what would that description be?

‘The Cloud’ is a term that describes software and services presented via the internet. It can come in the form of small applications installed on the local computer or device but can also be presented as web-based apps but most share a common function of synchronising data between devices and web-based storage as well as being able to share with other users of our own choosing.

While it seems that many computer users have embraced “The Cloud” concept, in both the business world and personal computing space, the genealogy community has lagged behind. Are there any clear reasons for this reluctance to use The Cloud for genealogy research?

Many of us have collected out family history data through hours of toil in record offices and archives, often collecting it in the form of photocopies, hand written notes and sometimes microfiche. The result is a physical collection and very tangible ‘proof’ of our efforts.
Whilst a lot of our community are technically competent, many are not necessary of a technology ‘mind’. Also the computer industry has not, historically, been kind the end user – how many of us, in the early days of non-business email services, ended up loosing months of emails by a change by your ISP or by not having the enough of the ‘dark arts’ required to configure an email application?

In some respects, as a community we have been wary to adopt the ‘new’ of technology – how long did it take many us to upgrade to Windows XP from Windows 98 (or XP to Windows 7)? If it ain’t broke don’t even look for the tool box.

I think with the wide spread and reasonably quick spread of smartphones and tablets we (family historians) are seeing that there are may benefits of the services and applications provide by the cloud – for both mobile and static computing devices.

In your track at British Institute 2013, Using the Cloud for British Family History Research, you plan on covering various aspects of using The Cloud, especially for research trips. Can you give us a sneak peek as to what specific apps or functions you’ll cover?

I like to use an example of a trip to the Family History Library back in 2010 whilst in Salt Lake City for an earlier British Institute.

My computer was connected to the library wifi, as was my iPad. I collected a film and proceeded to look for some of my Wales ancestors, transcribing the information onto the iPad and Evernote as I went… after finishing with a few films I went back to desk and the computer – all of the transcriptions taken with the iPad were already there waiting for me… to trim them up, correct a few spelling errors (auto-’not-quite’-correct!!) and collate the new information into my family history application. I didn’t need to try and fit the computer next to the film reader; there was no need to transcribed my hand written notes and then collate them – much of what was needed was already done by using a cloud solution.
We will also be looking at file storage with services such as DropBox and Box.net; web-based applications such as Google Docs and MS Office 365; photo storage with 1000 Memories and Flickr; as well as examining some of the specific family history web sites to further our research in to our British ancestors – findmypast.co.uk; TheGenealogist.co.uk; Ancestry.co.uk; British Newspaper Archives and British Origins.

Is The Cloud concept here to stay or is it just a fad? And why does The Cloud seem to make sense right now?

I think the cloud is here to stay – in that applications and services will continue to be provided by the internet… but it may be that the way they are presented to us and the way we interact with them will change. Will we have ‘augmented reality’ overlays from our head-mounted computer displays that show us images of the street we are in as it was in 1883? The possibilities presented by experiments like Google Glass can only be imagined but the underlying presentation of the data will likely come from the cloud.

Are there any genealogy-specific apps or programs taking advantage of The Cloud? Or has the genealogy community had to “ re-purpose” programs like Evernote to make them work for genealogy?

There are examples of those apps that we would re-purpose for our family history needs but there are those that are dedicated to genealogy and family history.

Many of the apps or services we will use from the cloud are often referred to as ‘productivity applications’ – they can be used by anybody for use in almost any type of activity, from hobbies to business and all points in between. Like the the typical ‘office applications’ like Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Cloud apps can be adopted to fill the needs of the genealogist and family historian.

There are cloud-based spreadsheet, word processing and database applications that can directly replace the locally installed versions. We have apps that are have similar features that provide a better, specific use-case… and electronic notebook for our journalling as a replacement or adjunct to a physical notebook, a photo storage app that provides a means of collecting and sharing as a replacement for the physical photo album… and many more.

There are also the family history specific apps and services. Companies like ‘My Heritage‘; ‘findmypast’; ‘Family Search‘ and Ancestry are now providing services that can, if you want, replace the need for installing a family history application to your computer. These cloud-based services may provide enhancements over the ‘normal’ application by providing a means to match and compare your family tree data with other users within the site; share you family tree via the web with family members or other interested parties – even access your tree from other devices you own – like smartphones and tablets.

About Graham Walter, MCBS

In the real world Graham is an IT manager with Nissan and Renault in the U.K. He is a professional member of the British Computer Society. In the family history community, he is a volunteer with the Society of Genealogists’ Educational Outreach program. Graham works together with Jeanne Bunting as part of the “Census Detectives,” attending various family history fairs and society open house days showing people how to make use of online services for their family history research. He is also a member of the Guild of One Name Studies. and has given talks at their one-day seminars as well as presenting at family history group meetings.

May I Introduce To You . . . Andrew Martin

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Gini Webb

I have the great pleasure of introducing you to Andrew Martin and his blog, History Repeating, described as, “. . . An East Anglia multi-author genealogy blog, covering families of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.”

How Andrew Got Started in Genealogy

Andrew resides in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, England. He has been researching his genealogy since 1995, “. . . I was 17 and right in the middle of my A Levels.

