The Family History Guide: A Review
You have heard that there are websites on the Internet that can help you with your research. You have probably found some of them. Wouldn’t it be great if there was someone who could show you, step-by-step, where to find help when you need it? Could you benefit from a guide who would point you to good websites where you learn about a specific family history topic, or even about computer basics? You can find such a guide for the web, in The Family History Guide.
The Family History Guide was launched in July 2015 as an instructional website that organizes family history resources together so that you can start your research and go directly to the best information on the web.
On the home page there are links to the Introduction; Projects; and Training (about The Family History Guide). A good place to start is on the Introduction Page.
I recommend that you view “The Family History Guide Quick Tour” (left) for an overview of how to use the website. You can also find links to webinars on this page. You can view past issues of the FHG Newsletter including information about subscribing.
When you are ready, you can click on the menubar to go to the Projects area. There are eight projects to explore, and goals within these topics. The projects are: Family Tree (for the FamilySearch Family Tree); Memories; Descendancy Research; Discover; Indexing (for FamilySearch); Help; Tech (to learn about using Technology in genealogy); and DNA. Each project contains goals, which are sections that contain links to resources on the web. You may be interested all or some of goals within a project. From the menubar you can also select a link to find resources for Children.
The Topics Page, which can be reached by a link on the left side of the Projects pages, shows you a linked index to the topics that are covered in The Family History Guide.
This Guide is good for experienced as well as beginning genealogists. The links to resources are well organized within each project. I especially liked Project 4: Discover. You will find links to in-depth resources for geographic-based and ethnic research. Several geographic locations are on the menu; for others you will have to view the submenu to find out which countries are covered. The QUIKLinks on the left side of the these pages send you to websites that have the records.
You will find this a worthwhile website to explore. To get the most out of using the Family History Guide, take the time to understand the navigation. Think of a topic you need help with or want to know more about. Then check out the resources for that topic from the menubar, or the Topics page, and follow your guide.
Note: You will find several posts from A Week of Genealogy included in the resources.
