Roots & Branches

How To Plant Your Family Tree On The Web

Presented by The Three Sisters

Step-By-Step Guide

1. Learn HTML:
   You will need a working knowledge of HTML, the web publishing language, to build your web pages. Basic HTML is not difficult to learn and the web is packed with help on the subject. It is wise to try a few practice pages with the help of some of the HTML assistant programs before attempting to build your actual web page. HTML Helplinks:
   • All you would ever want to know about HTML if you have the time to look at all this
   • Computer Shopper February 1997 has a great HTML Reference Library to download.(ColorHexer on the same page is also a great help when trying to adjust your page colors.)
   • Athens 2090 Geocities Help is a easy to understand help page for HTML.
   • Marshall's HTML help
   • Create It ~101 Is a comprehensive HTML help site
   • GeoCities own SoHo 2439
   • Your Family Tips for building family homepages
   • Build a Family Tree Online I haven't tried this. Check it out & let me know if it helps.
   • Cyndi's Genealogy Construction Kit contains helpful advise and Links for constructing genealogy web sites.
   
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2. Build your Tree:
   • To Build a Searchable Database for the Web You Need:
     • A Genealogy Database program capable of exporting a GEDCOM file. Several programs of this type are available for downloading from the web: Cyndi's Index of Genealogy Software, and Family TreeMaker provides a list of links to other (in addition to their own program) genealogy programs, or try PAF, the program I use. After obtaining a Genealogy Database program you will need to enter your family history data in the program and export a GEDCOM file to use to build your web database. Each genealogy program contains instructions on how to export a GEDCOM file.
     • If you have a Genealogy Database capable of exporting a GEDCOM file and have your genealogy data entered into this program, export a GEDCOM file and use one of the GEDCOM to HTML converter programs to automatically build your web page database. Your genealogy program will have instructions on how to export a GEDCOM file.
   
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3. To Convert Your GEDCOM file To a Web Page Database you need a translator program:
   • GED2HTML: This is the program I used to build my family tree database. It was developed by Eugene W. Stark and contains detailed instructions on how to convert your GEDCOM file to HTML files you can upload to your web page. It builds web page files automatically from your GEDCOM file with very little input from you. It is best to experiment with the output of GED2HTML on your local hard drive to get a database that suits you. The resulting files can be very large. To limit their size, export a new GEDCOM containing fewer names and run GED2HTML again. Try the files out with your web browser to ensure they are workable before attempting to place them on a web server.
   • GED2WWW is a GEDCOM to HTML program written by Leslie Howard. Information on Using this program is readily available. I have not tried GED2WWW myself, but I have seen some very good genealogy pages that were built with this program.
   • Other Simular Programs: Information on another method of indexing GEDCOM files for web pages is available at Roots Web. Or try Cyndi's Index of Genealogy Software for additional options. A list of links to several programs for converting GEDCOM format files to web pages in HTML format in English and Norwegian can be found here.
   • Cyndi's Genealogy Construction Kit lists many other links with help on GEDCOM file conversion.
   
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4. Find a Home for Your Tree:
   • You will need space to place your homepage on a server. It may be that your internet service provider offers free space on their server for personal homepages. If you are a college student, many colleges provide free space on their servers for student pages. I recomend you try my favorite Free Home Page provider. GeoCites is home to Powell Roots & Branches. They made it very easy, with a little expermenting, to get my first web page up and running. They have excellent to help a beginner build that first page, edit and add additional pages, and maintain their site. After you become a GeoCities member, uploading files to your directory on their server is just a matter of a few mouse clicks. You can find help building GeoCities web pages at SoHo 2439 and Athens 2090.
   • Cyndi's Genealogy Construction Kit lists many more links to help you find a home for your web project.
   • FreeWebSpace Net Maintains a current list of free web space providers with reviews of some of the more popular servers.
   
