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Genealogical Serendipity | |
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AncestorNews: Genealogical Serendipity Because a genealogy query now can race across the globe in seconds, I think weÕve grown accustomed to these little miracles of family lines revealed and branches finally climbed. However, every once in awhile an extraordinary coincidence makes me appreciate what a small world it really is.
As readers know, over the last several weeks IÕve been going through old letters, photos and papers that belonged to my aunt and uncle. Among them was a 1930s church booklet that named all of the members of the congregation. What caught my eye, though, was the ministerÕs surname: It was the same as a friend IÕd been helping with a project. Could my friend in San Diego be related to the minister in Missouri?
Yes. In fact, all it took was a few phone calls to verify that her great-uncle was a minister in the same church as my family—and stranger still, that my grandfather was president of the board. What are the odds that our families worked together more than 60 years before my friend and I met?
My wish for your New Year is that you experience the same moments of serendipity, both online and off. And, to get you started in the right direction, a few of my favorite networking sites:
• Cousin Connect: Free genealogy-only queries. Volunteers • GenForum: Network with other researchers by surname or place. • USGenWeb : Click on your ancestral state and county to find related organizations and mailing lists. • WorldConnect: Your brick wall may have already been climbed by cousins who've posted on this site. Have a wonderful holiday season and a genealogy-filled New Year!
Nancy Hendrickson is a contributing editor for Family Tree Magazine. She also is a family historian, freelance writer
and the author of the new book Finding Your Roots Online. Visit her Web site or e-mail her at stjoemo@pobox.com.
by Nancy Hendrickson
One of my favorite things about Internet genealogy is meeting distant relatives. Although weÕve never sat down over a cup of coffee weÕve exchanged old photos, family stories and GEDCOMs. (A GEDCOM, by the way, is the universal computer file format for sharing family tree data.) In fact, my "Internet cousins" are just as much a part of my family as the ones IÕve met in person.
cousinconnect.com
genforum.com
usgenweb.com
worldconnect.rootsweb.com
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