My father’s oldest brother visited one day and left a piece of paper on my parents’ dining table which had a hand-drawn tree on it. I saw it and recognized no-one (it included my Great Grandfather and his siblings, but at that point, I didn’t recognize them). From that moment on I set myself the challenge to learn about everyone on it, and it kind of took over from that point. I probably put more effort into my research at that time than I did put into studying my A Levels.”

Andrew’s Thoughts on Blogging

“My first post was quite late in my research really – I’d already researched for 12 years by the time I wrote the first post in the Christmas to New Year lull in 2007. After posting it, I didn’t write anything much for a while. I already had my ‘The Family Tree UK’ website, and so I think I was worried about maintaining two sites.

The more I researched, the more I was finding stories – funny ones, or incredibly sad and disturbing ones. I also wanted to document the journey I was taking by including the exasperating challenges, and then the success of when I solved them.”

Andrew’s Favorite Blog Post

“This is a tough question.

I think my favourite posting is ‘Why I Love the 1851 Census’, as I honestly do love that census because it’s really the first useful one. 1841 is okay, but it’s a little thin on information, and of course the ages are often out by a few years. This post felt quite cathartic – like I was admitting some kind of guilty pleasure.

To date (and by a long way), the readers’ favourite posting is actually one where I created an infographic from the data of my Barber family. The traffic to that post easily beat the previous record holder of an article that I wrote and published during the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – writing it about their predecessors of that title. The infographic has had a lot of attention on LinkedIn and Facebook, and I’m really pleased to see this kind of content have that effect, as hopefully infographics can help more people find genealogy more accessible, and encourage them to start their own research.”

Andrew’s Tip for New Bloggers

“1. Your blog is only going to succeed if you post something, and keep posting.

2. Spend about 20% of your time creating the content, then 80% of your time promoting it – this will help you find new readers who want to read your blog.

3. Getting comments can be difficult. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t get any for a long time. Keep writing!”

How Genealogy Has Improved Andrew’s Life

“Genealogy is so important.

I think that a lot of families have a massive disconnect between generations, which is really unfortunate because older generations have so many great stories that they can tell you. Even if you find them boring now, you’ll kick yourself when it’s simply too late, and the memory is lost. Being a researcher immediately puts you in the middle of all that. People love telling stories about how things were, and that’s a great excuse for reuniting people to pool memories, or to work out who the mystery woman is in a photograph.

My research has helped to reunite relatives who lived only a few miles apart but due to whatever reason or situation, and then the passing of time, they’ve missed out on years of each other’s lives. Genealogy is a very social past-time.

I’ve also been fortunate to grow a great circle of international genealogy friends – either via twitter or through my blog, or by visiting genealogy events like Who Do You Think You Are? Live, or local family history shows and meeting fellow researchers face-to-face.

Also, it has given me a sense of belonging. At 17, when I was brimming full of ideas for ways to find my place in the world, knowing where I’d come from really helped me to realize that sometimes when times can be so viciously cruel, that people still had the courage and strength to fight through and succeed. That gives me a strength when I feel a bit low.”

Andrew’s Favorite Ancestor

“I think it probably has to be my maternal Great Grandmother Maude. I was lucky enough to know all four of my maternal great grandparents, but she was the one I knew the best, reaching the age of 104, when I myself was 25. Her story-telling, sense of humour, and laughter when remembering life as the third of fifteen children of a railway worker. That really fuelled my research and brought us close. I have a beautiful photograph of her from the 1920s hanging in my lounge. I’ve been fortunate to meet seven of her siblings – all such wonderful people.”

What Andrew Loves Most About Genealogy

“I love seeing photographs and being able to put names to them. Alongside that scrappy hand-drawn tree that my uncle had left with my parents were some photographs. Eventually more photographs followed, along with names, and it really helped to bring my family to life again.”

Andrew’s Time Capsule Message

“I would probably tell them what I did today. Where I went, what it was like, how much things cost etc. It’s those bits of information that I would have loved to have stumbled across from my ancestors – real life – not just the BMDs. I’ve not found any diaries yet, and so the minutely detailed social history side is lacking. I’ve tried to make up for this by focusing on newspapers to help fill in the gaps – to spot stories about, and quotes from, ancestors and to help understand the wider context in which they lived.

Oh, and I’d probably tell them where to find a copy of their family tree (but to check everything twice).”

* * *

Please take a moment to head on over to Andrew’s blog. Leave him a comment letting him know you stopped by. Welcome Andrew, it’s great to have you here!

Gini Webb lives in San Diego, California and manages her own blog, Ginisology, while also researching her own German heritage, retired, enjoying life with wonderful husband Steve and visiting with her grandchildren!

Are you a genealogy blogger who would like to be interviewed for the “May I Introduce To You . . .” series? If so, contact Gini Webb via e-mail.

May I Introduce To You . . . Deborah Sweeney

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Gini Webb

I have the great pleasure if introducing you to Deborah Sweeney and her blog, Genealogy Lady, described as, “ . . . Mainly, I am focusing on the letters written by my grandparents, Roscoe and Gladys Yegerlehner, during World War II with some additional family genealogy, Kentland history (the town where they lived) and World War II history.”