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5. Web Page Tips
• My Number 1 Tip for building Web Pages - Post a Sign on Your Front Door
  Formulate an objective for your web project and use this objective in developing your genealogy pages. Use words from your objective in the Title and Headings. Search engines will use the Title and first few lines on your page to index your site. Be sure the word Genealogy and the Surnames you are most interested in are included within this space. If you can't find them, let them find you!
• My Number 1 Tip for Designing Anything - Simplify, Simplify, Simplify
  Surfers visit genealogy web pages searching for content, not splash. Flashy design, large graphics, and clashing colors will come between your page and potential visitors. The STOP button may become their greatest defense against your waste of their time!
• Do Not Post Photos at Your Front Door
  Only your mother is interested in seeing your picture every day, and she aready has one. Put your family portraits on a page clearly marked photos so vistors can choose to view or not view. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a thousand words loads faster than one picture.
• Start Now
  Do not be afraid to try this. It is not as hard as it looks, and it is the fastest way to connect with others who are researching your genealogy. Someone else did this, you can too. On the Web, help is only a mouse click away.

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6. Advertise & Share
   Links to Sites that will Register your Database Site or Surnames so others can find you:
   • Gendex is one of the Best!
   • The Genealogical Database Index contains links to all known genealogical databases searchable through the Web. A Must!(Note: This takes a looong time to download because it contains all the database links on one page, but it is worth the wait.)
   • Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet has Databases, Search Sites, Surname Lists. Very Good!
   • RootsWeb Register your Surnames with Roots Web here.
   • Your Family Register your page & Search for Personal Web Pages with your surname.
   • GeoCities How to Promote Your Site has links to help you submit your stie to many popular search engines.
   • Submit-it is a good place to submit your site address to many different search engines
   
   

   Links to Sites that will accept your GEDCOM file via e-mail and make it accessable to others:

   • Ancestry Search . is pleased to make the following databases available FREE to our visitors. Largest collection of freely searchable genealogy information on the World Wide Web. Be sure to return often because new information will be available here on a regular basis..
   • Yates Publishing - The Computerized Ancestor Accepts GEDCOM via e-mail.
   • Kindred Konnections Research Library Accepts Gedcom files via e-mail, Online Research Library.

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7. Links to Search Sites for Genealogy Databases on the Web:
   Find a researcher working on your Surname.
• RootsWeb Search Engines Several searchable databases
• Gentree Genealogical Database Index Search online databases
• Powell Roots and Branches Best Bets Family Finder is our own link to Genealogy Database Links Pages
8. If you are searching for Powell Relatives Try
   • The Three Sisters Query Page
9. Links to Query Sites
   
   General Genealogy Interest - Not Surname Specific
   • Genealogy's Most Wanted Post Lost Ancestor Queries and Search Other's Queries. Very Good Resource!
   • Gen Forum is a genealogy qurey site set up in forum format with genealogy on many surnames. They will start a forum on any surname not already in their database at your request ( so if there is no forum you can start one).

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   Links to Sites with Comprehensive General Genealogy Content - Starting Points:
   • UsGenWeb, Or for faster loading try Cyndi's GenWeb List. GenWeb is a great research starting point. Absolutely every link I have listed here can be found by following links from this page. Choose States, Your State, Your County. The Best!
   • ROOTS-L ROOTS-L Resources: - United States Resources
     For each state, where are the Family History Centers located? What books are there in the Library of Congress? How does one obtain vital records? Pointers to other interesting files and sites are also often included.
   • Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites If you have ever thought of indexing genealogy sites on the web, it's been done.
   • Index of Genealogical Pages Genealogy WWW pages, good list of general interest links
   • The National Genealogical Society (NGS) Good for general help and beginners, comprehensive links list.
   • How to for Beginners Links to several sites for beginners
   • The Genealogy Gateway To The Web Well Over 12,000 Genealogy & History Resource Listings.

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   Other Ways to Search:
   • Ultimant Powell Pages But replace Powell in the URL with YourSurname, and you have The Ultimant YourSurname Pages.
   • Their search site Looking for an easy way to search millions of web pages for any topic imaginable? Tired of the complicated forms and options of today's search engines? Look no further. The ULTIMATE Homepage Index is the place for you!
   • Yahoo's Genealogy Search could help.

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