 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
|
Getting Started | |
|
Mega Data Sites | |
|
International and Immigration Destinations | |
|
State and Regional Resources | |
|
Web Tools | |
|
History Havens | |
|
Geographical Aids | |
|
Specialized Research Resources | |
|
Blogs | |
| . |  |
|
 |
||||
| Newsletter Forms Bookstore Courses Resources |
||||
Top of the World Wide Web By David A. Fryxell
As time is measured on the Internet, however, seven years is an eternity. In seven years, Web sites can pop to prominence, generate buzz and fade away to “HTTP Error 404—File Not Found.” Technologies take center stage only to give way to the latest Next Big Thing. Consider online genealogy. When we launched our annual 101 Best Web Sites roundup seven years ago, we included many sites that—although noteworthy for their time—might not be laudable today. A list of five steps for getting started in genealogical research? A handful of articles and a few dozen links? Nice way back then, but in 2007, we’re looking for databases with entries in the millions, digitized original documents or at least links running to six figures. (Perennial honoree Cyndi’s List, for example, has ballooned from 85,000 categorized sites in 2000 to nearly 300,000 by the time you read this.) Face it, we’re spoiled. Online genealogy has evolved at the hyperspeed of the Internet, to the point where what appeared magical in 2000 would elicit yawns today. A few of our original 101 honorees have kept pace, expanding their offerings in ways unimaginable back then. Other sites have fallen off the list, gone dark or simply been supplanted by exciting new places to extend your research with a few mouse clicks. So, for our eighth annual 101 Best Web Sites, we’ve decided to revisit our “classic” compilation and present not the best new sites or the best undiscovered sites or what have you, but the best of the Web—period. The sites listed here represent our picks for the 101 most valuable spots to spend your genealogical time online. As usual, those charging some sort of fee for any portion of their content are denoted with a $[match icon style]. Depending how you count, only about a dozen of our original 101 list also appear on this year’s list (and many of those have different URLs). Don’t blame the proverbial “seven-year itch” for this apparent fickleness, though—that’s just life in the Internet fast lane. Hang on tight! Here’s what makes the list—for now. Do you agree with our picks? Want to suggest a site for next year? Sound off in our Web Watch Forum
These 101 roots resources represent the pinnacle of online genealogy—let them lead you to the peak of family tree success.
In genealogy, seven years is nothing. As you trace your family tree back several centuries, you may reach the point where seven years or so seems like an acceptable margin of error. If you can establish an ancestor was born sometime between 1530 and 1537, say, that seven-year span may be the best you can do.
Search | Articles | Toolkit | Bookstore | About Us | Contact |