How Deborah Got Started in Genealogy

“I was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts but moved to central Massachusetts when I was three. I consider Worcester, Massachusetts to be my hometown. I currently live in Elk Grove, California (my husband’s hometown).

I have been working seriously on my research since I moved to California in 1994 and was introduced to the Family History Centers by a co-worker (who was Mormon). I have always been interested in my family’s genealogy. Both my grandmothers were a big influence on me. My Yegerlehner grandmother worked on putting together a chart of the Yegerlehner family. They were immigrants from Switzerland in 1851. She and my grandfather were able to travel back to Switzerland and meet some of the distant cousins on several occasions. My maternal grandmother was of old New England blood. She and her cousin worked on proving the lineages for the Mayflower Society and the Alden Kindred. By the time I was in junior high, I was already obsessed with genealogy. I also loved Greek mythology. I volunteered in all my school libraries throughout my school days. One of the libraries had this huge tome of mythology. I can’t tell you how many hours I spent tracking and charting the interwoven families of the Greek Gods. (That’s my total teen nerd moment for you).”

Deborah’s Thoughts on Blogging

“I started my blog last November over Thanksgiving weekend. I had been trying for years to figure out a way to share the World War II letters. I am also terrified that some natural disaster will occur and the letters will be lost before they get preserved. I have had possession of them for about a decade. Before that, my dad had rescued them from the trash bin years ago. My grandmother was doing some cleaning and told my dad he should just toss them. He decided to save them instead. As a result, he carted them around for decades. Finally, I got to the point in my genealogy research that I wanted to read them so he passed them on to me. I had tried scanning them, but there are just so many of them that I would quickly lose interest in the project. At this point, I estimate there are between 750-1,000 letters. The blog has created the perfect way to break the project into small chunks. I spend an hour or two each day with one letter (transcribing, scanning, checking historical references, etc). I have learned so much from the letters in just the last 5 ½ months. I have also connected with several distant cousins as well as descendants of the townspeople mentioned in the letters. My grandmother did not like to gossip but many of her letters mention her daily interactions with the neighbors and other townspeople (in Kentland and Lafayette, Indiana).”

Deborah’s Favorite Blog Post

“I am not sure I have a specific favorite post. There are a couple themes that have popped up throughout the letters. One of them has been my grandfather’s struggle with his laundry. At this point the saga is quite hilarious and I know it is a problem he had throughout the war. When he was stationed in Norfolk, it would typically take 2-3 weeks for him to get his laundry back. He went home for leave in mid July 1942 and was almost immediately called back because his orders to ship out were issued. Of course, he didn’t have time to retrieve the laundry when he returned to Norfolk. At this point in the narrative, the laundry has been shipped across country in an attempt to catch up with him and has finally landed with my grandmother in Kentland. I don’t know yet if she attempted to ship it to the South Pacific but I just published a post in which my grandfather was wondering what had happened to the laundry. Another theme is the arrival of my father. My grandmother was pregnant with him when my grandfather signed up. It was very exciting to finally announce my father’s birth on the blog (70 years later). That post was titled, September 23, 1942 – Red Letter Day (Roscoe). It was a ‘red letter day’ for my grandfather because he received some long awaited mail but it was also the day (unknown to him) that his youngest son was born.”

Deborah’s Tip for New Bloggers

“Just do it! When I started 20+ years ago, my grandmother gave me piles of lineage charts and family group sheets that she and her cousin had put together. They didn’t really teach me anything. When I started going to the local Family History center, I didn’t really know much about what to do or how to research. I listened to the experienced researchers and I read a lot to educate myself. There is so much available online today and so many opportunities to learn good research practices. There are no excuses!”

How Genealogy Has Improved Deborah’s Life

“I can’t really imagine my life without genealogy. I have connected with some great people (and distant family) around the country over the years. With the addition of the blog, I now have people around the world that I connect with through our shared love of genealogy.

I just finished Boston University’s Genealogy Research Certificate Spring (Online 11). I am working towards becoming a certified genealogist (CG). Next up, I want to do ProGen and then get myself ‘on the clock’ for certification.”

Deborah’s Favorite Ancestor

“I am not exactly sure that I have a favorite ancestor. I have a favorite brick wall ancestor. His name was Alfred M. Dicks. Born in Guilford County, North Carolina to a Quaker family, he moved to Illinois in the 1830s. When he married his wife Ruth Reynolds in 1840, they were disowned from the local Quaker Monthly Meeting for marrying outside the faith. Although I know his parents and family, he is my brick wall ancestor because he was amazingly good at staying out of public records. I hope to travel to Crawford County, Illinois one day and lock myself up in the library in Robinson and see if I can find something more about him.”

What Deborah Loves Most About Genealogy

“I probably love the hunt and the discovery aspect of genealogy the most. I love trying to solve the puzzle and trying to fit all the pieces together.”

Deborah’s Time Capsule Message

“It is never too early to start learning about your family. Ask the questions sooner rather than later, before the oldest generation is gone. My grandmother Yegerlehner was able to help me a little, and even though she lived into her 90s, her memories were gone due to Alzheimer’s.”